I've gone to the fish place too, got all my plants from there so far.
I've had a bloom of brown algae, it's been really p*ssing me off! about 2 of the java fern leaves are completely covered with the stuff. I've heard this is a phenomenon with news tanks so I guess I must deal with it. Green algae hasn't been much of a problem, just the brown stuff.
here's an updated pic of the tank taken today:
Overall it's been fun watching this develop; pruning the plants to watch them grow again.
The end of the semester is coming up so transporting this thing home will be an issue. I'm thinking of taking most of the water out, maybe leaving about 3-4 inches worth above the gravel line. to keep the plants wet. I'll put my fish in a jug of some sort. That's the plan for now.