Newbie with planted aquarium - should I change my substrate?

I blindly bought/planted "easy" plants and never researched how to properly place them in the tank. I have 2 Amazon sword plants, 2 El Nino ferns, 1 Anubias, some grass (I don't know the name), and some unknown on the far right. I have a gravel substrate only (no fertilizer or sand). I've been told that java ferns need to be tied to something.

This is an outdated picture but I plan on taking all the plants out, cleaning the tank, and fixing everything properly. I'm happy to add the CO2 diffuser and have my fluval lights on a schedule.

I've never added anything other than gravel to a tank but curious if maybe I should add something to helps plants grow (sand/soil etc). My plants aren't dead but they are definitely not thriving and I've seen some amazing planted tanks that look pretty cool. I'm open to pretty much anything. I have only two tiny fish and 10 tiny neon tetras in a the 45 gallon but will eventually add more.

I'm sorry if this is a vague ramble of a question but if you have any thoughts on what I should / should not do (or plants to add because I want more) I'd love to hear your opinion!

Thank you!

Gravel should be ok for the plants listed but sand often works better for ppamts such as amazon swords. But you can keep your gravel. What fish do you have?

Amazon swords benefit from fertiliser tablets being buried under their roots. A general dose of liquid fertiliser once a week will help the others. CO2 shouldn’t be necessary for “easy” plants, I don’t have that in my tanks.
The anubias must not have the rhizome buried or it will rot and the plant will die there is a type of super glue (the brand escapes me at the moment) that is plant and fish safe so glue it to something like the wood or ornament, or use fishing line to tie it (it will also grow floating I think).

NannaLou said:

Amazon swords benefit from fertiliser tablets being buried under their roots. A general dose of liquid fertiliser once a week will help the others. CO2 shouldn’t be necessary for “easy” plants, I don’t have that in my tanks.
The anubias must not have the rhizome buried or it will rot and the plant will die there is a type of super glue (the brand escapes me at the moment) that is plant and fish safe so glue it to something like the wood or ornament, or use fishing line to tie it (it will also grow floating I think).

Click to expand...

The super glue is gorilla glue... Well, in America that's what we have... I don't know what country you're in

Any superglue made of cyanoacrylate with no other nasty ingredients can be used. Make sure it has dried before putting it in the tank.

I have read on here that gel superglue is easier to work with than liquid as it doesn't run.

Nice tank pal.
Could you not pile the gravel up one side then put in plant substrate about 2 inches, put gravel back then do the same other side? Then replant job done
That super glue is gorilla gel. You can apply it under water then attach the plant (java moss is good) but it's much easier with rock or bog wood out of the tank. I definitely would not clean the tank or gravel you'll wash out good bacteria. Co2 is easy to set up, just Google it. This is my tank 2 months old my first attempt good luck pal.

Partially repeating what other members have posted...you do not need any special plant substrate; to be honest, it is better not to use these. Inert sand or fine gravel works well, and which you use should be geared toward the fish's needs. It you may decide to get substrate level fish like cories, some other catfish types, and small cichlids, you would be much better with sand--in fact, you need sand for these. Inert smooth sand, like Quikrete Play Sand; since you are in the US, this is available from Home Depot and Lowe's, maybe elsewhere too, but Quikrete PS is safe, some play sands are not. Plants will grow very well in sand, it is the closest safe substance to their natural habitats (which are sand and mud).

You certainly do not need added CO2 here, and that can be a major issue with water chemistry and fish so best avoided. Heavy feeding plants like swords do benefit from substrate fertilizer tabs like Seachem's Flourish Tabs.

I would also suggest changing the background to a darker (less colourful) one, like plain black construction paper for something inexpensive and easy. The colours of fish and plants will be much more vivid, and the tank will visually appear much larger. The fish will also be more "relaxed."

It would be a mistake to tear it all down. That's just more time to get where you want to be. Plants take time to get going. The whole Co2 crowd have new people thinking everything is a hedge a week after planting. You need patience. If the plants you have are settling in,just wait longer. The photo shows normal looking plants. You might need to add more plants before you add more fish. Its the fish that make algae. So,a light load of fish gets the plants running.
If you no interest in Co2? Watch the many vids on youtube of natural aquariums. MD has gone no Co2 and plenty of Walstad dirt ( potting soil) aquariums..not that you need to add potting soils..when plants seem like they are rooting in? Then,you can add root tabs or even sprinkle Osmocote in tiny amounts.

Sometimes it's better to add more plants like what you have rather than wait months for the single plant to fill in. Plant three Amazon swords together. Something like that. Aquarium plants on real time- not pushed by Co2 or high intensity lighting grow well,just much slower.