New tank setup for p. chinensis.

I just got my tank more or less set up. switched from half full of water to almost 100% full. switched from gravel to fine riverbed sand. got rid of the fake plant, added real plants, added a filter and the floating dock i have had for a while. here are some pictures and a picture of my p. chinensis itself.
(before the plants)

with plants



i intend on adding more plants. the filter seems to add a nice current, though i think it could be stronger. i am new to this and i have worked hard last week to get the tank to be the appropriate setup for my p. chinensis. are there any plants that are more recommended than others for this species? i will read around in this section of the forum and the plant section. any input/advice/criticism is highly welcomed and appreciated. thanks for looking!!!

Is there any artificial light in the tank? If not, most plants will struggle. Sand isn't great for plants either but there are some that will grow from it. Look for plants that are described as easy/undemanding - I would suggest Anubias, green Ludwigia, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Hornwort, Vallisneria, Java fern. Plants can be tricky - my recommendation is to find ones that grow and then stick to those, you can propagate most with cuttings or offshoots. If something doesn't want to grow, don't waste your time or money on it. I personally didn't have much luck with plants (hard water, sand, little light...) until I tried the Walstad method of putting potting soil under the sand.

I think your newt would also appreciate a couple of hiding places - you could use an upturned flower pot with an entrance cut out, or pieces of brick with a piece of slate resting on them as a roof.

Those plants look like elodea to me. In my experience, my paddletails love them, but they do tend to get disconnected from whatever is anchoring them due to getting buffeted around. I eventually gave up on repeatedly fixing them down and left them as a lot of horizontal strands on the surface

I know yours isn't a paddletail, but there may be a similar effect.

Looks like you're doing a great job, keep it up!

thanks for the advice. i'll find a flower pot and make an entrance to it. i think i might invest in some sort of artificial light also to have on a couple hours a day for the plants because that room gets little sunlight. thanks for all the help.

Cool looking animal!