LVKSPlantlady

So I just got a 5.5 gal tank and am thinking I'm going to try my hand at making an emersed tank. I read the post about how to set it up but I hate the Shoe box thingy, so I'm not going to use them.

Here are the plans:

5.5 gal glass tank
15 Watts Plant light 12+ hours a day.
Glass Top with 1/2 inch opening on front and back<Is this too much?>
1" Dirt under layer
1/2" inch Plain ol' aquarium gravel top layer (I don't want to see the dirt)
Driftwood, a rock and a Small pot for decor.

For plants:

Echinodorus osiris: that is for some reason near death in my 29 gal tank.
Eleocharis acicularis: just a few sprigs that have gotten loose and are floating around.
Sagittaria subulata: going to plant in the pot so it does not go eveywhere.
Cryptocoryne wendtii v. 'Tropica': should I cut all the leaves off and just plant the rhizome?
Rotala macrandra 'green', not having much luck with it in my NPTs.
and last but not least Java moss, not sure exactly what type, going to attach to rock and driftwood.


These are all plants that I already have submersed in my tanks, so whats better for them, planting them and only getting the dirt wet or planting them and the filling the tank up halfway and letting the water evaporate out over a month of so?

That's all my question, any input would be nice, thanks.