I thought about some hornwort and I actually already have some Wisteria in another tank.... and crissy sent me some guppy grass to try as well.
(When a group of us hiked the swamp at ICPS, I saw tons of what I think was hornwort in one of the billibongs.... it was tempting LOL)
I'm wanting to maintain as much open space as I can, but I’m going to have to find a happy balance somewhere....
Actually, things have improved quite a bit.... the java fern and moss are growing well and some algae growth also helps
Right now I’m running 0.66w/gallon so limited to low light or floating plants me thinks...
I’ve also gotten myself one of the venturi powered vacuums, and added a long discharge hose to my RO system prefilters. So now water changes are pretty painless.... The vacuum removes the water in just a moment or two and the RO prefilter hose gives me a way to refill the system with fresh, dechlorinated and filtered but Non-RO water (and no more buckets woohoo!!)
I’m also going to start raising Grindal worms as a food source, I think that will help some too.... less uneaten detritus (not that i have much now, I’m careful with feedings... but still)
(one of my two daily feedings is now frozen brine shrimp which seems to work well too. Their morning meal is Omega brand sinking pellets, the corys and rams love them)
Had i to do it over, I would have drilled my tank for overflow and cycled the water down to the basement and through Sphagnum cultures. Putting that Nitrate resource to good use and not worried about it!
Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20