Light, heating, new fish... please help!

I am trying to set up my first aquarium, read a number of books, FAQ,
lurking here for a while and finally totally confused by some of the
options that I should chose. I have a 29 gallon tank (30x12x18), I
plan to have low-medium light live plants and a variety of fish (for
start I plan to slowly add zebra danios, some tetras, may be few cat
fish). Could somebody help me with a few questions to ensure the
successful setup?

1. Heating: If have 2 heaters (better safe, then sorry - 100W & 50W),
is it better to place them at the bottom of the tank, one above the
other, or one next to another (to cover bigger area)?

2. Most confusing: Let there be light... As I understand, I should
have 50-65W for medium/low light plants. Since I have no hood yet, I
have the flexibility of setting it right the first time.
What would be your recommendations?
What do you think of this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com seem to have PowerCompact
SmartLite (half 1000'K Ultra-Daylight and half Ultra-Actinic) 30"
1-65W for $89 that takes square pin compact fluorescent bulbs
Is it going to be too bright and will wash out fish colors?
Is it going to be too bright for a tank without CO2 (I am
concerned about algae bloom with so much light and no CO2)
What good alternatives should I consider?

3. Substrate I plan to mix fluorite or laterite (depends what I can
find locally) to gravel.
How much should I add?

4. Fish: I've read numerous recommendations to set plants first, add
some algae eater later, once its set - add other fish. Preliminary
water tests showed that I have ph ~6.8, soft water. I am reluctant to
start with Otos as the first fish since they are so delicate, but it
seems to me livebearers (e.g. mollies) wouldn't feel good in the soft
water without any salt added.
Should I look for plecos?
Would they go well with such fish as danios or rasboras or tetras,
that I would like to add later?
Is 29 gallon a sufficient size for them?
How many should I keep?

Thank you very much for your help in advance!!!