First thought... You'll need decent water changes with a dense stock like that. At the very least 60% weekly if you feed a decent amount. This almost fills the tank itself, you do realise how big the pleco, BGK and angels will get? Clown loaches will also get big, albeit slower and are easy to rehome.
Next thought is, why only one Denison barb? They are a schooling fish, and a large group of a single species will tend to look better than mixed bunches of different species. The uniform fish and behaviour will have a better overall aesthetic. I also think the apistos are too small to stay in there long term, especially with a BGK, or the polys you mentioned in another thread.
Okay now for plants,
L
le0p
summarised it well but I'll add some more. To start, planted tanks aren't easy. They take time, patience and a bit of funding.
You'll start with a substrate. I use sand currently, but the planted tank soils such as ADA are definitely the best for growing plants in and worth the price if you can get it. This will be the basis for growing rooted plants such as Vallisneria, cryptocoryne sp, sword plants and stem plants among others. Other plants such as anubias, microsorum (java fern), bucephalandra and mosses can be attached to wood pieces and rough rockwork and don't need a substrate to grow. You can use these to achieve planting on all levels of the tank.
Light wise, I use fluorescent "grow light" tubes or Gu10 bulbs in my tanks. LED units are also definitely worth the price. The light is critical and will control what you can or can't grow, as well as the growth of the plants. Too little and your plants will take off slowly, and too much the plants may not be able to compete with algae. If you have high light then pressurized co2 should be considered to let plants take full advantage of the extra light, or algae will get to them.
Lastly, you'll need fertilizers, there are a few methods but dry dosing is probably the most cost-effective for a tank this size. You must research this heavily, PPS pro is a good method for most low tech tanks or EI for high tech. All depends on light, plant choice and co2 doses.
A planted tank is, well, a tank with plants and decor and such. Aquascapes are generally more tailored and are more involved than your standard planted tank. This is where proportion, plant choices, hardscape and layout are critical. These tanks are made to look aesthetically pleasing, and fish are usually an afterthought. While in planted tanks it's usually for both looks and fish. There's no hard and straight rule here, and it can be very deeply discussed. Most of us here just have plain ol' planted tanks
Hope this little essay helps!
