Who Gives A Fish Forums

Definitely attach those java ferns to the rocks, I'd use cotton thread or cyanoacrylate glue. Leaving the roots in the sand will just cause them to rot.

I'm with dungeon on cutting back your stems, it'll give you thicker growth and more cover for the fish. Some stems will even give you two new shoots from the cut point, which is a nice bonus.

I've been thinking about my tank's setup, and I realized the internal filter's been driving me crazy - it's taking up too much space and making it hard to create a balanced look. I'm hoping the new HOB filter will help with that. Plus, I've been dealing with some algae issues that I think are caused by poor circulation, so fingers crossed that'll get sorted out too.

I've also got a new light on the way, which I'm really excited about. My plants are doing okay, but I think they could be thriving with better lighting. The current one's got a weird yellow tint that's not doing anything for me. And with all the water sprite in there now, I need something that'll reach my substrate plants.

My Ludwigia Repens is going wild, so I'll definitely be cutting and replanting those stems soon. I'm on the fence about the cabomba - it's doing better than my Vallisneria, but I only want one background plant in this tank. We'll see how it looks under the new light... if it doesn't make the cut, it'll be going to my sister's tank. Thanks for the advice, @willie32 - I'll be attaching my ferns to rocks this weekend!

Here's the latest update on my tank. Water sprite is in and the internal filter is out - I'm really happy with the changes. For now, the ludwigia is staying put, but I might need to move it to the back eventually, unless my vallisneria suddenly takes off. I've got root tabs to help with that, so we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. I'm trying not to stress the fish out too much by making too many changes at once. One thing I do need to get around to is picking out those blue pebbles and gravel - just don't have the patience for it yet.

That's a huge step up, the tank looks really great now.

The tank's coming along. Adding a root wood piece would really help fill that empty space on the left. It's still looking a bit bare, but it's a step in the right direction.