Planting my tank

[The Masked Shadow]

The leaves are also very pointy in the new branches

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Not sure how well this applies to your plants, but you may want to make sure you don't put them too close together. I have had hair algae suffocate/choke out hornwort when I clumped up the latter which allowed the former to do what it did, which may happen to your plants if you put them too close.

I’m having this happen outside. The point for the plants is to not have any more algae, but if I do I will immediately redo the tank. There is one spot in the tank with bba and one spot with hair algae

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Gone for 5 days and the Carolinia is 16” tall plus new growth in the Vallisneria.

 

[Disturbed.)]

Had to catch up on this before I chimed in. If you can pull that piece out and blast it with peroxide before the BBA spreads you can slow it from taking over the tank. But you still have to get the light and nutrients balance or it will win.
Pothos is bonkers easy even with tight lids. You just have to get it going and each vine long enough before you place the roots in the tank. I used them for a living background. but they will form root balls big enough to choke out plants beneath them.
I just use shop lights for this low tech tank but don't always trust the color rating on the box. The last couple I got weren't even close to "Daylight".
My opinion on keeping plants to control algea is just an opinion but youll likely promote more algea than you control by adding ferts and Light for said plants than if you just dim and reduce the photo period of your light. But have to love the look of a "balanced" natural looking tank.

 

[Disturbed.)]

I had this tank "balanced" for all of about 2 months because it was heavily planted. But then the cichlids murdered almost all of the plants and left me with this. The pothos outside the tank went gangbusters and still pulls nutrients but algae is out of control because I am still lighting the few plants left inside the tank.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

The BBA died from what I can see. Diatoms will always be present because of my water. I can see a little bit of hair algae, but it hasn’t grown at all in the past couple weeks.

 

[Disturbed.)]

You can always add some GFO in your filter but get a phosphate test kit. Without CO2 your phosphate should be near 0 but GFO could drop it completely and your leaves will yellow or fall off. I had to use a reactor in the beginning because my water has high silicates as well. Unfortunately other than using RO/DI and then adding supplements getting rid of silicate is a PIA.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Haven’t seen much progress from the Val, but the Carolinia is huge.