Plants from most fish stores shouldn't have issues with disease. You may end up with small snails as hitchhikers, but I've never run across any problems with plants.

That being said, it's mostly a matter of lighting and preference. I'm a fan of moss balls, sometimes called marimo balls depending on your area. They're very sturdy, and have managed just fine in low light. Peace Lilly has also worked well for me in low light situations. Peace Lily get big though. I had one start out at around 8 inches, and is now near two feet tall.

The bulbs, if they're the Aponogeton ones they need to be stuffed into something unless you want them floating around your tank.

I think I will print out what you have here and take it with me. When I put in the live plants do I remove all plastic plants, or just the ones in the area of the new live ones. I have the plastic / silk plants hiding my air stones across the back, along with two huge fake rocks, and a huge fake log which hides my air hose. I would start with the plants in the large tank, to see if I could save some shrimp. I so much do like to watch them.

Plants won't save your shrimp if they're old or funky. Plants help filtration by getting the nitrites out of the water and look neat too.

You don't need to remove any of your fake plants either. Depending on what plants you pick up you may want some small clay pots or something to keep them in.

The marimo balls can just be tossed in and they'll move around on their own in the tank. No, really. Sometimes they float other times they sit on the bottom. It's why I like 'em. But most other plants come bare root.

I get small clay pots at the hardware store, or sometimes the art store and use gravel as "dirt" to hold them down. If you want to get really hardcore about it, you can turn your potted plant into a sponge filter too.

What do these marimo balls look like? Do they look like something you would throw in your dryer or washer on the rinse cycle? I have seen these things before but I thought they were odd. I didn't even realize they were plants.

Think a fuzzy green golf ball.

Too lazy to go take a picture of mine, but here's one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marimo_lake_akann.jpg

nope never seen those anywhere here. Hope I can find them
They are cool. Can you put to may of those in your tank?

I've never given much thought to the max plant capacity of a tank. I normally just throw in some plants because I like them.

The turtles here kinda wreck most of my plants, so I've never hit any limit. Well besides hitting the limit of picking bits out of the filter. I've have seen some tanks that were insanely planted. Growing out the top of the tank and all that were doing fantastic.

I'm sure there is a limit, but so long as you watch them and keep trimming off the dead and funky bits you should be oke.

I have four moss balls in my snail tank.(wish I had more) Saint's right, mine are never in the place they were the night before.
http://www.freshwatermadness.com/freshwater-invertebrates-f2/my-snail-babies-and-their-tank-t861.htm
They are available all over the web. You could post here in the classifieds to find them. Try Aquabid and Ebay. Try this guy. I saw this this morning on AC.
http://www.aquabotanic.com/

Be careful though some are selling what they call "moss balls on a string" these are not origingal moss balls. I've seen them in LFS's and they look nothing like the original.

Saint-Have you posted pictures of your turtles? I would love to see them!! I want some but don't have the room.

The moss balls on a string are java moss wrapped around some styrofoam, at least in my area. They look completely ghetto so you shouldn't have too much trouble telling them apart.

This place is one of the cheapest I've found online that has 'em:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/moss1.htm

I've posted one or two pics, but haven't done too many. I'll try and get some more up after all the easter nuttiness dies down.

I've seen the same thing, SF. Some even come wrapped around a small rock...lol.

I have looked every where here in WV *Charleston area* and no one has them. Next time I am in ohio or KY, Oh wait would that be ileagal transport? Next time I am in Huntington I will check.