You can usually buy T-5's for a relatively decent price. A regular T-5 fixture will be sufficient for most low-moderate light plants.
People have been known to use sand and gravel for plants, but I prefer a plant-specific substrate such as eco-complete. It gives the plants an extra boost that alot of fast growing plants need.
Low to moderate light plants give you a pretty decent mix. For my tank, I am doing dwarf sag, java fern, wisteria, jungle val's, rotala, and anubias.
You can also look into crypt's. Generally, those are pretty hardy and do not require much light.
You'll definitely want to look into root tabs and/or some sort of liquid fertilizer. I dont personally use CO2 but certain plants really should have it to reach full potential.