Java moss on the bottom, najas and amazon frogbit works for me. It doesn't need to be crazy dense, and whatever you've got that grows for you should be just fine. I started in a 10 gallon, but found it necessary to size up within about 4 months, so it may be good to start with a 20 long. Also, all of the fish that I have raised this way are already looking much better than their parents in terms of fin development! Aphy. australe, striatum, chromaphy. bitaeniatum or bivittatum are pretty good beginner fish that work in permanent setups.