Kristin- thanks! I was more worried about the didiplis diandra dying back, but it's doing great. I think it's my new favorite plant!
The dwarf sag fits in great too.
Andrew- ty! It actually didn't cost *that* much. It was around $21 for all the plants including some shipped. Although, I did collect some myself and was given some. If you pick the right plants, it's worth the money
. Strangely enough, my crypt is looking a bit yellow, and my banana plants (in other tanks) always do great, but seem to do better in more acidic water.
Kageshi17- Sand isn't the only type of substrate you can use in a planted tank. I've only used sand and gravel myself. You can get more nutrient rich substrates, eco complete, etc. Sand has done great for me. It's not hard to clean and I've had no problems with algae. After all, it doesn't actually cause algae
. Try posting in the plant section of the forum, if you haven't. Thanks for the comment!