Added a couple new plants tonight, and thought I would share my plant list and thoughts several months into this journey.
First off, for someone going down this road, I would start with fast growing easy plants. It will build your confidence and help you get light/ferts/co2 figured out (as much as that is possible). I had a few plants that failed on the first try, but were successful later with more experience. Believe me, it takes time to get things going, and you will probably lose some expensive nicer plants by rushing. I know I did.
For me, Ludwigia Repens, Ludwigia Brevipes, Bacopa Carolina, Rotala Indica were a few of my first plants. They grow like mad and propagate very easily. I started with a few stems of each and now have more than I can use. Of course, Crypts are easy, stay low, and fill out really nicely. Other easy foreground plants for me have been Lobelia Cardinalis Small Form and Hygrophila Corymbosa. I actually failed with Blyxa Japonica the first time, but now it going great in the foreground.
I never could get Staurogyne repens to grow very well. It stayed alive, but not much more than that. I ended up pulling it. I don’t know if my tall tank is too difficult to get light to the bottom? Or something else? Who knows. My attitude is some plants will like your tank and some won’t. Stick with the ones that do.
That being said, I also really can’t get Alternanthera Reineckii Mini to flourish, but haven’t given up on it quite yet.
So here’s a list of what I am keeping now. The new ones are AR Variegated, L. Glandulosa, and Pogostemon Erectus. As I told my wife when I showed her, now we just sit back and see how they like their new world.
Alternanthera reineckii Mini, Alternanthera reineckii variegated, Bacopa Carolina,
Blyxa japonica, Cryptocoryne Lutea Green & Red, Dwarf Sagittaria,
Hygrophila corymbosa Compact, Hygrophila difformis, Hygrophila salcifolia,
Hygrophila Sp. Thai, Lloydiella Golden, Lobelia Cardinalis Small Form,
Ludwigia Brevipes, Ludwigia glandulosa, Ludwigia repens, Ludwigia Sp. Red,
Pogostemon Erectus, Proserpinaca Palustris, Rotala Indica, Rotala Wallichii
And here’s a pic from a few minutes ago.