Just to throw another opinion out there on the wood-soaking, I usually soak wood for several days, changing the water out at least once a day for water as hot as it will come out of the tap. I don't really mind tanins, but I do like to leech as many out as possible before I add wood to my tanks. I guess that's just a personal preference, but I thought it might be useful. Definitely check out the links that SludgeMunkey posted. He's a pro with aquascaping and viv design from what I gather.