Here's my update. I'm going to plant later today. Won't be anything exciting but it is progress. The reason I'm not filling it with water is so I can grow the HC and dwarf hairgrass immersed before flooding the tank.
Welp... after a mini algal bloom I decided to just fill the darned thing and hook up the filter so here it is in whatever glory it can muster.
Everything looks a little sad but we'll see where it goes. I may need to invest in some more plants now that I'm not starting with a lush green carpet.