Jenja

My first suggestion is a liquid nitrate test - the strips are great for an overview but there's a wider range of interpretation so not super accurate, and right now you need accuracy. Even with the ferts I'm a bit surprised you're still that off the charts - 70% WC should be enough to keep things in check....not to mention the plants and even the algae should be uptaking some of it. Again this has me thinking time for liquid testing. Finally, low hardness and high pH, are you on a well with a water softener system? That's the classic indication of that, and can make your foray into plants a bit more difficult (though you're using Equilibrium, so you're over the first hurdle).

So you were seeing signs that indicated you needed more calcium? Or you decided you did because it is, in your opinion, too low? I'm getting the impression it was the latter and that's when you veered wildly off the road. Consistency isn't just for fish, plants, crypts in particular, love it too - they are rather notorious for melting when parameters change...which is exactly what happened here when they were going well for you, you changed what was working for them. I'd say figure out what you want to set your hardness at and commit - then once you've done that for a few months get some crypts, change nothing and see if they like your water. Some plants just won't - the entire internet loathes duckweed and can't get rid of it, but when I put it in my tanks? Dead in less than a week. Could I change my water? Maybe go the ro/di route and get away from my well softener? Sure could, but the plants (and fish) I currently have working for me? They might die off and I've just added extra work and worry into my hobby.

Unless you choose a method to suspend it (a wooden skewer or fishing bobber) I could see a betta being disinterested in repashy (as it sinks straight to the bottom on its own). Grub pie and community plus are the two varieties I use (for endlers, cherry barbs, and shrimp). My critters seem to prefer the grub pie.

...looks like diy snail bedazzler 😂 Made my day!

I'm a no boil person when it comes to driftwood. I do however do multiple hot water soaks - hot as my tap produces then soak 3-12 hours (sometimes it's a replace in 3 hours when the water temperature cools, other times it's overnight, there's no hard and fast rules), repeat until the wood sinks and the tannins are quite weak looking in my bucket. A white bucket is ideal for soaks if you want to see tannin levels. Good news for your rasboras, that's mopani you have, doesn't matter how much you boil or soak, that baby is gonna release tannins from now until forever.

I kept glowlight tetras as a species only in my 33g years ago. They are pretty in a very understated way. Lemon and bleeding heart are my two wishlist tetras. And to get black skirts again one day (had them in the early days of my fishkeeping obsession - they are so classy and solid looking, a definite favourite).

Truth! I have had a crypt parva float for months, was pretty neat to observe how the roots it had from when it was in the substrate die off and a thicker looking root (yes, singular) appear to replace the lost roots.

With plant lighting and nutrients set aside for a moment, it is ultimately a matter of opinion if your tank is over planted. You are the one caring for and maintaining this slice of nature, so you are the one who gets to decide that. Does it look bare to you? Add more plants. Is it too busy or full to your eye? Remove plants.

Both are definitely greener. Seeing the lack of upward growth on the root tab side has me wondering if that side is investing in its roots while the one without the tab is investing in upward/outward growth. Not worth disturbing them to check at this point, but might be something you could consider comparing once the experiment concludes.

Aerial roots, very normal.

Every 1-3 months - it's very much a when I think of it/notice it needs it, than a regimented schedule for me. As you can see the plant will show you clues, just watch for them and add as needed. Here mine is at the moment (excuse the overall grungy-ness I'm due for a good vacuuming, this week actually): It is due for a tab, as you can see the main bulb's leaves are fairly green. I'm not sure if it's because I switched to the Easy root tabs back in June and it needs them a bit more frequently, or if it just has expensive tastes and prefers the Fluval root tabs. I marked my two baby plantlets that have sprung up without any intervention on my part. Number 1 is about 6 months old, and number two is maybe a month and a half (or at least that's roughly when I noticed it's not part of the initial bulb). Not sure if the dwarf lily spreads similarly (I think it's in the same family, so it should be a possibility, maybe? Someone experienced with your variety would be able to give us a more definitive answer, hopefully).

Yep, it's very much a spaghetti against the wall process - you never know what will stick.

The first theory that springs to mind is 10-20% water change isn't enough to lower the ammonia and nitrite low enough for the BB to properly establish (others on the forum have pointed out that crazy high levels actually inhibit the growth of bacteria).

Set up a couple of 2 gallon tanks the end of May. Had a bunch of new to me tissue culture plants to try; Banana plants, rotala h'ra, limnophila sessilflora, gratiola viscidula, and pearlweed. The first 3 I had decent hopes for (even if they all might've outgrown the space, it was a test in a new setup), the gratiola looked cool and I was hopeful for it but nervous nonetheless. And the pearlweed? It was basically dead when I got it, the worse cup out of my order). Here it is circled when planted. Note the sad little bunch it is. Dead to the point of mostly transparent. Fast forward 4 months and guess what? It's the only freaking plant thriving. Not only thriving but spreading in a fashion that I adore and never would be able to achieve if I was trying.

That's a happy plant to sprout a flower - lovely! 😍