This is my journal for a 40 gallon acrylic sea clear tank (36x15x16)
My goal is for a asian/pacific realm tank, although not all the plants are from those regions. The fish will be from those regions and most of the plants.

I got the tank used off Craigslist, came with stand, filter, and lots of other random stuff. Oh yeh and fish (most of the fish that came with it I traded for store credit)

This is a low tech setup.
Basic Specs:
40 gallon (36x15x16)
1 heater (I need to get a better one)
1 Marine Land Magnum 220 canister filter
3 5" clip on work lights with 2 23 Watt Sylvania 6500K CFLS and 1 13 Watt Sylvania 6500K CFL
1 Marine Land Maxi-Jet 900 in Power Head mode with filter sponge on intake. (Giving me tons more flow, almost too much and a little extra filtration
Substrate is pool filter sand in front, 1 to 1.5 inches of Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix capped with very small grain pea gravel in back.

I dose according to Tom Barr's "EI Dosing Light for Less Techy Folks" combined with daily doses of Excel.

Hard Scape:
1 large piece of purchased wood, lots of holes for plants
Several small pieces of wood for java ferns
numerous collected rocks for border between sand and dirt/gravel

Fish:
6 Harlequin Rasboras
8 Cherry Barbs
5 Zebra Loaches
Numerous red cherry shrimp
Future plans include boosting numbers of cherry barbs and harlequins.

Plants:
Blyxa
Java Fern
2 types of Crypts
Anubais
Dwarf Hairgrass
1 Tiger Lotus
Ludwigia repens (removed)
Pothos (in bowl on top of tank now, April 17, 2012)
Salvania
Azola
Duckweed
A few riparium plants

The wood and dirt have released tannins in the water, at first I didn't like, but it has grown on me and now I do. This tank has been setup and running for about a year.