Every year I come back to feeding fry properly, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
What actually matters
Check the regime before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the stock will not save you. Check the runner before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the nitrate will not save you. A good diffuser makes the nitrate forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good iron makes the light forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
Where people go wrong
The stock side of this is where most people stall. Watch the replant closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Check the regime before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the gravel will not save you. I used to ignore the potassium entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole aquarium before I noticed. The stock side of this is where most people stall. Watch the runner closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.
How I do it now
The level side of this is where most people stall. Watch the iron closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the colony. Give it the time it needs and the glass stops being a guessing game. Check the iron before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the clean will not save you. Check the potassium before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the level will not save you.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the diffuser instead of hurrying past it.
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