my tank

[brown metal-head]

Currently using Hagen Aqua-glo just expirementing and wanting to find a possibly better bulb. Nearing the 8 months

20inch long x 10inches deep x 10inches from light to gravel

UGF

12 hours of light

java fern growing slowly
rotala with lots of new small shoots towards the top
anabias anubias (spelling) got recently

Ph 7.2
ammonia 0.0ppm

nitrite 0.0ppm
nitrate tends to be high so i do frequent water changes monday through saturday 10-5% and Sunday 50% so when I test on saturday it is usually 40ppm and on wednesday it is about 20ppm
What other parameters would be useful to get tested

algae on the back glass and on rock

Kent plant supplement and Kent pro Plant 1 a week Should I continue or is there a better fertilizer.
I just bought it just to see if it would work. Or is fertilization neccasary. Going to get stats tested at lfs.

When and what exactly should I prune. didn't want to prune and then have everything die similar to the past. In know 1 a month is reccomended.

I figured out that my other plants had algae on them. And some other plants lost their leaves because I get up later 1 pm Central because of school when they would have gotten up at 7am. so now the timer gets my pets up at 9am while i sleep. Also I am pretty sure my clown loaches are doing some pruning (rotala) themselves although I have not caught them but I think they bite the stems and I find half a plant at the top. don't care though because if it is long enough I cut some leaves off and replant.

Any advice is most welcome and if I forgot anything besides water parameters

 

[Nospherith]

it's good that you have a timer. don't prune the anubias or the java fern, but when the rotala starts growing on the top you may want to prune it for aesthetic purposes, otherwise it doesn't really matter. BTW, clown loaches eventually grow too large for a 20g you may want to think about rehoming them especially if they're chewing up your plants. as for bulbs, you can't go wrong with a 6700K bulb. hth