I've had an aquarium for about 5 years now, with some success, but now
I've decided to upgrade to real plants, rather than the plastic ones
I've got now. So, I've read the faq, browsed the newsgroups and
looked at what's available from mail order places, but now I need some
good practical advice from people with good practical experience.

What I have:
20L tank (20"W X 12"D X 12.5"H) external dimensions
Light strip w/ 24" 20W light (yeah, I know this will have to be
upgraded to about 60W total)
Bio-wheel 170
Gravel of variable size, approx. 2-5mm (1-1/2" depth)
5 Tiger Barbs (1 - 1-1/2")
1 Red Tailed Shark (4")
1 Common Pleco (5-1/2")

What I'm looking to add:

As far as the plants go, nothing fancy, too difficult to keep or that
will be eaten by the Barbs. I'm doing this because real plants look
better, especially if they put out flowers (not necessary), not
because I've decided to become an aquatic horticulturist. But it
would be nice to have a variety.

As far as equipment, nothing fancy either. I'm willing to invest in a
dual light strip, but I'm not willing to put it together myself
(beyond the usual "some assembly required") or spend mucho bucks on
some fancy MH setup. I know I'm probably going to need some extra
gravel of appropriate size. I'd like to avoid hooking up a CO2 system
if I could, but will do so only if necessary and if it's inexpensive
and silent (not "ultra-quiet", I live in a studio and can't sleep with
a pump buzzing away).

In short low maintenance = good, high maintenance = bad.

So, anybody have any suggestions for plants that would be good for me?
Also, help on finding an inexpensive dual light strip would be nice
too.

Ken