Looking for some suggestions on new plants and placement

[smoosh]

Equipment:

• Tank dimensions: 48″ x 18″ x 21″ (75 Gallons)
• Lighting: Phlizon 165W (20"x7"x2.4")
• Filters: 2x Sunsun 304b
• Heater: Hydor Inline Heater
• CO2: Fzone kit+inline diffuser

Substrate: Caribsea sunset gold
Hardscape material: Seiryu Stone and Driftwood
Plants:

• 1 Anubias frazeri
• 1 Anubias minima
• 1 Anubias lanceolata
• 100+ Rotala macrandra
• 10 Java fern
• 15+ Rotala blood red
• 30+ Pearlweed
• 20+ Jungle Val
• 10+ leaves Java fern trident
• 3 Java fern narrow leaf
• 5 Anubias nana petite
• 15+ Dwarf sag
• 5 S. repens
• Christmas moss
• 3+ Cryptocoryne Balansae
• 1 Cryptocoryne spiralis
• 1 Amazon sword

I'm excited to begin planting all these today. If anyone has suggestions regarding the placement of these plants, please feel free to share your insights. I could definitely use all the help and advice I can get. Thanks in advance!




Plants:

Hardscape:

Questions:

* Any suggestions on placement?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Well, I usually just start sticking stuff in and see how it looks. Some ideas: The general rule of thumb is to put the taller plants in back, of course. Depending on your fish, you'll probably want some open areas too. Anubias and java fern will look great super glued to the wood. I'd definitely keep the val along the back, sword in the left corner opposite the wood, dwarf sag and pearl weed in the middle. I've never had much luck getting Christmas moss to grow where I want it; it kind of moves around and decides where it wants to be, so nowadays I let it float around until it settles somewhere.

That is a LOT of plants!

 

[Colin_T]

Anubias and Crytocorynes around the edges because they don't need as much light as the other plants.

Echinodorus (swordplants) go under the light and give them 12 inches of space so they can grow.

Taller plants along the back.

Grow some Duckweed (small floating plant) for the rainbowfish to eat. They need plant matter in their diet and at least half the food they get should be plant based. You can grow Duckweed outside and bring it in each week for the fish.

 

[Lcc86]

Not as much of a pro as some on here but I feel like with your hardscape it would look good to have more plants on the right hand side and fewer on the left, I just feel like that "goes" if that makes any sense whatsoever!

 

[smoosh]

I appreciate all your support. Here it is.

 

[Colin_T]

The Echinodorus (sword plant) in the back left corner needs to be brought out a bit. Their leaves can grow to 12 inches and they need space.

Make sure you can see in among the rocks and wood to look for gunk, uneaten food (unlikely with rainbows but still a possibility), and dead fish. Make sure you syphon the gunk out from there weekly or whenever you do water changes.