Originally Posted by
discuspaul
Considering using any type of driftwood, Pat ?
If so, go for Anubias Nana attached to the wood - always looks aquatically natural and very pleasing. Slow-growing but takes little care & handles 82 F just fine.
So do any type of Echinodorous - you can get several varieties of 'mini-growth' types rather than the large 'amazon sword' which could 'take over' a 50 gal tank.
Vals or Sags should look good if you like them, & I think you'd like Crypts - any types. I love Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea) for added color & different shape - just keep it regularly trimmed to prevent stems from trying to reach for the surface, and so to encourage maintenance of low, but wider growth.
Blyxa Japonica should do well, and I really like Hygrophilas - they take little care, grow quickly & remain colorful continuously thoughout. Ludwigias are usually good at the higher temp too.
You won't need to give the tank the heavy-duty cleansing attention that you normally would for discus, but when planting, focus particularly on plants being placed in small clusters or 'batches', to get the most benefit from nearby placed root tab ferts,
while at the same time - arranging your plantings far enough away from both sides and the back of the tank, to enable you to best access around the plants for vacuuming to keep debris & wastes to a minimum, and produce a cleaner, better-looking sand substrate & plantings.
Concentrate your plantings mainly on the rear area of the tank, leaving a good amount of free-swimming space for the fish - this will also tend to encourage them to hang out more in front of the plants where you can openly see them most of the time.
Small stuff which you've probably already thought of, but thought I'd remind. Hope it helps a bit.
My .02