Hi, fellow fish-lovers! I have some cute little glowlight tetras, and I am preparing a 5 gallon tank for them. It's a Marineland hex-style with one of those hood-type tops that has a built-in filter and bio-wheel. I've got some nice fake plants and a little Grecian ruins ornament and some dark blue gravel. This should all look great with the pretty orange streaks on the glowlights. There are a couple of things I was contemplating about my setup:

The hood has a built-in light bulb that is quite yellow and harsh. It is way too bright and stark for keeping little timid tetras. Is there a way I could dampen it? Like either a filter/diffuser that would turn it a nice subdued color or maybe a particular bulb for it that someone would recommend?

The other thing I was wondering about was, are there any live plants that would be super-easy to care for? I'd like to try my hand at a planted tank, but I'm still a fish-keeping noob, so I don't want to get over my head. Those little bamboo stalks that come in ADF tanks are cute.

Anyway, any suggestions for a glowlight tank would be appreciated!

For a 5 gal hex I would go with java ferns or crypts as they stay small and do well in standard lighting.

If you go to walmart or petsmart, they usually have different bulbs that will fit those tanks. You can even get them in blue, green, and red, but those lights dont help live plants

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Oh, I wasn't aware that plants took any effect from artificial light. It seems I have some learning to do. #o.o# At any rate, thanks for the suggestions, susankat.

I wonder if there would be enough ambient light in my room for the plants to grow on? I think I will go research that....

If the tank gets any sunlight during the day, the low light plants will be ok . I have a 10 gallon that gets only a bit of sunlight a day and the 2 crypts in there are doing fine.

Thanks, pjones! Sounds like these "crypt" plants are just the type of thing I am seeking. I did a Google image search of them, and they look uniquely suited to my purpose. My little tetras like to swim close to the bottom, but they need some low foliage to use as a hiding place.