How Can I Keep Aquarium Plants Alive?

[Angelfish fan]

Hello all! This is my first post & well, I have a problem. My younger sister(she is 14) got me a really cool gift for my brithday. She bought me three plants for my aquarium. I have been wanting aquarium plants for awhile now, but I don't have my aqarium set up for plants. She bought three plants in Wal Mart. They are: Amazon Sword, Micro Sword, & Water Sprite. I have a twenty gallon aquarium with filter, aereator(sp?), heater, gravel, & fish. There is a hood with a light on it. I bought a plant light two days ago for the plants, so I have a start. In my tank I have Angelfish, one Rosy Barb, a plecostomus(sp?), & a pictus catfish.

I have tons of questions, so here goes:
What should I have as a base for the plants(I am assuming gravel isn't the best)?
Can I add more plants, or would that be too crowded?
The Water Sprite is giving me the most trouble, what do I need for it?
How much algae are the plants taking away from me pleco(I give him other supplements)?

I live in the middle of nowhere, so I don't have access to most of the things I need for an aquarium. I order online. I am looking at www.drsfostersmith.com as they will ship all the supplies I need. I have read all of the articles they have there, but I am still confused. I looked at the First Layer Pure Laterite, the Eco-Complete Plant Substrate, & the Flora Base. Do I put gravel on top of those? What is the best in your opinion?

Tomorrow, I have a dermatologist appointment & I will be near a reasonably good pet store. I plan on asking questions then, but if anyone out there can help me, I would really appreciate it. I thought I was doing good & I finally got away from Goldfish & moved up to tropical fish. I have been having excellent luck with my Angelfish & I love my pictus catfish. They are such unique creatures!

 

[IovaykInD]

I'd say that the amazon sword and water sprite would be the easy ones to care for. I have both of them in my 29 gallon tank with one bulb. The water sprite should be floating, just trim off the dead leaves. New ones will be encouraged to grow once the bad leaves are gone. You can always add more plants, some planted tanks are REALLY planted. Plants only help the water, never hurting it. Don't worry about the algae, it's pretty hard to get rid of it unless you really pay attention and take necessary steps. That's pretty much all I can help you with because I don't know everything about plants. I'm sure someone like gf225 or jimbooo will help you, because they are great and have helped me a lot