confounded

What's going wrong with this tank still. I guess it doesn't matter as I'm taking it down in a few weeks, but I do want everyone (plants, fish and snails) to still be healthy when I move them over. At the same time, I don't want to keep tweaking stuff and risk it get worse in the meantime. It still looks overall too brown/yellow. I think part of that was putting in root tabs clouded the water some- I added piece of carbon media to the filter and it cleared up quick. Good sign is that shortly after adding the root tabs, I saw new apono and java fern leaves,

the crypts have new foliage uncurling, the vallisneria has five baby offshoots now.

Guess its my same old failing- not giving the plants enough. Hopefully that will be much better in the new, bigger tank with proper nutrient-holding substrate. On the one hand I'm worried that I've done something wrong with this tank, what are my chances of getting it right with the next one? but maybe it will be smoother since I'm trying to do it right this time from the start.

Bad news is there's still algae coating the leaves as fast as I can rub it off or cut out dying stuff. Seems to have gotten browner overnight again. I don't plan to touch the rotala yet, its hit the ceiling again but when its time to restart I will plant, cut down to the ground, cut nice tops off just above browning foliage, replant them and discard all the middle that is dying or algae-covered.

Worse news is that I seem to have lost a fish. One of my striped kuhli loaches. I always thought I might get up one day to find the smallest one had died- Snakey Fish looks awful skinny lately. Opposite of what I'd expected, I think it's Sammy gone missing. I haven't seen him in three days now. When I drop in food the kuhlis always come scurrying out at the scent to search for tidbits. But lately only four appear.

I've noticed behavior difference in the two types of kuhlis. My black ones Sid and Moe always seem bolder, more robust- during the day they're usually hanging out in the front area of the tank or going up and down the sides. The striped kuhlis tend to be more shy. At night I see them climbing around up in the rotala stalks, which is fun to see. Do they just like being up there, or are they so hungry poking around for micro-organisms and algae? Used to be if I looked in after dark, I could see three striped kuhlis climbing around in the rotala. Now only two. I'm really despondent about that. I searched everywhere for the missing one- even inside the filter housing in case somehow he got into it. No sign of him.