I’ve had it going for about 8 months now. Originally it was going to be only CRS, but unfortunately my KH was repeatedly on the rise. After testing my rocks, my water, etc I came to the conclusion that it’s due to the pea gravel I used in filter bags to prop up the rocks.
So though the CRS population has dwindled, there is still life. I got some RCS instead, which seem to be doing well, as well as 3 Amanos and 12 Pygmy Cory catfish.
Just wanted to share my aquascape :) I am happy to answer questions - I did a good amount of research but keep in mind this is my first tank.
Edit: please ignore the ugly fresh trim on the Rotala, and the horrible background!
What kind of substrate did you go with? Would you change it if doing it over?
I used almost two full bags of Eco Complete (lava gravel wet with bacteria filled water) and a small bag of UNS Contrasoil just in the planted areas.
And yes I would make changes lol. I would have used maybe only 1 bag of eco complete - it was helpful to have the early bacteria but as you can see I filled it too high lol.
I also would have used more soil. It’s much easier to plant in compared to the eco complete.