Hi there, it's good to meet all of you! I am a very early-stages aquarium hobbyist working on a low-tech 10-gallon tank setup that I long-term want to be able to keep neocaridina shrimp in. But for starters, I want to establish the tank with a quality array of plant life, which will help me to hone my aquarium-keeping skill set while building out an environment that the shrimp can hopefully thrive in.
OK, onto my issue: I had aquarium plants shipped in from Aquarium Co-Op and BucePlant, and bought more from a local decor store all in the same span within the first few days of having the tank set up -- three Anubias, which have been secured to driftwood pieces, two cryptocorynes embedded into the substrate, a pad of Java Moss that's been scattered across the tank, and tissue culture of Christmas Moss that's collected in a few clumps in the tank.
I have noticed some browning and deterioration but have come to understand that this is a natural process of "melting" as they acclimate to the tank's water, especially as some of them may have been grown out of water and are now growing accustomed to being fully submerged.
However, I made a mistake when I initially introduced them into the tank and did not fully remove the nutrient-pack cloth that they are encased in when you first receive them. I removed the outer shell encasing the roots but did not pick out the finer pieces that are wedged between the roots -- this is for all of the Anubias and cryptocorynes -- and at the moment some of the plants still have these, other pieces I've found floating in the tank and pick them out as I come across them. My question is whether I am better served allowing these nutrient cloth wrap remnants to remain in place or if I am better off getting the plants out of the water and pulling the pieces out to free those roots.
Tank Details - 10G, long
Filtration is a Tetra Whisper 10G and a sponge filter (from Aquarium Co-Op)
Substrate is crushed black lava rock and diamond black sand
18W Hygger light, I run it on 10% brightness for 8 hours a day
Other tank inclusions: three pieces of spiderwood, and a group of chollo wood pieces.
Tank Parameters: 8 kH, 8 gH, 8.2 pH, 67 F temp (going without a heater for the shrimp, which I know will inhibit the growth speed of the plants), 3-4 ppm ammonia, 0.0 nitrites, 0.0 nitrates (going on its 7th day of cycling, so nowhere near an established BB colony)
Attaching aquarium pic for reference. Please let me know what else I can include! Thanks!