[tom91970]

What size is your tank? You'll need around 2 watts per gallon for most of the easier plants, with the exception of java fern, java moss, anubias, etc. Those all do well in lower light.

Eco-complete is a good substrate, but costs a bit. Plain gravel will work (smaller enough to hold the roots down, or course), but you still need to add root tabs for fertilization. I use plain ol' pool filter sand in one tank and plants grow fine with added ferts.

With planted tanks cleaning the substrate is not that much of an issue. You can just swirl the hose around and pick up stuff as it floats. Mulm is actually beneficial, so no need to clean it up too much. If I tried to clean my substrate in my planted tanks it would be impossible.