So I left for a few days and the tank ended up being put under too high and too much lighting which resulted in several plant deaths and this hopefully final bacterial bloom (the cloudiness.) And I also lost half the shrimp, not 100% sure why but I did find and remove another leech and two planaria worms (the latter which had to have come on the first shipment of plants.) The remaining shrimp are still super active, fat, and molting. I bought them some sort of fancy duckweed since they like of the top of the tank and they are crazy happy with that! Meanwhile I bought a planaria/leech trap and am waiting for it to come in. The first couple snails have shown up (which is fine in this sort if ecosystem tank, they provide another part of the clean up crew and shouldn’t overpopulate after the food/animal balance is met.) Some daphnia and other micro lifeforms are showing up which will make for wonderful free fish food! And finally I bought a “sexy red plant bundle” off Dustin’s Fishtanks and they are HUGE, healthy, and so gorgeous! I hope I can keep them alive and vibrant! I could still use more ground cover – maybe some dwarf baby tears are merited in the future. Either way the heavier the plant growth in the tank the cleaner and clearer the water will be. This has been a process – although my water parameters claim to be in the right range for fish right now I’m waiting for the cloudiness to clear.