Best newbie substrate for low-light moderately planted tanks?

[fishie111]

I have 3 tanks that I want to convert to live plants and I'm looking for advice on a good substrate to start with. I want to stay low-tech. I'm planning to upgrade my lights from the stock hoods to the AH Supply kits (36 watts for two 20H's and 55 watts for the 28G).

Here's are the plants that I ordered (several are rhizome plants or floaters so substrate doesn't matter):
Crypts: 1 Wendtii Green, 1 Wendtii Red, 1 Lutea
Stem Plants: Ludwigia Repens, Rotala Indica, Water Wisteria, Camboda, Anacharis
Swords: 1 Amazon Sword, 1 Marble Queen Sword
Floaters: Hornwort
Java Fern: 2 Lace variety, 3x3 mat of standard variety
Anubias: 1 Nana, 1 Hastafolia, 1 Barteri (growing on driftwood)

I want to try a few things and see what I like and what grows well.
One of the 20H's has not been set-up yet. One is in operation with a 1in layer of natural colored aquarium gravel from Walmart that I can either add to or remove. I bought regular Este natural-colored gravel for the other 20H, but I can return this. The 28G is in operation with just a scattered layer of 1-2 in diameter riverstone covering the bare bottom (it houses goldies)- I'd like to keep the stone, but would put substrate under it for the plants.

So, my question is, with these types of plants, should I go with plain aquarium gravel, should I invest in something specifically for plants (and if so, Flourite or Eco-Complete?), or should I try to find some kind of finer particle in a presumably cheaper, non-plant specific substrate (play sand?).

I've read so many opinions online that I am not at all sure what to do!! My plants will arrive tomorrow or Saturday- and I can't get anything plant-specific locally- I'd have to mail order it (I could set up a 10G holding tank for the plants while I wait).

[Plecosterone]

Plants will grow in plain gravel or sand and it is really a users choice. I prefer sand for the reason that it is easier to clean than gravel (stuff stays on top and not in the substrate), I think it looks more natural and the plants stay planted and roots really spread out well. I use play sand and the only drawback of using this is that it needs a ton of cleaning before putting it in the tank. Check out my fishy stuff in my sig for pics of my tanks with sand. I personally don't like to spend a lot on substrates such as eco-complete etc, but some people swear by them.

[Penfan66]

Agree with the above.

Plants will grow in darn near any substrate. My personal choice is flourite mixed with pea gravel, but that has to do with the way it looks more than any benefit i think I'm getting with it.

[tiki19]

I would also go with sand. I've used gravel, aqua-soil and sand, and the sand is easier to plant, a million times easier to clean, and my plants did better with it - probably because I was always sucking up roots or accidentaly shifting/bumping into them with the other substrates.

[ansbfish]

3m colorquartz t-grade
like sand, holds plants down well, but you can actually gravel vac it w/o sucking it up, the colors are great, and it holds slopes and wont compact.

its usually cheap to boot, I say usually because its $16/50# bag here, but in some places people say it runs up to $30-40/#50 bag (still cheap # per # tho vs most substrates).