Canister filters and the use of peat in a South American tank

I am setting up a planted tank and have a question about canister filters.
The tank is 29 gallons, and will be planted with South American species
including Echinodorus amazonicus, Alternanthera reineckii, and Cabomba
caroliniana. Fish will include German blue rams, cardinal tetras, and
corydoras catfish. The cardinals require soft, slightly acidic water. My tap
water is hard and alkaline. Since I do not plan to buy a reverse osmosis
filter I will need a filter for the tank to soften the water. I know that
peat and driftwood soften and acidify the water. I plan to but driftwood in
the tank. I may use peat, depending on the type of canister filter I buy --
some brands don't offer peat medium.

My first questions concern peat. Do I need it if I use driftwood? Will it
darken the water to the point that the plants will lack for light? Will
carbon remove the darkness?

What experience have you had with the following canister filters: Fluval 04
series, FilStar XP series, Eheim ECCO series, Magnum series? I read a review
of the Fluval filter that said it had cheap parts and was hard to clean. I
have heard good things about the FilStar filter, but the manufacturer does
not make peat medium for it. Both the Eheim and the Magnum are on the
expensive side. Given the type of tank I am creating, what canister filter
would you recommend?

Birru