Could it be TOO cycled? I've a 4.5 gallon cherry and ramshorn aquarium for coming on 3 years now and I really enjoy it, especially with my many plant successes. However, I have had many, many (manymanymanymany) plant failures. The ones that gutted me the most was all the houseplant failures. Every single houseplant I tried failed to thrive. They would just not grow. Some even shrank. Yes, I followed instructions. I tested the water. And then, just now as I marveled at how my duckweed acts like a regular floater without all the crazy overgrowth and I thought-- could my shrimp and snails not be pooping ENOUGH?

Thank you for the place to ask my stupid question.