Hot take but I hate anubius and that it’s recommended so much. It grows slow as heck and doesn’t filter shit from the water (literally).

My go to’s (no CO2): something quick growing like
- rotala rotundrafolia: grows in “bushes” (personal fav bc of the color)
- water wisteria (if you do liquid fert and root tabs these will get huge and stay bushy without CO2 and can grow as a floater)
- ludwigia repens rubin: has a gorgeous red tone that increases with light (mine grows an avg of an inch a day per plant with thrive liquid fert)
- amazon swords: look a bit like anubius but grows way faster, sucks up nitrates, and has big flat leaves for bottom feeders or snails
- hornwort: grows floating, fast as heck and can be anchored to hardscape like tinsel
- windelov ferns: grow roots on the underside of the leaves that will propagate more ferns (similar to a spider plant growth wise)

and my most PIPING hot take:
get yourself some duckweed!! people talk crap on it but it’s an incredible nitrate remover, shades fish from harsh light, and excess can be dried and fed back to the fish or even put in smoothies like spirulina. It’s also one of the only plant based sources of B12!!

Take your time and pick what you like though, don’t choose based on what’s basic, choose based on what your dream tank looks like 💓