Jordan, I would do shallow sand bed. I've done both bare bottom and sanded (had bare bottomed tank only few months ago..) and whilst both have their pros and cons, ultimately, the aesthetics win in the end.
Bare bottom: nutrient control is so easy...at one point my tanks glass didnt need to be wiped for WEEKS...only coralline grew on the glass.
Shallow sand bed: fairly easy to maintain, and if you plan to siphon it from the start it will be fine.
As for sand type/brand: If you can source Tropic Eden in Canada, then I'd get that. I like to read lots of build threads and I can tell you that everyone praises this sand for being clean and not being affected too much by pumps etc.
I've always used Caribsea Seaflor Special, but found it pretty dirty...so since I couldnt find any Tropic Eden in the UK, I bought TMC Aragonite 1-3mm sand and this stuff is pretty clean.
If you do go bare bottomed, be prepared to use a lot of flow and possibly more pumps than you would otherwise use, in order to get the detritus to stay suspended and not sit all over the bottom. Or get direct your flow in such a way that detritus collects in an easily accessible corner so it can be siphoned out easily (although this is not a good thing if left too long).
