New Tank- Planning Flora

After almost a year of taking a break from aquaria to adjust to high school and explore a newfound interest in amphibians, I think I'm ready to jump back into the aquatic world. I have piles of empty ten gallon tanks sitting around, and I would like to do a Betta fish tank with some RCS, and maybe some Pygmy cories or something (though I never had much luck with cories). I want to keep it really simple to fit in with my busy frog keeping schedule.

I'd like to plant this tank. My question is, what sort of plants should I do? I want it to be low-medium light with no CO2 and limited fertilizer. Substrate will most likely be black sand, and the filtration will be a sponge filter or two.

I also wonder what lighting I should have. I'd like to decide that after I know exactly what flora I want, so we can think about that later. I have experience with T5HO. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!


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Been doing some research, and I'm pretty sure I know what plants I want. For the foreground, a carpet of Pygmy chain swords. For background, anacharis, and maybe crypts for contrast (though I've been unlucky with crypts). I'll have driftwood for some Anubia nana, and lastly, a java moss wall in the back.

What would be the best lighting for these plants? Also, what would be a good fertilizer situation? I don't want to do CO2. I might do excel, but not sure if that's good for shrimp.


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Thank you!