10 Gallon Redocoration

Just noticed I spelled the title redocoration. Sorry, I had a huge IB Caluclus Exam (like an AP exam) this week and a big history test...my brain is beyond fried.
Water cleared up fully today, and even if I move the sand around it settles back down within five minutes. I tried changing some of the rocks around, and I like it but it just doesn't seem natural yet...good thing I collect rocks though, leaves me with plenty of options. :icon_bigg But micro rasboras are going in for now, I think I'll wait a tiny bit before introducing my otos and one lone cherry shrimp (who is getting new friends next week). Oh, and that dead looking plant is just my Florida Sunset Crypt and is just looking poor after a change.

Well, my flora got a little worse. My Florida Sunset melted after the move but is bouncing back admirably, but my poor lutea doesn't seem to be doing that hot. I added some gro soil tablets, and we'll see how that works. I also got a summer job, so after paying my parents back, I'm going to invest in my first set of fertilisers!
I also got some new plants. I bought some bucephalandra "Brownie Brown". The seller warned me they were tiny, but I'm totally fine since they are so cute! There were two little babies in there. One is doing just fine, but the other seems to be melting. Hope it survives, it's a significant investment for me. Also got a few stems of Hygrophila pinnatifida, and it's not really doing much other than looking pretty. I've heard a couple of different ways to plant it, though. Apparently it can be attached to driftwood like anubias, but I decided to plant it just in case. Plus it still looks pretty!

Also decided to move some fish around. I was almost contemplating selling the rasboras since they were fairly shy and a little dull until one morning when they, for whatever reason, decided to colour up, and boy are these fish pretty (but too fast to take a picture of... ). But at the same time I wanted to add bigger fish while making sure the shrimp and little ones stayed alive. Luckily a teacher gave me a heater and I found a three dollar five gallon at Goodwill, so those guys are all hanging out in the five gallon.
To replace the little ones I put in a pair of wild caught betta albimarginata. Whoever said wild bettas are shy apparently never met my male, who has already learned that the pipette = food and happily steals food from the female.

The female was more gregarious than the male in the beginning. But I noticed some odd white thing sticking on her side and didn't want to risk ich, so I plopped her in a salt bath today and she's basically been giving me the stink eye since. She is in the last photo. I'm pretty sure she is a she since I can see her ovaries, but I suppose only time will tell. The two also seem really comfortable with each other, and the male routinely bumps her and vice versa and they seem like a happy couple.

Got some brand spanking new lights! It's the Ecoxotic E-Series and it's just gorgeous! It really lights up my tank. It is much higher lighting, so I'll have to either lower the settings or invest in some CO2 and ferts quickly, but for now I'm just enjoying the view.
Bettas keep mating and, the male keeps eating his babies. The Hygrophilia melted, which was sad, but the Buce is taking a foothold, which is great! The moss in the tank is dying or something, and I'm a little happy since I didn't have any concrete plans for it anyways. I'll probably move it into one of my five gallons. I also got some Hygro angustifolia and some dwarf sagittaria. Love this new Hygro, and hopefully the sagittaria will spread out a little in the front.
Also moved in a Bamboo shrimp that was getting harassed by a betta in another tank. Meanwhile one of my rasboras has died and I don't think I'll try and find replacements, and I'll probably just sell the lot.
But just as my tank is starting to come together it seems like my tank might be leaking, which is super weird since it's only about five years old and is on a level surface. I turned off the filter since I'm hoping that's what the cause of the water is. If it isn't I'm going tank shopping, since I have no idea how to reseal a tank and honestly don't want to spend the time and money on something that may or may not turn out well.