About $100$

Again there is no point because the sand will fall through the gravel and sand creates toxic pockets, and is overall more expensive. Believe me ImaGman, gravel 100%
 
I use play sand with no problems. Cleaning it is actually easier than gravel because you don't have to stir it up since nothing gets into it. I use a 1/2" clear rigid tube attached to a flexible hose and go over the sand (takes some getting used too) keeping the tube above the sand. The tube allows me to get right into the thick plants without disturbing them. I really don't even vac that often because the plants use the mulm that gathers under them as ferts. Roots on my plants are amazingly long and it is so easy to plant in sand. Sand is inert and water column ferts are recommended. I used to use root tabs but have not seen any growth difference when I don't use them. See sig for plants and sand in my tank.
 
With 2.5 watts a gallon you have a lot of options. For substrate you could try Shultz's aquatic gravel or Turface, both good low cost options. If you add CO2 with that lighting you will be able to grow just about anything you want. Start out with fast growing stems to get ahead of the algae and then switch over to the plants you really want.
 
I have never tried sand myself but I have read many articles suggesting that anaerobic pockets are not really a problem so long as you have good root growth or stir the sand every once in a while.

Personally though I like Fluorite and Eco Complete which unlike sand bring additional nutrients to the substrate. You can mix these 50/50 with either plain aquarium gravel or natural river rock and get good growth without additional fertilizer in the substrate. Easy.
 
I believe there are different types of sand available(some of it is coarse)

the coarse sand would not take long to settle out(I believe it is playsand it could also be pool filter sand-I'm not totally sure)
I personally don't like sand.it can get into the fileter and cause some issues but it can work.
 
I would recommend 1 inch of 2-4 mm gravel with a layer of quality organic dirt 1-1.5 inches underneath. Dirt has a much greater area for bacteria to colonize and when the organic material that it contains breaks down it will produce CO2 for your plants...not to mention all of the macronutrients that it contains will slowly release aiding plant growth.

I am more of a proponent of a low tech setup that requires minimum investment and maximum return. I use sunlight to light my tanks on top of CF AH Supply kits of anywhere between 1 to 3 wpg. You will get great growth in this setup if you slowly acclimate your plants to the sunlight so that they don't die from overexposure to UV (accomplished with a shade or curtain). Position your tank so that you have about 3 hours during the day of full sun and the rest indirect. This can be accomplished if you have a window that faces south. Because of the macronutrients in the soil and the fish food that you will be feeding, you probably won't need to fertilize. On top of that, as long as you have a low bioload you will need no filtration either...the plants will do it all. I have not changed the water in my tanks in over 5 months and I get good plant growth the fish are doing really well. If you are trying to grow some of the more demanding species, this setup might not have what it takes. CO2 injection might be needed in some form and you will have to fertilize as well to accommodate for the increase in CO2.

By the way, what are your tap water parameters?
 
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I have pool filter sand which is silica sand, plants seem to do fine since I've changed, my lighting isn't too great, just 30 watts for the whole 55g. The sand is easy to clean, I just hover my python about a 1/4 in above the sand and dirt and detritus float up into the suction leaving the sand be.
 
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