lol.

Gx i will stay away from filter sand, that stuff was made to block. I prefer to use river sand. Not that fine but still nice and does a good job of sucking the the crap in and not keep it on top of the sand.

Lets start at filtration in that small tank, what are you looking at? I like a under gravel filter, good for plants.
Then instead of a air pump in it for circulation, i use power head (Water pump)that sucks water up thru the under gravel filter pipe.

If it is a big ass tank a external canister filter is a good addition to the above mentioned setup.

Then you will need to look at decent lighting for plant growth, in a small tank this is were the #OOPS# hits the fan.

I would love a CO2 setup for plant growth, but i do not see this in my current setup.

In my experience it is the best to remove the plants from there containers and plant them directly into the gravel, with the under gravel filter there roots will grow underneath it.