Substrate worry

[Tarzan of space]

I have a 30 gallon long with 11 neons, 5 pepper corys, a pleco and a red clawed crab. Tank is cycled and levels are all doing great. I have a few plants now and I am planning on doing quite a few more. The substrate I'm using is typical Petsmart/petco size (about a quarter to a third of and inch) and I wonder if this will work in the long run for the plants and Corey's.
It's probably a needless worry as all the plants are growing now and the coreys are active and their color has even darkened since I got them three weeks ago.
Should I have started with a sand substrate or a finer gravel? I'm trying to look long term as I want to really make this tank work and look amazing.

 

[Laser]

When I started out I had gravel and my bronze cories weren't very active. They came out to eat but other than that they would stay in hiding. When I switched to sand it was like getting a brand new fish. They didn't hide anymore and loved to sift through the sand for food scraps.

 

[Mr. Nowhere]

I have cories in gravel and they do great. As long as it's smooth gravel u have nothing to worry about.

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