i disagree.
low light tanks are usually for a goal... less maintenance and/or lower cost. a good substrate would further alleviate that situation while possibly providing much, if not almost all of what's necessary at lower uptake rates. makes maintaining a low-light tank easier just the same.
light will not be THE limiting factor in a tank where the substrate is completely inappropriate for the species it contains. never getting a foothold will kill a plant just as fast, if not faster than insufficient light in many cases.
excess is usually not the issue causing algae with the exception of ammo. for that things can be done easily. you can select a substrate that's inert out of the bag. you can mineralize your soil/aqua-soil. you can do the dsm coupled with an excel kicker to start after flooding the tank, then just wean the tank off of excel slowly, deliberately and completely as the plants fill in/take hold. you can add more plants. you can do more w/c's and add more ferts back in. etc., etc., etc., ...
low light tanks are often very heavy in root feeders and epiphytes as opposed to dutch aquascapes, amano style, etc. where the focus is often harder to grow, delicate plants and/or lots of stem plants grouped in bunches like patchwork quilts of life. a good substrate will provide a lot of benefits in such tanks... high cec, ph buffering, promotes good root health, etc., etc. ... which all promote healthier plants eliminating one possible source of any issues that arise down the road as well as avoids complicating other issues associated with low light tanks.
just like any other life forms, the more of and the better you meet any plants needs the healthier the plant will be and the more it will reward you with health, vigor, growth, reproduction, etc..
to me, a high light tank receiving lots of co2 and a steady, heavy fert regimen is a lot less likely to need a special substrate than a tank who's owners goals are to have something nice AND simple/practical/not the definition of obsessed/etc.. most of the needs in the high light tank are already provided at much more sufficient levels including the most important building blocks... carbon and light.
:huh:
