My first aquarium ever. Looking for tips on what to improve.

[NattyGains]

So I've only recently "completed" my first aquarium. Quote marks because I don't think I'll ever be happy with it, every couple of days I feel like I gotta mess with something.

I was wondering if any of the more experienced aquarists here could give me tips on how to improve the overall look of my tank, and what steps I should take to ensure the health of my plants (and fish). It's just finished cycling, the plants seem to be doing fine.

Pictures and specs are below.

Thanks!

Pictures:

The setup is as follows:
55 gallons
2x24W T5 bulbs
160GPH no-name Canister Filter
No co2, just dosing excel flourish once every couple of days
Some no-name substrate under the gravel

Plants
Java Fern (I think)
Anubia Nana
Hydrocotyle tripartita (I think)

To my embarrassment I'm not sure how the other plants are named, perhaps someone with more experience could identify them.

Fish
Two angelfish
15 Harlequin Rasboras
A couple of Neon Tetras

Thanks again!

 

[Rbishop]

I think it looks great as is....if it pleases you, then it's fine. And most fish freaks always are adjusting their tanks looks...part of the addiction..lol.

 

[tanker]

Stock and plants look fine to me. I see a crypt in the tank, looks like C. Wendtii

 

[FreshyFresh]

That's a fine first attempt! You did great and it looks awesome. That's not an easy footprint, but you made it look excellent imo.

 

[fishorama]

Your tank looks fabulous!! Well done! The "fluffy" stem plant back right maybe either green cabomba or ambulia sessifolia. I can't see well enough to ID the little ground cover on the left but the overall effect in very nice & that's what counts.

 

[ustabefast]

That tank look fantastic. My only concern is some of your plants will probably not do well in the relatively low lighting.

 

[NattyGains]

Thank you very much for the feedback guys! Really appreciate it. Was pretty uncertain about this layout at first... Wanted to go for a more "rocky" layout and even wasted a bunch of money on Seiryu stones, but I didn't manage to fill out the layout in the end... so most of it ended up in the drawer.

As for the lighting, I agree it's a bit too low. The plants are surviving it fine, but they're not really "shining" i.e. they're not as vibrant as the same plants in my LFS. I'm considering dosing CO2 and boosting the lighting eventually... though I'm not sure if CO2 is a good choice this early on in

 

[fishorama]

You can also try using Flourish Excel or Metricide as a co2 substitute

 

[FreshyFresh]

Lighting may indeed be an issue. The tank looks to have a custom canopy top on it? Are the 2, 24w T5s built into the top?

 

[NattyGains]

F fishorama , I have started dosing EasyLife pro carbo, which I've been told is the same as flourish excel... I'm curious if it will harm my fish?

FreshyFresh, the whole tank is custom-made, it's just the hood. The lights are in there, but they're not built-in, I can remove/add more easy