The plants at the pet store are so expensive and I need plants for about 10 1 gallon containers. Would either plastic plants or silk plants from the craft store work? Will the fish be ok? Any type in particular that is better or worst?

Tips and tricks section says this..

Instead of buying artificial plants from the LFS (very expensive). Go to your local craft store or even the Dollar Store and get artificial plants there. Just make sure you don't get any that have perfume or glitter all over them.

Also, check for bare wires and sharp points.
And rinse well... who knows whose grubby hands have touched them... but I'm a cootiephobe.
:D

Well now I am confused. On a different forum, I was told I shouldn't attempt fake plants unless they were made specifically for tanks. My idea was to actually go to the dollar store or the craft store and try to make my own, but was told that the dyes, etc might hurt the fish.

You can always put them in a bleach solution.
If the bleach doesn't knock the dye loose, the likelyhood of it leaching out is slim to none, I think.

Try aqua bid, and looking up java fern. It is relitively cheap, easy to maintain, and you can buy a smaller amount because it reproduces like crazy, but not uncontrolably like java moss can get. And you have live plants! Maybe get the fake ones until the jave fern has arrived, and has established itself? But it is one of the best aquatic plants. The only thing you have to kinda watch out for is if you don't want snails. Alot of fern comes with them, and they will reproduce like crazy. Though there are dips that you can make to kill them and not harm the plants.

I agree with JD in the long run, but for a temp solution.. I think cheapy silks would be fine.

I was just saying on another board, one sure way to kill buggies and snails that travel on your plants is a double dose of quick cure/aquarisol.
I have not had a bug live past that... and it won't kill your plants like a second too long in a bleach bath will.

Copper kills snailies too.