First tank I’ve made after lots of reading and learning. Here it is all planted up and ready to go, as well as a photo from today 2-3 weeks later.

Here’s what I’ve done so far. Root tabs in, filter and heat pump set up for the conditions I need when I add some life. Cycling it with fish food until it’s stable and testing daily with API test kit. Neocaridina shrimps first and then will look at fish further down the line, already gained some unexpected. Ladder snails and ramshorn snails ????.

Added seachem prime, some tetra starter and a small dose of tetra feed, light is on low-medium for 7 hours a day initially, got a little bit of diatoms but no notable algae blooming. I expected more plant melt but they all seem to be pretty happy.

Tests have been great, no ammonia or nitrite or nitrate, then ammonia, then no ammonia and a nitrite spike, and now I’ve had 5 of tests that have been zero ammonia, zero nitrite and about the same level of nitrate as it’s slowly progressed to. I’m dosing a pinch every other day at the moment, and it all seems very consistent. Lots of microscopic life and snails seem happy. There’s a photo of a bunch of dates tests, and then I’ve had the same almost identical result for a while since.

Despite ChatGPT telling me I can chuck shrimps in now I think it’s better to let it mature a bit and maintains its stability. What do we think? I reckon at least another week or so to let some biofilm grow and then maybe look at drip acclimating some shrimp and adding them next.

Appreciate any advice ???? only other thing I’ve been doing is occasionally topping off the tank with temp matched, seachem primed water. Tanks remained clear and full of life and tests very consistent :) so far it feels like I know what I’m doing, maybe.