Thoughts On Scape?

Too much? Not enough? I can't seem to keep any plants alive besides the hornwort in this tank, but I got one last jungle val hanging on and hopefully may make it and spread... id love to have the val spread around the back corner on the right side... but lets see if this last plant even makes it lol

Substrate is a mix of white sand and caribsea african cichlid mix. Driftwood and rocks are all foraged up locally from freshwater sources. Right tree root ornament is store bought. Middle driftwood is hollow and great for my loaches to hide in...

Is there something I could add/remove to balance things out or is it just a mess?

 

Idk if this helps but hornwart is a stem plant that gets most of its nutrients from the water column rather than substrate, so maybe try other stem plants.

I can’t keep plants alive either, but then again I never actually tried setting up a planted tank with like proper substrate or fertilizer or anything. Just regular old gravel.

The hornwart looks amazing though

Also, I personally love your tank just the way it is. What’s the stocking?

 

I like the way it looks as it also. You could try a root tab under the last Val to see if that helps it. And a couple easier to grow plants are anubis and java fern you could tie them to your woodwork as they are low light demand plants and should do well. Its worth a shot. It'll also give you some greenery towards the bottom. Looking good! Curious as to what the stocking is as well

 

Idk if this helps but hornwart is a stem plant that gets most of its nutrients from the water column rather than substrate, so maybe try other stem plants.

I can’t keep plants alive either, but then again I never actually tried setting up a planted tank with like proper substrate or fertilizer or anything. Just regular old gravel.

The hornwart looks amazing though

Also, I personally love your tank just the way it is. What’s the stocking?

That's why I left the hornwort floating too, I read that hornwort tends to lose bottom needles when planted, and I liked the cover it added. I had water wisteria in here too but it didnt do so well so I moved it to my community tank which it thrives in even though the water is almost the same

Ill post my stocking at the end of this message

I like the way it looks as it also. You could try a root tab under the last Val to see if that helps it. And a couple easier to grow plants are anubis and java fern you could tie them to your woodwork as they are low light demand plants and should do well. Its worth a shot. It'll also give you some greenery towards the bottom. Looking good! Curious as to what the stocking is as well

Will root tabs affect anything in the water or snails or such? I mean theyre pest snails but I like them lol id love some other plants on the bottom, and every time I go to the store their javas and anubias don't look so good, so ive been waiting. My hornwort and vals I pick up from local rivers. Ive tried some others I found but they didnt wanna form roots so I ended up having to toss them when they started to break down beyond help. I had found some watermilfoil last week but its extremely invasive and deadly to ecosystems here so I destroyed it rather than used it. Too bad because its rather pretty. If I could find the native one, id love that. Stocking list is below.



Stock:
1 male dwarf gourami
3 kuhlI loaches
2 java loaches
1 unknown loach, probably a panda kuhli
3 false juliI cories

Its small (10gal) and probably overstocked, but I have extra filtration on the tank and do hefty water changes. Hoping to upgrade to a larger one for these guys within the next year. And when I do, ill be adding to the school of cories. Its mostly social bottom feeders in this tank, plus my DG who hates everyone BUT the bottom feeders lol him and my female molly are mortal enemies when they used to be best friends before he hit maturity. Such is life haha. Plus its suspected he is a wild caught individual too, so unsure if that plays a part in his temperament. Hes a lot healthier than the broader ones at the pet store and he has a more "wild" personality (skittish, finicky with foods, prefering to hunt live foods in the plants, etc).

 

I added some plants to the bottom. My water wisteria in my community tank needed some trimming so I placed the trimmed tops in the loach tank. Last time didnt go so well, but maybe this time it will be better?

Also the "U" shaped driftwood I had in the middle of the tank, I cut it so that I could place the hollow side upside down on the sand to create a hollow log. Theyre all loving it.