Hmmmm....I'm going to follow this thread for my own educational purposes....But:
I have 10 tanks and all of them have between 1-3" of dirt covering the entire bottom of the tank. So IMO 10 little tabs shouldn't be the cause of the problem...If anything the bacteria contained in the dirt should be helping the tank cycle.
You mentioned your plants were "looking really sad". Perhaps if they are rotting and dying they are contributing to rather than helping the problem.
I have heard of cycles stalling due to high nitrites so keeping them in check is going to be important.
Personally, I'd start again and dirt the whole tank
But seriously, if you trim and remove any rot I think you should be fine.
I have 10 tanks and all of them have between 1-3" of dirt covering the entire bottom of the tank. So IMO 10 little tabs shouldn't be the cause of the problem...If anything the bacteria contained in the dirt should be helping the tank cycle.
You mentioned your plants were "looking really sad". Perhaps if they are rotting and dying they are contributing to rather than helping the problem.
I have heard of cycles stalling due to high nitrites so keeping them in check is going to be important.
Personally, I'd start again and dirt the whole tank