UPDATE:
I got around to getting the tank - it's glass.
This weekend I'm going to build the stand and canopy. I talked to a guy at an awesome fish shop in MI (The Fish Doctor) and he told me that I have NOTHING to worry about with having a heavy canopy on top of the tank, so that frees up some options for me.
In terms of lighting, I think I'm going LED. I know they are more expensive, but the thought of replacing 4 T5 bulbs twice every three years makes LED look cheap. The guy at the fish shop said that I should get 3-4 watts per gallon with those T5, making me need around 120 watts. He told me that with LED you can pretty much divide it by 4, so I'm thinking about getting a 24" 6700k LED (the tank is 30"). Does that sound good to you guys/gals?
Also, he said CO2 isn't necessary at all, and that liquid fertilizers would do just fine. I know that this is a debatable subject, but I'm going to take his word for it.
Now, filters. Is the Fluval 306 too much for a 29g tank? It's 306 gph making it nearly 10 times an hour!!! I don't mind spending the extra $15 on it over the 206 (202 gph I think), but do I even need it?
About the heaters - I think for money's sake I'm going with a 100watt cheaper Aqueon one in the tank. I'm going to have a black background, and I think I'll be able to hide it behind things so I won't notice it. I'd love the inline one, but they sound expensive (I've never looked into them).
Thanks for the advice so far, it's been very valuable. I'll make sure to post some pics of the stand when I get a chance.