Summer tub fun

["Steve Borgstrom" <steve.borgstrom at pln_co.santa-clara.ca.us>]

I purchased a 19-gallon "muck bucket" (a sturdy plastic tub with rope
handles - good for laundry and/or icing kegs, but not necessarily in
that order) the other day with the idea of raising some fish and plants
outdoors over the summer.  Of course, the plants are my priority but I
haven't been able to uncover much information about good candidates
other than the standard pond fare.  Here is a mini-barrage of questions
that you oh-so-knowledgeable-and-experienced folk might be able to
answer for me:

First a little environmental info -- I live in San Jose, CA where the
air is mostly dry and temperatures typically stay in the high 80s and
low to mid 90s during most of the season.
1) Should I incorporate laterite into the substrate?  I don't really
want to spend the dough on Flourite for this one.
2) This tub will be in direct sunlight during most of the day but will
be otherwise unheated.  What are good plant choices for this setup?
Swords?  Crypts?
3) Which plants will tolerate the dry-ish air if they develop emerged
vegetation?

Any insight would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve