-One of Dave Gomberg's CO2 setups.

Get the needle valve, too. Makes life easier.

-Eheim professional canister filters - either the 2026 or the 2028, not
certain which would be best.

I've got the 2028 on my 75 gallon tank, and I like it. Enough circulation, but
not too much. (Definitely avoid the thermofilters -- the ones with built-in
heaters.)

-Not sure what I should use as a substrate. I have read a fairly good chunk
of the archives, but their doesn't seem to be a consensus.

If you can afford it, I would get either Onyx or Flourite (depending on which
color you prefer). It's pricy, but it's worth it. It will last forever, and
make it so much easier to plant and replant.

- Thermometer and heaters (I was thinking 2 x 250 watt would be appropriate?

You might want to step that back a bit. I bought two 250 watt heaters because
the tank is right in front of a very drafty window. I live in the northeast,
and it gets extremely cold in the winter.

But I ended up using only one heater, and even set at 79, it almost never goes
on. The lights provide a hell of lot of heat. And the tank is so large, the
sheer volume of the water makes a hell of a heat sink. Unlike a small tank,
very little heat is lost overnight. In the morning, the tank water is still
warm as bathwater. It was in the single digits last night, I'm freezing...but
the tank is 82 degrees, and the heater never came on. In contrast, in my 29
gallon tank, which is in the warmest part of the house, nowhere near a window,
has its heaters on regularly, day and night.

Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/