improving?

There was less algae to clean off during maintenance work this recent friday.

I put a makeshift cardboard backdrop on, it instantly looks better- no more glaring edges and maybe the extra light from the windows in those corners was causing some of the algae.

The first pic is a little hazy because I did something to the filter- added stuff. This filter sponge/fiber media I bought online. Tired of the cut-off filter media pads from the standard pieces I had in there, they flop all around. This will fill the space and I think has more surface area with the sponge pore texture. Plus I really like that it came in two densities- coarse and fine. I can put one in front of the other to filter out the particles better. But for now just have the coarse one in, and the media I intend to remove some cut off, most of it folded and crammed into corners around the new- I'll take more bits out each week as I let the bacteria culture the new media, then put the finer sponge in...

the translation of instructions on the back is a bit amusing and far more informative than anything you get on packages made/sold around here:

I just wonder what a "waterweeds" tank is. Dutch aquarium?