And I think now I'm on the 'smooth-sailing' phase of the planted tank life cycle. In my short experience with planted tanks, the first two months are always the worst as things become established. Plants don't grow well, they're still adapting to the new environment, you get outbreaks of algae, etc etc. But once you figure out the sweet spot of lighting/ferts/co2, you'll love it. This also explains why Amana/ADA ferts are set out in stages; 0-3 months, 3 months to 1yr, > 1yr...
Right now my tank is crystal clear, and not ONE bit of algae on my plants (although I have a small portion of GSA right in the middle of my glass, and some BBA growing on my spray bar).
THIS is what we strive for as aquatic gardening crackheads. All the money spent, headaches, hours of research, messes in the living room, this is the payoff.