Plants in a shell dweller tank

Anubias and Cryptocornes have worked well for me in the past.

Ordering plants isn't really that scary. There are some higly reputable internet plant sellers out there that will ship for a reasonable price. If you're just getting plants for a single 20g tank, you won't save any money going that route, but you will have access to more plant species than you would at a Petsmart.

I agree with Fogelhund, Anubias and lower-light Crypts tend to be good choices (remember with anubias, don't bury the rhizome). Java fern is another resonable choice (again, don't bury).

I have wisteria, anacharis, indica, and java fern in mine.

I placed a 2-3" wide swath of plant friendly substrate in the back of my tank behind some small slate pieces to keep it relatively in place. This is for the planted plants. I then aquascaped to hide it.

The java fern just sits in front of some rocks in the sand area.

Thanks for the ideas and responses. Looks like I will have to take a closer look at some of the other options.

I saw java moss done in an occie tank once. Made for a stunning display. It will latch on to rocks, so no need to use driftwood. You can find it priced pretty reasonably on Aquabid. You don't need much to get it going. Just tie a bit onto a somewhat porous rock.