Hi Fish, nice choice for the sand
That's what I'm switching to. And Welcome to Planet Catfish!
I'm not sure of the correct plant names off the top of my head but I'm sure someone will come along that has a better memory. The long wide leaved one on the far left is often just called a sword and all my cats really spend a lot of time in those. Easy to grow but will get to a good size. It works in my lower light tanks and my bright light tank.
The reddish one on the far right is easy to grow but you need to keep it in the brightest light of your tank to keep the red. It still looks beautiful even if it goes green. If you want it red but are going to keep regular lights, you can 'pot' it into something that you can then tie to driftwood or something to raise it a bit closer to the light.
The fluffy green one on the left might be a wisteria. Grows like crazy and you can clip and shape it all you like as it grows, doesn't hurt it a bit. If you want to multiply it, you can simply break a piece off and anchor it in the sand.
The red one in the middle with long leaves looks like it might be in the fern family but as with most red leaved plants, it may appreciate a brightly lit spot in the tank. Even if the sun or window comes from one direction in your room, most red plants will just suck up that sunlight!
The fluffy red one in the centre is a mystery to me but it's very cool! Maybe a type of calomba?
The one to watch is that one on the right that looks a little like bamboo. (If it's real) Lovely plant but you have to remember to give the stalk a little squeeze now and again to make sure it's not rotting. If it starts to, yank the plant out as it will totally mess with your water. I'm pretty sure it's one of those plants that do really well in water but only for a short while. Some plants are "True Aquatics" and grow fully submersed in water all the time and other will do okay in water for only a few months. No problem as long as you remember to check the stalk. If that happens, you can cut the tips off and plant it outside the tank in some regular soil.
A good way to check if plants are meant to grow in water all the time is to hold the plant up and see if the leaves go all floppy. If they stay erect, they are probably a terrestrial plant.
That's also my guess for the fake plant...but....the little red straight-leaved one looks so awesome it could be that one! Very good!
If you get right into planted tanks, check out this thread but beware it's REALLY picture heavy! He only uses liquid carbo and not the whole expensive CO2 rig so it can be done by 'normal people'. His fish on the other hand are some pretty special fish mixed with some that are easier to find. You might want to get your Dad and a comfy chair, this thread is like a slideshow to fishy heaven.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =4&t=21831
The no-plants but elegant and even spooky tank look is
anything by Haavard Stoere. Here's one of his You Tube videos. You could just get lost for days looking into one of his tanks! He's a member here and we learn A LOT of tank design from him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXyNCwUnq4U
Can't wait to see how your tank evolves
Racing, shoes and fish. Nothing else matters. Oh, and bacon.
. I surely have so much to learn 
. I'll refer to the examples when I set up one.
