3m color quartz is chemically inert, so adding some root tabs isn't a terrible idea... but not necessary. When I plant in gravel I use root tabs until the roots get established then quit. What you need to dose depends on several things 1) What are the specs of this tank (primarily lighting... it affects all about plant growth, also fish load). If you have extremely high light then you will need to dose fertilizers and CO2. If it is moderate, maybe some general trace elements like SeaChem's Flourish will work. If it is extremely low... then probably not.