How do I start with plants in my tank?

I'm wanting to start planting real plants in my (freshwater) tank instead of plastic ones. What should I make sure of first and what conditions have to be met? Lastly, is it safe to put plants in a tank with a Golden Chinese Algae Eater?

 

Working on the assumption that you have the basics down like water changes and generally keeping your fish alive, then you are ready to try plants.

Plants need Light and Nutrients. CO2 is also needed to get the lush growth you see in planted tanks but as a beginner it's best to avoid it for now while you master the first two elements.

For a start you would need decent lighting that is on for 8-10 hours per day. Nutrients are provided either by dosing liquid fertilizer into the water, with root tabs or an active substrate which feeds the roots. Fish waste is also converted to nitrates which is one of the nutrients that plants use.

I'm assuming that you have gravel in your tank (which does not contain any nutrients), and that you wish to dip your toe in the water and try keep a few plants alive.

So my suggestion for the easiest start would be to:
1. Get some root tabs
2. Buy some Vallisneria as your first plant - it's probably the most diehard plant you can encounter. Stick the root tabs (3 or 4) in the gravel next to where you plant the Vallisneria. You can also add some floating plants like hornwort if you want.
3. Once you master the Vallisneria try something like an Amazon sword or a Java Fern (Note that Java Ferns are rhizome plants so they can stick to rocks/ wood and the rhizome should never be covered).
4. Add a liquid fertilizer once you start moving on to these plants - like Seachem Flourish
5. If you're keen to keep going then switch over to an active substrate - like aquasoil or potting soil under pool filter sand and try some plants like crypts, rotala rotundifolia and ludwigia repens.
6. Next step would be to add CO2 and try some medium light CO2-dependent plants.
7. Final step would be to move over to a better lighting setup.

You can, of course, skip straight to step 5 if you have the budget to ride out a few mistakes and wish to have a lot of plants. There is also no substitute for research on sites like 2hr aquarist.

Here is a friend’s tank - I’ve started him off the same way as I’m describing to you from absolute beginner with no experience in fishkeeping:

 

This is such great advice.. good luck @Anonym0us , I would say don't be intimidated, I also started from not knowing anything and you learn as you go in this hobby. Follow the above and you would certainly have great results