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Ok, so I will be getting plants this week, so I'm working on my 55 gallon this weekend!!
I am adding diftwood, and making new slate shelves/caves. Also I have 2 HoB filters, a heater, and adding 1 powerhead on a spongefilter.

Plants: hornwort, 10 aponogen crispus bulbs, 2 Madagascar lace bulbs, 10 dwarf sagittaria, 3 java ferns, 6 banana plants, 1 Anubias Barteri, and 3 tropical lace java ferns.

Any personal input on any of these plants?
Ideas on how to arrange them? Best ones for covering equipment? Which ones like current or don't? etc...

I also have a 20 gallon that will probably use some of the above plants. And I will probably draw out a plan before I start planting.

Christina

I don't have first hand experience on most of those plants, but I can offer some advice on the hornwort and java ferns. Hornwort should stay out of the current, it does fall apart rather easily and will clog up the filter . Java fern, once attached works great to hide equiptment IMO, I'd suggest attachint it to the driftwood (easier for it to root to than the rock).

^_^

Any plans for fish, or is this going to just be mostly plants? If you're doing fish in any big way, I'de say try to cater to their needs somewhat.

I would not put 10 aponogetons in one tank, these plants can get almost as big as a large sword and when I used to have them they grew quite fast. You may want to first let them start growing and then leave maybe one or two in the tank, sell the rest.

Yes, there will be fish in the tanks.

I have 2 aponogens bulbs that I put in my 20 gallon, and they have grown like crazy in that time. I had to order a minimum of 10 of the crispus, so I did. I didn't realize they got that big, I thought they stayed tall and thin.

As things grow, I will move them out of the tank to sell or to other tanks. I just really don't want it to look too bare while I wait.

I wanted Pennywort (the short kind), but I wasn't able to find any. I think I may have gone overboard with what I ordered, but it's an excuse to get more tanks...er, I mean reason...

ok, if there are fish in the tank I'de reccomend setting up teritories in the corners. Just keep a wall of plants cutting out a bit of an area for shy fish or ones being bullied, or even for teritorial ones that like to take up in plants for that matter. Also I'de reccomend keeping the java fern in areas that are poorly lit- too much light can actualy damage them, and they'll survive any lighting so its best to leave the prime patches for plants with higher requirements.

By the way, what did you have in mind for fish?

My 20 gallon has 3.25 WPG, and my 55 has 2.4 WPG.

Right now I have a few plants in my 20, mainly Java Fern, Java Moss, and 2 aponogetons. The latter have grown like crazy.

The only fish I have now are swordtails, platies, and cory cats. I haven't exactly decided on what fish I'll end up with. I keep debating on making 20g a drawf puffer tank, but those are hard to find. I may move my swords and some cories into the 20 w/ the platies.
I'm not exactly sure on the 55...I know I want 6 Glass Catfish, 6 Cory Cats, either 6 more Cories or Kuhli loaches, and maybe 1m/2f dwarf gouramis. A lot will have to do w/ how stocking goes, as I wouldn't mind a school of smaller fish as well. I change my mind a lot! A Hillstream loach would be neat....oh, and I may have some shrimp.

I know the Glass Cats like plants and a current (thus the powerhead I'm adding back in).

Christina

Plants: hornwort, 10 aponogen crispus bulbs, 2 Madagascar lace bulbs, 10 dwarf sagittaria, 3 java ferns, 6 banana plants, 1 Anubias Barteri, and 3 tropical lace java ferns.
Any personal input on any of these plants?
Ideas on how to arrange them? Best ones for covering equipment? Which ones like current or don't? etc...

Hornwort does not like currents, but you can weigh it down and use it as a stem plant at the other side of the tank where the current generates.

Anubias Bateri can grow quite large, so you want to give them space to develop and grow healthy.

Madagascar lace plants, need a LOT of space to develop, deep substrate and they don't like light that much, but you can figure a way to shade them with the grown aponogetons. Still they are very temperamental plants.

Saggitarias, are great, easy and hardy plants, if they have enough light they will start growing runners and they can cover fast the substrate creating a carpet look.

Banana plants can grow also quite large, so you want to keep one per tank max 2 in either sides of the tank. they are easy plants.

you can check the profiles on my signature to see positions in the tank and light requirements.

Good luck

I thought the Anubias and Banana Plants stayed small.

I now realize the Madagascar Lace plants are difficult, so we'll see what happens. I'll keep them in my 55 so they have less light.