That looks really nice. Are you putting some ammonia in the water or using something else to start the cycle? I don't think that guy realizes you are a gardener, most of the plants may just live
I bought some aquarium plants for my pond a couple years ago, they didn't have enough light in the inside pond but they are growing like weeds in the pond I have on the roof. I think it is the same plant as the grassy looking one in your first picture, in front and to the right of the orange/red rock. In my outside pond, it grows as tall as the water is deep and sends out hundreds of runners that I have to root out of the lilies all the time. I leave it because it is a great spot for the baby fish to hide and I think it is good at cleaning the water. But every few weeks I have to pull the pot out and give it a haircut and get rid of the runners. It's kind of underwater crab grass. It is green when it is deep and the blades get redder as they get more sun near the surface.
