it sounds like a good plan, but i had a few questions just for food for thought:
are you placing this near a window? From her book Ms. Walstead suggests 1-2 watts if you are near a window with some sunlight exposure, and a little more if not.
are you sure about natural gravel? she also suggests using fertilizer free potting soils as a substrate underneath a 1" layer of fine (2-3mm) gravel. the reason you can avoid ferts is because most of your nutrients are supposedly leached from the soil. IMO a "natural gravel" may not contain all the nutrients needed in order to avoid fert dosing. also, with the decorative sand, one big problem for the walstead style tank is that putting sand on top of your nutrient rich substrate can easily create anaerobic conditions in the substrate which can give you some big problems down the road. you may want to reconsider that choice.
you may be fine planting the bamboo in the substrate if they will root for you. following walsteads recommendations your substrate should be 2-3" deep (1-1.5" soil, 1-1.5" gravel), which may be enough to hold the bamboo in place if you plant it deep enough.
also be aware that there are some things about walsteads methods that may or may not be very good for your fish. I've heard reports of her tanks having extremely high nitrate levels, which is fine for plants but can kill fish easily. I'd recommend doing water changes when your nitrates get to about 20ppm, instead of her 6 month change guideline (and it is just a guideline. she says she changes water when she feels it's necessary based on fish health or plant health)
also, you'll note that her method of providing CO2 is something less than efficient. even considering the carbon present in a soil substrate and her fish food method of making carbon for the plants it still appears that carbon will be your limiting factor for growth. adding some excel or a DIY CO2 system may be a good thing to consider, although it gets away from your desire for a low maintenance tank.
it's a neat concept and i hope it works out for you
are you placing this near a window? From her book Ms. Walstead suggests 1-2 watts if you are near a window with some sunlight exposure, and a little more if not.
are you sure about natural gravel? she also suggests using fertilizer free potting soils as a substrate underneath a 1" layer of fine (2-3mm) gravel. the reason you can avoid ferts is because most of your nutrients are supposedly leached from the soil. IMO a "natural gravel" may not contain all the nutrients needed in order to avoid fert dosing. also, with the decorative sand, one big problem for the walstead style tank is that putting sand on top of your nutrient rich substrate can easily create anaerobic conditions in the substrate which can give you some big problems down the road. you may want to reconsider that choice.
you may be fine planting the bamboo in the substrate if they will root for you. following walsteads recommendations your substrate should be 2-3" deep (1-1.5" soil, 1-1.5" gravel), which may be enough to hold the bamboo in place if you plant it deep enough.
also be aware that there are some things about walsteads methods that may or may not be very good for your fish. I've heard reports of her tanks having extremely high nitrate levels, which is fine for plants but can kill fish easily. I'd recommend doing water changes when your nitrates get to about 20ppm, instead of her 6 month change guideline (and it is just a guideline. she says she changes water when she feels it's necessary based on fish health or plant health)
also, you'll note that her method of providing CO2 is something less than efficient. even considering the carbon present in a soil substrate and her fish food method of making carbon for the plants it still appears that carbon will be your limiting factor for growth. adding some excel or a DIY CO2 system may be a good thing to consider, although it gets away from your desire for a low maintenance tank.
it's a neat concept and i hope it works out for you

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