This one’s an update on a side project I started after my 20-gallon planted tank hit some hard times and got absolutely wrecked with algae. I finally got sick of fighting it and broke the tank down, but I hated the idea of tossing or “moving” plants that were already in bad shape—especially my Bucephalandra (I just call it buce). I’ve put a lot of time and money into collecting different varieties, so instead of letting it all melt away, I tried a simple trick: keep the rhizomes wet, but encourage the leaves to grow up out of the water where the algae can’t really hang on. I started with a couple shallow containers (a plastic shoebox and a bowl) with Eco-Complete, set them floating in a humid, lidded setup under a light, and then slowly refined it. The biggest improvement came when I dropped the water level so the leaves were just poking above the waterline—growth was still slow, but it was real. Along the way I trimmed dead leaves, pulled hair algae, topped off water, and even saw my Anubias bounce back with new buds after it melted down. By the end, the buce in the better container is finally looking solid again, and I’m thinking bigger—maybe a dedicated buce paludarium build, or even using that low-water “smart tank” style to show them off in the top inch. I’m keeping it simple, staying consistent, and trying not to burn out—more updates coming.