I'm pretty new to this hobby, so I can't speak from experience, but I can relay what I've read during the course of my limited research for my own tank. As far as I can tell, using chemicals to adjust ph is actually worse than just leaving slightly high ph alone and letting the fish adapt. It's my understanding that ph reducers or increasers will create a yo-yo effect causing swings in your ph, which can be worse for your fish then just having them adjust to water that is slightly less than ideal.
As for stocking, I'm kind of going to same route you are with my 29. I'm planning on gouramies, peaceful barbs and some tetras. I'd love to get some blue rams myself, but have read that these can be very sensitive, so I was going to wait until my tank was well established to get a pair, if I do at all. My favorite gourami is the Pearl gourami, these fish, when in full color, are some of the most beautiful freshwater fish imho. A quick google image search will show you what these look like if you're unfamiliar with them, and I've found them to be fairly common at the fish stores I've browsed through.
One other word of caution, I've read that combining a betta with gouramies or guppies is not a good idea because they are too similar, which will cause agression in the betta. I'm not sure on the compatibility of guppies and gouramies.
Again, I'm just a newbie, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I just thought I'd chime in with what I've learned so far. I'm sure some more experienced members can give you better details and info based on their own experiences.