your tap water is a good start, that is all i have ever had for mine & have had good success with them. i just used crushed marble as a substrate & my ph is usually around 7.2 from the tap & the tank is usually around 7.4.
As for the setup, aim for 5 or 6 times turn over of the tank volume per hour, if your tank is 300L aim for 1500 to 1800LPH of filtration. Do 30% water changes per week & you shouldn't have any issues with water quality once your tank is established. this setup will be great for heavy stocking which is how africans should be kept.