Far be it for me to give up. . . . I stopped, and re-evaluated what I had done, examining my mistakes. Then, I tried again. For my second try, I decided to try some low-light plants for the first tier. With any luck, this would minimise the algae bloom, since less light would be used.
Most people recommend planting heavily from the start, which is sound advice.
I was forced to restock it at once, having to move in a few more weeks. The entire venture cost eighty dollars, and that was not even a full restock. For this reason, I find it more realistic to stock gradually, despite the problems it may cause. The plants chosen were primarily Cryptocornes. These are broad-leaved, shade loving, variable plants.