thanks gomer and tsunami for your input. this is my first planted tank and i want to get it right. i did alot of things you suggested. first i got a background, its black construction paper taped to the back. second, i moved the swords to a different tank. i spread out the red plants so they didnt pull you to the left automatically. i couldnt do anything with the driftwood because it is two different pieces. removed the XL floating watersprite. and added a variety of new plants. some anubias nana, hyrgrophilia polysperma, cabomba, and some more ludwigia that i think is repens but i am not sure because i found it here in PA but its a spitting image for the other lud. in my tank. here is the new pic.