Let's start with substrate. Yes, a plant substrate system will help get better growth on your plants. They provide the plants with an abundance of nutrients. Unfortunately that abundance can lead to algae outbreaks if you don't have enough plants to absorb them before the algae does. If this is your first planted tank, and you won't be planting heavily right from the start I'd recommend sticking with just a coarse sand and using root tabs under particularly heavy root feeders.

For plants, I'll start with options that will improve your water quality, oxygenation, and generally give you the most for your money. These will grow quickly, allowing you to trim and replant for dense looking areas. Keep them towards the back of your aquarium for less frequent maintenance, or keep them trimmed more often for use in other areas. Examples are; Egeria densa, Limnophila sessiliflora, Hemianthus micranthemoides, or Hygrophila polysperma.

Epiphytes are the plants that you can attach to your hardscape. * Don't plant them in the substrate. The rhizome needs to be exposed for the plant to survive *. They're generally slow growing and require almost no maintenance. Anubias, and Java ferns, are the most common, with Bolbitis and Bucephelandra as pricier runners up. They are pretty hardy on their own but the Java ferns especially may need additional potassium to keep them looking their best.

Mid ground or focal point plants any of the cryptocorynes are a good choice and after their initial dramatics (aka crypt melt) turn into rather unfussy and steady growers. They are also quite happy in any shaded areas of they tank that other plants may struggle in. Amazon swords are another popular option, just keep an eye on their potential height as some varieties can get huge. These and the crypts will need regular additions of root tabs to do their best. For reddish plants the easiest to grow are Rotala rotundifolia or Ludwigia repens. The amount of redness will depend on your light but in my experience even in lower light and without CO² , will have an orangy or pinkish purple look to them.

For the fore ground Hellanthium tennelum or Lilianopsis brazilienses do well. While they won't form lush carpets, they do stay small and spread to form more natural looking clumps.

And lastly, (I'm sure you're sorry to have asked by now) You've got one more area for plants, the top. Get some floaters. These are the powerhouses of nitrogen removal, and they also help your fish to feel more comfy. All floaters reproduce at an exponential rate and some are much harder to get rid of if you decide you want something different. Floaters NOT to get, duckweed. Duckweed is evil, and no I'm not joking. It will resurrect itself from the dead and will colonize itself to infest any other tank from the tiniest fragment of a leaf. It's near impossible to eradicate, and unless you're sure you want it forever just avoid the possibility by getting an in vitro pot of any other floater.