System Crashed 😔
The image on the left is my 15 month old 2.5g walstad tank. The other image is the same tank rescaped.
Plants:
Alternanthera Reinickii
Anubias Nana Petite
Anubias Minima
Bacopa Caroliniana
Bucephalandra Bukit Betung
Bucephalandra Lamandau Purple Mini
Crypt Wendtii
Lobelia Cardinalis
Pearlweed
Rotala Indica Bonsai
I loved the jungle-like appearance of the original build, but the plant positioning was not ideal; plants that needed light weren't getting much, the epiphytes were directly under the light source which led to photo damage on the leaves, and I had placed the crypt on the back, which got buried under all the pearlweed.
So, I did a massive trim and introduced an assassin snail to curb my bladder snail population (there were 30+). The assassin snail ate every single bladder snail in a week! And with a fraction of the poop now being produced, the bacteria balance went out of whack. According to Google, I had a major ammonia spike, which killed the assassin snail and made the water cloudy. I tried for weeks to get the tank to stabilize but water conditions didn't seem to change, and the plants were struggling too. I also swapped out my 5W LED lamp with a 10W full spectrum light during this time and the added intensity caused a severe algae bloom 😭 I was devastated.
So, I decided to restart the tank with fresh soil, sand and a bogwood I'd been soaking for months. I'm mad at myself but messing with the delicate balance of such a tiny ecosystem, but I'm also looking forward to the new build looking even better! Especially now that all the plants are in their correct spots. Can't wait to post an update in a few months!