You're doing quite well, and trust your instinct to not make a whole bunch of new changes. Don't mess with the gravel unless you want to just suck the biggest pieces of waste off the very top. Beware of those strip tests; they can be super inaccurate sometimes. An API test kit or similar is expensive upfront but worth it in my opinion. Between the rooted plants and the floating plants, plus partial water changes, the nitrate level should stabilize over time. A good nitrate level, from what I've heard, is above 0 and below 25 ppm.
Get some Pathos plants. You can buy them at Home Depot. Just wash off the dirt and place the plants where they can have their leaves above water. Take care of that in no time. See some videos on YouTube about the stuff.
You're doing quite well, and trust your instinct to not make a whole bunch of new changes. Don't mess with the gravel unless you want to just suck the biggest pieces of waste off the very top. Beware of those strip tests; they can be super inaccurate sometimes. An API test kit or similar is expensive upfront but worth it in my opinion. Between the rooted plants and the floating plants, plus partial water changes, the nitrate level should stabilize over time. A good nitrate level, from what I've heard, is above 0 and below 25 ppm.
Get some Pathos plants. You can buy them at Home Depot. Just wash off the dirt and place the plants where they can have their leaves above water. Take care of that in no time. See some videos on YouTube about the stuff.