trying to backtrack

Looking back on photos, how I miss my 38 planted sometimes. And I miss how healthy and lush my tenner used to look. It wasn't that long ago, so where did it go wrong? I lined up the pictures in order and went through them backwards, noting the changes I've made in the past weeks, months. First thing I realized was I uncovered the back of the tank to calm the fish, without thinking how it would affect light levels. Maybe too much ambient window light has been getting in? Now I put a paper background up again.

Also, I haven't used my mini gravel vac in a long time. Did today- wow, a ton of black mulm came up. Have to stay on top of that! Noticed I could rub a lot of the black specks off the flat anubias leaves- and that the coarse sponge on my filter doesn't hold stuff in- it all looks like shrimp waste- yet they were moved out weeks ago! I switched back to a finer filter sponge, but left the old one (lightly rinsed out) propped on top so bacteria can transfer. I hope that's the last change I make to the filter.

As last week, dosed half the amount recommended on the bottle of Thrive, and made sure to wait until the light switched on. I do think these measures are helping- some of the rotalas are bouncing back (or responding to the root tab I broke up and fed them last week)

and it seems death is slowing down on the windelov fern, several leaves that actually look green again (left, against the sponge) but I'm not sure

I removed all the leaf litter in here, trying to avoid excess organics until I get the spot algae that's cropping up in check, and the plants all looking well again. Buces are pretty much unfazed; it's nice to see that their new leaves grow out untouched, now the shrimps are gone. But there are more black edges on lower leaves ugh.

Betta is happier. He pokes around the tank actively again, sliding in and out of plants, resting between anubias leaves. Looks like he enjoys himself, and can relax. (Those amano shrimps really were little pests!)