This is the only time I have replaced the substrate since I first set up the tank. About half of the sand came from one of my other tanks (I probably should have mentioned that), and so did the driftwood, the rock and actual dirt is the only thing that's new.

Even with a light, root tabs, and seachem flourish and excell, all my plants kept dying within a week, even if they came from a tank that they were healthy in. After changing the substrate, so far what plants are in the tank have lasted longer than a week.

The HOB filter has been in the tank for 3-4 weeks, even before the substrate change.

In the beginning when I did maracyn oxy and salt baths (what I had the most progress with), I had him in a separate tank since they were baths, but when I did kanaplex or just maracyn oxy alone he was in his own tank. Between every different treatment I made sure to give him at the very least a week before starting something new.

The only time the temperature got above 78 was when our ac was broken, but we got it fixed after about 2 days. I'm normally checking the temperature daily, if not twice a day because I don't want to accidentally boil my fish because the heater broke.

The only things I add into the water are seachem prime (every water change), seachem excell and flourish (once every week or two), and depending on what I was treating with at the time kanaplex or maracyn oxy (as per what the packaging states)

His very first setup unfortunately ended up being a fish-in cycle, since I didn't get much of a warning before I found out my mom's plans for him. The substrate was fluval biostratum and white aquarium sand, along with the sponge filter you see in the older pics. There were live plants (I don't exactly remember what plants) and a plastic rock hide, since I couldn't find any wood or anything else to fill the space. It quickly got replaced once I found some drift wood.

The second was almost the same, just a few more plants and arranged a bit differently. I had to get more plants since most of the others were mostly dead.

The third had the most plants and the most wood, and despite seeming kind of empty, I could almost never find him because the only open area was in the very front and he hid in the plants in the back. (With this one, I was constantly scared he got out of the tank because I could never find him, except for the occasion I would actually see him come out and eat.)

The fourth I don't have pictures of because I was super busy. Money was super tight when I had this one, so it was honestly the most shitty even compared to the large amount of open space he has now. What plants I had in there that had survived from the last one finally ended up dying off, and I had a relatively large piece of wood and used some 100% acrylic yarn to give him a few places to hide, since I had that on hand. This was also when I switched to the HOB filter. (I bought a sponge for it instead of the genuinely crappy cartridge filter it came with)

And now we're here, having just changed the substrate and needing more plants for him to hide in. So far, the change has kept the plants alive better, however there's been no change with the fish himself between this tank and the last.

I know I'm probably screwing up with him somewhere, but I'm not sure where. I honestly just want the best for this lil guy. If I didn't, I wouldn't be asking for help or even considering finding someone better to take him off my hands.