New Tank Setup -Please Help!

Hello. I'm just getting back into the aquarium hobby from about a decade away. I am new to Discus. I am setting up a new tank and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on bio-load, substrate, plants, filtration, etc., etc., etc.,

I would like an Amazonian-ish fish bio-type, low-tech show tank focusing on the Discus preferences, but I will be cheating on the bio-type with the plants. I would prefer easier plants that do not require me to dig around in the substrate alot. I'm okay with root tabs but I would prefer not to mess with CO2. So it does limit my plant choices. Here is what I was thinking:

Specs:
75 gal. 48 x 21 x 18 lightly-planted aquarium (only non-negotiable)
Temp: 82 F
PH: 6.9
O2 levels >8.0 mg/l
Hardness: 2 degrees (for plant growth)

Fish:
5 Discus
8 Silver Hatchetfish
2 German Rams (mating pair)
12 Neon Tetras
3 Corydoras Sterbai (groundskeepers)
2-3 Otocinclus cats (for algae control)

Lower-maintanence Plants:
Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri) centerpiece
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Anubias Nana
Dwarf Lily
Amazon Frogbit or (carefully monitored, but cover for hatchetfish)

Filters:
Fluval 305 Canister Filter (260 Gph)
Tetra Whisper EX70
Emperer 400 Bio-Wheel

Two HOB filters might be a bit of overkill, but I got them cheap, so I figured I might as well use them. The Emperer 400 is dying, so I will probally need to replace it soon. Suggestions? Maybe in time I can upgrade my canister.

Heaters: Two Aquatop Quartz Glass Submersible Heater (300 Watts)

Substrate: Seachem Flourite (for plants) mixed with a small gravel substrate (more for aesthetic purposes)

Anyway, any suggestions on on bio-load, tankmates, substrate, plants, filtration, etc. would be greatly appricated. Thank you for reading!

Memfish;
Your suggestions look fine ,in fact one of my tanks is set up very similar to the tank you want to set up ,the only difference is that i have 1 cm of white pool filter sand for better control of fish waste and their poop and my plants are in small pots mainly amazon swords ,you can also introduce anubias attached to some drift wood if you like ,i have never mixed flourite with gravel ( trapping food and fish waste ) reason ,you might need 3 more sterbies my favorites .
please keep us informed of your progress .
http://i1378.photobucket.com/albums/...pszy7no7du.jpg
I am sending a photo of my 200 liter BB tank with plant pots ,just recently i added 1 cm of white PFS to cover the tank floor .
I hope this helps and please send us the photo of your tank.
Sayid

Update from Memfish that I thought I should post.

Update: Picked up a Hydor Professional 450 Canister Filter, an Emperor 400 HOB filters, plus a rocky 3D background off CL. Everything was super dirty, but it cleaned up pretty well. I'm adding them to the tank. After further reading I decided to go with a BB tank. I might eventually try pool sand, but for now I figured I should give myself the best chance for success.

Yesterday, i bought some plants from Dustins that should be arriving later this week. Picked up several types of Anubias, Taxiphyllum Barieri and one Amazon Sword. The Anubias and Java fern I am planning on affixing to the Driftwood. The Amazon Sword is an experiment. I have an aquarium decoration log that I am planning on putting substrate in and then planting the Amazon Sword sticking out the top. The idea is to have a tank that looks as natural as possible, but is still easy to clean.

I also ordered a Amzdeal LED Aquarium lights. They were $22, but reviewed very well, and so I am planning on putting it directly over the Amazon Sword. The other plants are all less undemanding in their light requirements.

I've decided to cut the hatchetfish and just stick with the 6 Discus, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 6 Corydoras S. and a mating pair of Bolivian Rams.


I used some Tetra startup to jump start my cycle. I'm also hoping to start cycling my Quarantine Tank later today.

Sayid: Thanks for the encouragement. I realize I have a long way to go. Great pics of your tanks. Love the shape and color of your fish.

Jason; Thanks for the update.

Memfish; Thanks very much to get back to us ,most of the time when we don't hear back we assume the worst so it is nice to hear that things are going fine , your led light is very cheap ,i am assuming you live in the u.s which explain the low price , it is a good idea to start with tetras , corys etc so that you can quarantine them in your display tank first and make sure that there is no disease before discus arrive and secondly you make sure that your tank is fully cycled .
good luck
sayid