It is certainly possible to have a nice planted tank with gravel. That being said, smaller grained substrates, and those with nutrients, such as aquasoil, flourite, eco-complete etc. are helpful and probably make it a bit easier to achieve.
If you want to swap the substrate, it is certainly possible. Lots of folks have done it, including me. However, it can be somewhat of a pain. if you decide to go this route, here is my advice. This is only my $0.02, based on my past experience. I'm sure others can chip in their methods as well.
I would get a big tub or bucket that is only for aquarium use (ie. never been used for cleaning or anything else). You can siphon tank water into this container, put the fish in it, and put the existing filter on the container. This will prevent the loss of the beneficial bacteria in your filter (the biofilter for your tank). You can run an airstone to help keep the o2 levels up in the container. You can remove your plants and place them in some tank water as well (or just in the same container with your fish if it is big enough). Then drain the rest of the water from the tank and remove the existing substrate. Once you get it all cleaned out, you can add the new substrate and re-plant and scape the tank. At this point, you can re-fill the tank with dechlorinated water, return the filter to the tank, and slowly acclimate the fish back into the tank.
You may want to monitor the tank for ammonia/nitrite etc, in case the tank re-cycles for some reason (or if you use ADA AS, which will release some ammonia). At this point, you should be all set.
As for the ADA AS, I don't vacuum the substrate. I just stir up any visible junk by waving the hose around near the bottom. HTH and good luck!
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