Everything sounds OK to me so far except for the bell diffuser. They're worthless, IME, and you'd do much better feeding the CO2 into your filter or a powerhead. Add CO2 from day one for best results...
Plain gravel substrate can work, and there are plenty of examples out there that prove it, so don't get caught up in the substrate hype. 5mm is a little big, but should be OK if you keep the depth 3" or deeper. If you want to bolster your substrate a bit, there are some fine products that come in tablet form from SeaChem, Aquarium Products, and Dupla-- just to name a few, that can help supply goodies to the roots of your plants. Just push them into the gravel near the base of your plants.
Another suggestion is to get 5-10lbs of coarse silica sand (pool filter sand works great) and mix it in the bottom layer of your substrate-- Or you could just pour it over the top of the existing substrate and over time it will find its way to the bottom.
Any commercial fertilizer made for aquariums will be absolutely safe for your fish. These are generally trace nutrient additives, and you'll need to supplement them with a series of macronutrients especially with the light you have decided on. Depending on your tap water, you'll need to add NO3, PO4, and K+. This may sound complicated, but it's really very simple. There is a TON of reading that you can do on the subject, or if you like, we could outline it all here for you
I'm not going to waste the key strokes if you already know or would just rather do the reading about this, but if you'd like, I'll happily tell you what I know.
Not all commercial trace fertilizers are created equal. Many products are not geared toward the hobbyist/potential hobbyist, and only contain iron and Potassium. These aren't worth squat, IMO, and you'll have the best results using either Tropica's Master Grow or SeaChem's Flourish. Both are excellent products which will supply all the trace nutrients neccessary for excellent growth and minimizing algaes. There are other good products as well, but I like the 2 mentioned above.
Just a tip-- Plant HEAVILY from the very beginning. This is the most common mistake for beginners. Cram in as much plant as you can, and later subtract plant if you feel you must. The first 6-8 weeks is critical to the tank, and lots of plants give you the best chance for success. You have free plants so this should be easy 8)
Plain gravel substrate can work, and there are plenty of examples out there that prove it, so don't get caught up in the substrate hype. 5mm is a little big, but should be OK if you keep the depth 3" or deeper. If you want to bolster your substrate a bit, there are some fine products that come in tablet form from SeaChem, Aquarium Products, and Dupla-- just to name a few, that can help supply goodies to the roots of your plants. Just push them into the gravel near the base of your plants.
Another suggestion is to get 5-10lbs of coarse silica sand (pool filter sand works great) and mix it in the bottom layer of your substrate-- Or you could just pour it over the top of the existing substrate and over time it will find its way to the bottom.
Any commercial fertilizer made for aquariums will be absolutely safe for your fish. These are generally trace nutrient additives, and you'll need to supplement them with a series of macronutrients especially with the light you have decided on. Depending on your tap water, you'll need to add NO3, PO4, and K+. This may sound complicated, but it's really very simple. There is a TON of reading that you can do on the subject, or if you like, we could outline it all here for you
I'm not going to waste the key strokes if you already know or would just rather do the reading about this, but if you'd like, I'll happily tell you what I know.Not all commercial trace fertilizers are created equal. Many products are not geared toward the hobbyist/potential hobbyist, and only contain iron and Potassium. These aren't worth squat, IMO, and you'll have the best results using either Tropica's Master Grow or SeaChem's Flourish. Both are excellent products which will supply all the trace nutrients neccessary for excellent growth and minimizing algaes. There are other good products as well, but I like the 2 mentioned above.
Just a tip-- Plant HEAVILY from the very beginning. This is the most common mistake for beginners. Cram in as much plant as you can, and later subtract plant if you feel you must. The first 6-8 weeks is critical to the tank, and lots of plants give you the best chance for success. You have free plants so this should be easy 8)
