new to planted tanks looking for advice

[coolingeffect]

I have a 125 gallon tank that as of right now is filled with mid sized south american cichlids. I am getting tired of re ancoring artificial plants and spreading the sand from one corner of the tank to cover the bottom. Im pretty sure that I want to rehome what I have and start from scratch. Im thinking that after I get what I have rehomed ill take out about half of the sand and replace with flourite. I have some driftwood and a couple rocks that I can use. I really want to get a good "carpet" of something along with some taller plants maybe vals and some anubias and swords and such. Maybe some hornwort. My biggest problem is that I can't afford to buy all these plants. I am under the impression that most of these plants includig pygmy swords (my current choice for carpet) spread pretty readily. Im in flagstaff and there is almost nothing available locally. If anyone could help me toward a place where I can aquire some plants to get started with cheap or any tips on things that im not considering id sure appreciate it. The eventual fish list is a pair or trio or some kind of dwarf cichlids a large school of some kind of small tetras or danios a group of Otos and maybe some cory cats or small loaches.

[Ben.]

You could always buy plants on the SNS here, and jump on some RAOKs.

Here's the link to AAPE, A local planted tank forum.

Also if you want a carpeting plant that might be alot more money b/c you would have to increase light(unless you have decent lighting) and potential et C02. Stay with the low tech plants if you don't have enough money. There are low-medium light carpeting plants, you just have to do some research.

[coolingeffect]

I have decent lifting I think I can make low light happy and moderate light satisfied. Any suggestion on good ones to start with? I have virually zero experience with plants but have done well with every fish I've tried as well as coral in a salt rig. Id really rather keep it relatively low tech anyway. The only thing im really willing to do atm is diy co2. Ill look at the other forum as well. Thank you.

[Ben.]

Some good lowlight plants would be crypts, anubis, ferns, mosses. Do you plan on using nutrient rich substrate? For Low tech CO2 is not needed, but of course it helps.

[coolingeffect]

I plan on taking out about half of the sand I have now and replacing with something, maybe flourite or maybe do the pottig soil under the sand....haven't made up my mind. Im not willing to spend the i'll opinion very high prices for a compressed co2 system. I figure I can make a big diy yeast kit and if iinject it into the input or output of my filter it should get into the water column pretty well. A little added co2 is in my opinion better then too much. Too much ends in dead fauna. Too little ends in limited growth.

[causemisahastheeyes]

Other than AAPE, there is also ARK, the killifish club. Lots of members bring in plants to the auction too.