new 5.5 heavy planted setup advice

[blackvelvet]

hey guys/gals
i have a new setup that i wanted some pro criticism for. i got a 3-10g whisper filter with switched up media.i got the aquaclear sponge first for the big stuff then the stock fiber envelope stuffed full of filter wool.will be adding bio balls later.i got a cfl for light.comes to about 5wpg for light.figure it should be plenty for what i have in mind.i got some darker driftwood (not malaysian or mopani) that i leeched for a week with  boiling water and then just hot tap water.got some river stones as substrate.im fish-in cycling with 5 ghost shrimp and 2 young paleatus cories.going with about a gallon water change every other day.as far as plants go i have 2 marimo balls (not sure if they are legit from japan)one will be moss cover for the driftwood.will be getting some bacopa caroliana from the local horticulturist.not too sure i want to get into duckweed.next timw im at la niche i will be getting some anubias and vals spiralis for the background and will be making a java moss carpet for the foreground.as for fish im not sure yet. any suggestions?

[blackvelvet]

forgot pic

[fischkopp]

I would recommend a thicker layer of substrate with finer gravels so that the plants can root. For a tank this size you should stick to smaller plants (and piece of wood). Most vals tend to grow to 2ft and will not be suitable. Try crypts for example.

[blackvelvet]

ah right. both those issues crossed my mind.i didnt mention that whenever i get the rooted plants i will be moving all the river rocks to the front and filling the back half with finer gravel or planting plants in the bottom inch of a plastic container then topping it with a little bit of the river rocks.i really do love the look of river rocks.as for the vals i was thinking of agressive topping to keep it in check but i think you are right and maybe i should go with something else.crypts are always beautiful.does anyone have experience with dwarf saggitarria for the grassy look?im not really stuck on a particular plant just in the general aspect of the contrast between grassy/broad leaves/fine/moss.thanks

[morrom]

For a finer grass look try Dwarf hair grass, I like this plant allot and does the job nicely. I used this plant heavily in my 26G tank to achieve a meadow effect. Take a look at the FW tank builds I have pick post under my thread.

[blackvelvet]

wow morrom the dwarf hairgrass looks really great.now i wont be happy with my aquascapes no matter what after seeing that lol.i guess ill look into finer gravel for the whole tank after that.maybe have it cover the whole front with a smaller sword in the back or a big crypt considering the light level.wondering if i could fit something stemmed.i just dumped some duckweed in there and regretted it almost right away lol.