my 10 gal planted tank 1 month later

[DormantGlasses_22]

Day 1 - first set up

Day 19 - plant growth, added leaves, twigs, and new plants (Polysperma, Limnophila, Pothos)

Day 21 - Added floating plants (Salvinia Natans)

Day 38 - Plant overgrowth, visible tannins, explosion of life
(current tank pic is a little blurry, got diatoms all over the glass)

 

[Ram419]

Time for a nerite snail to eat up the diatoms!

Are you using any plant ferts? Any water changes yet or doing a cycle?

 

[DormantGlasses_22]

Time for a nerite snail to eat up the diatoms!

Are you using any plant ferts? Any water changes yet or doing a cycle?

yupp, definitely getting a nerite to clean all that!

I have to answer 'no' to the first two questions though. I haven't used any fertilizers, there's only a 1.5" soil under the sand (vermicast + garden soil + organic potting mix)
The plants aren't showing any signs of deficiencies so far.

Regarding water changes, I haven't done any as well. I used rainwater (boiled + ran through a filter), mixed with a little tap water, and then distilled water for topping up when evaporation happens. Haven't had any problems with that so far, and the plants are growing well, everyone is still alive thankfully.

And yes, the cycle is still on going. Nitrates are present now, but still a bit inconsistent (small amounts of nitrites and ammonia are showing up every few days, then disappearing)