UPDATED what to do with this jungle? opinions

[smooththg69]

well I'm getting sick of the way my tank looks the more and I look at it the more it looks like a jungle. and now I'm having aquascapers block and need some help pointing me in the right direction. so bring on the criticism. Im looking forward to some of you guys opinions. oh sorry about the 8.99 bag in the picture.






Update
Well I did some minor updating to the tank I did find some blaxa jap in the tellnus that I forgot about I also moved some small crypts that where growing from a bigger plant to the back left same with the red nesea
dwarf vals to the left and thinned out.I guess nothing goes as planned but here goes the pics.

[Phoenix-cry]

I've leave the Right half of the tank alone, that part looks great!

The left needs something high and bushy, Cabomba or soemthing like that?

[smooththg69]

I was thinking about moving the cork screw val more towards the rear of the tank. to open up some space in the front of the tank probably behind the drift wood? and putting some vals spiralis In the right corner. with red rotala rotundifolia in front ? and moving the green tiger lotus to the right to contrast with the red tiger lotus?

[FrostyNYC]

First of all, nice tank. Your plants look healthy. It's a beautiful tank the way it is right now. I agree it's a little bit of a jungle though.

Please take this constructive criticism in stride (since you asked for it!):

One of the issues I see is that the tank looks like it's been cut right down the middle. Why not repeat some of the plants that you use on the right side on the left side? Also, what kind of lawn are you going for? You have a val lawn on the left and what looks like E. tennellus red on the right. While both plant masses look really healthy, you could probably thin them out a bit and fill in the center gap.

There are some stems directly behind the Hygro in the middle of the tank that you can pull out, cut in half and replant further to the left, near that one super-long stem. They're lost behind the hygro anyway, and that one long stem looks awkward by itself.

If you want things to look a little bit less like a jungle, I'd maybe replant the stems on the right side and group them by species. They look a little tangled the way they are now.

PS - What was in the $8.99 bag anyway?

[FrostyNYC]

Originally Posted by smooththg69

I was thinking about moving the cork screw val more towards the rear of the tank. to open up some space in the front of the tank probably behind the drift wood? and putting some vals spiralis In the right corner. with red rotala rotundifolia in front ? and moving the green tiger lotus to the right to contrast with the red tiger lotus?

I think the corkscrew val you have now are too short to go in the rear of the tank. I'd put them in the midground, or even leave them in the foreground since your tank is fairly large.

What is the red plant in the front right? Is that red Nesaea? With all of of those roots coming from its stem, maybe it'd be more attractive behind something, where the red leaves would poke through but you wouldnt have to look at roots. The lower portion of the plant looks pretty bare anyway.

I see what you're saying about the contrasting tiger lotuses, but the red one is so pretty where it is now, I wouldnt want to move it.

[smooththg69]

ok im gonna try some of your ideals tomorrow. Im also gonna trim down the the green lotus.and put a couple of small stems of parrots feather to grow out over there. by the way its a female GBR in the 8.99 bag.