Quartz gravel and river sand along with most gravels available at the pet store are usually fine to use as long as they don't contain calcium and the fish you plan to keep have no special requirements.
An average size of one to three milimeter is good. The choice of color is up to you and is available in all shades of the rainbow. I prefer the natural stone over the dyed colors.
A note of caution, some gravel can raise your pH and you will never be able to lower it, always test a small sample by placing some gravel in a cup and covering it with household Vinegar, if it bubbles its calciferious and will raise your pH, dont use it. Trust me on this as I had a plant tank that I could not maintain below pH 7.5 and was going crazy as to why, it was the gravel and all is fine now.

Substrate for a plant tank is set up differently, first you should put down a layer of fertilizer or Laterite and then cover with your normal gravel. All gravel should be throughly washed prior to being placed in the aquarium.

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You can build caves and entire structures out of rocks. Rocks provide fish with shelter, places to hide and places to lay eggs.
They also can be used as territorial boundaries, which is essential to many fish. Use only Calcium free rocks like Granite, Slate, Sandstone and Lava. You should build any rock structures directly on the tank bottom, before you add the gravel to prevent any anaerobic bacteria beds from forming.

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Drift-wood and roots make great hiding places for fish. They can also serve for a place to put your plants that don't live in the substrate, like the Java Fern. They can also provide a source of roughage for the Corydoras and other Mailed Catfish.
Roots and drift-wood also tend to soften and lower the pH of the water. One word of caution, most livebearers prefer their water on the Alkaline side so too much drift-wood could be detrimental to them. The best place to get your drift-wood or roots is from a supplier who can guarentee their source, as the process of curing your own is not easy and most wood from the forest would just rot in the tank.

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The true beauty of an aquascape is brought to life by the use of plants. Whether plastic or live to create a "complete aquarium" all the decor should be complemented by the use of plants.
Plastic plants today come in all shapes and sizes and come so close in look to live plants its sometimes hard to tell them apart. When decorating with plastic plants please try to keep in mind what type of plants would be growing in nature. For more information on the care and use of live plants, please visit my seperate section dedicated to aquarium plants, here you will find a large list of plants and what they need to thrive.

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1. Place the rock structures in the tank, make sure that they are placed in such a way that they won't fall and possibly crack the bottom glass.

2. Add the substrate. For tanks with different types of fish use the appropriate grade and type gravel. For tanks with live plants,
   • First put down a one inch layer of Clay type soil with fertilizer.

   • Top with an additional one and one half to two and one half inches of gravel.

   • For the top layer use prewashed gravel or rinse until the water runs clear.
     

3. Install the filter. Locate the water intake and outflow as far apart as possible, for good water circulation. Add any bubble walls and airstones. Fill the filter with water.

4. Install the heater. Don't plug it in yet.

5. Install any other optional equipment: power heads, thermometer, air devices etc.

6. Place the drift-wood and roots in such a way that they don't interfere but hide the in-tank equipment.

7. Add the live or plastic plants, if using live use fast growing types at first.

8. Pour the water into the tank so as not to bother the material already installed. Either;
   
   • Pour the water onto the rocks or wood.
   • Use a plate to disperse the water.

9. Install the top and lighting.

10. Plug in and turn on all the equipment.

11. Run the tank and adjust the water and temperature to the fish you plan to keep for at least a couple of days.

12. Finally add the fish, slowly and remember the Nitrogen cycle.

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BUYING and ACCLIMATING FISH

• Before you buy any fish try to find out some information on it. Find out what water conditions it prefers; pH, Hardness etc. Find out if it has any specific dietary needs. Find out how it interacts with other fish.
  
  
• Make sure your tank meets the conditions you researched.
  
  
• Make sure the fish looks well fed, its stomach well rounded. Ask the dealer to feed the fish, so you can see him eat. Trust no one!
  
  
• Don't worry to much about color. Fish in the dealers tanks rarely show off their true colors.
  
  
• Check the fishes health, no clamped fins, no white fungus, no panting or rubbing. The fish should be active and alert.
  
  
• Never buy a fish from a tank with sick fish in it. Check the filtration, some use a central system, which means the water in one tank is the same as all the others.
  
  
• Make sure you don't submit the fish to a wide temperature swing on the way home, hot or cold.
  
  
• Combine species only with the same water and temperature needs.
  
  
• Combine species only with the same food needs.
  
  
• If your fish are territorial move the aquascape around a little to give your new fish a chanch to claim his area.
  
  
• Don't over crowd the tank!

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Acclimating the new fish

Let the plastic bag your new fish is in float on the tanks surface for about fifteen minutes to equalize the temperature. Remove the bag and open it into a small plastic bucket. Add some tank water to the bucket. Continue adding water 'till the bucket is about half tank water and half fish store water. Then net out the fish and let as much of the water drip off the net as possible. Release the fish to the tank. Never dump the bag into your tank, you don't know whats in its water! Keep a close eye on the fish until your sure its settled in. Thats it.

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basics continued.