You can do what you want really, it's all personal preference. Before you jump into live plants you might want to do some research though, sand isn't always the best substrate for plants (it's not necessarily bad either.) Bamboo isn't a true aquatic plant, it seems to do okay for a while but eventually it will die if kept completely submerged, that's not a big deal if you are okay with replacing the bamboo every once in a while with fresh stuff. I'm not sure how quickly the smaller pieces of bamboo grow or how to propagate them but it might be possible to grow your own in a pot or planter then transplant clippings into the aquarium when needed. Good luck with the project.