This is my first tank: a 7-month old 10g Walstad community with a Tidal 35 (added for peace of mind). It’s stocked with 2 sparkling gourami, 6 pygmy cory, \~40–50 Bloody Mary shrimp, and a pair of Japanese trapdoor snails plus some babies.

Around month 4, my hygrophila developed holes, so I began dosing 2 Hr Aquarist APT 3 at half strength. There were a few baby snail losses, but when both adults died a month later, I stopped dosing altogether. I bought a GH/KH test kit which showed my GH/KH had slowly risen (KH 8, GH 18–19) from hard tap water top-offs, so I gradually lowered with distilled water changes and now maintain \~KH 5–6, GH 8–10 with distilled top-offs.

Once stable, I added a pair of sparkling gourami and a new pair of trapdoor snails. I switched to half-dosing Easy Green weekly, assuming the previous deaths were due to high KH/GH plus using such a potent fertilizer. However, after a month and a half, the new adult snails also died. I stopped ferts again and did more water changes to remove any excess. One baby snail survived and has been thriving solo for a month which makes me suspect trace mineral buildup was the culprit, but I’m not sure and would greatly appreciate any insights!

Now my red tiger lotus is developing holes after stopping ferts. I’d prefer to use liquid fertilizer to nourish all the plants, but I’m wondering if root tabs would be safer? I’d really like to avoid more snail losses. I’m considering Seachem root tabs, Thrive S (no copper, if that’s the issue), or just potassium for the holes. I’m currently leaning toward root tabs + potassium.

Current parameters:

Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0

pH 7.8–8

KH 5–6

GH 8–10

TDS 217

I rotate Hikari sinking wafers, algae wafers, and micro pellets, plus occasional blanched veggies. I also add leaf litter/botanicals for steady mulm and there’s a decent amount of spot algae on the back and sides for grazing. Fish and shrimp all seem happy and healthy (and molting well), and the shrimp population is booming and stable even with gourami thinning it out.

Any advice is appreciated!

Help w/ Fertilizer + Japanese Trapdoor Snails!