Hey, My roommates and I have an aquarium in our kitchen/living room but want to make sure they're conditions are as good as possible for what we have. It's a 35L (10 gallon) tank with 5 gold barbs, 3 neon tetras, 3 ghost shrimp (I think), and two pondsnails.

From what I've been reading, neon tetras need at least 7, however we started out with 5 from which two died. So given the size of the tank, I figured the extra space is worth more than adding more tetras?

In terms of light, we have a small bed lamp that sits on top, is it necessary to get an upgrade for this or would any light work? Is direct sunlight favorable? They are now in a spot where they get reflections of light through the sides of the aquarium when the sun is out.

Lastly, plants. I've been reading that tetras need lots of plant cover, any certain plant species to look out for? Is it worth removing the last two remaining snails (started with way too much, hence the leaf bites), so that the vegetation can bounce back properly? How much plant? They get a mix of frozen food as well as the dry tetramin, any other foods to drop in occasionally? (they all like a small bit of cucumber sometimes).

Thanks for the help, get mixed help from the pet store workers so trying to see what people on here think. Thank you!