Everyone is shotgunning random things at you.. I'll try to address everything
1.
Filter - I have 2 of these filters and they are exceedingly quiet. How noisy is it and what does the noise sound like?
A good brand of filter is an AquaClear. There are plenty of more affordable options out there such as marineland filters which are very quiet as well. All filters will make some noise though.
2.
Substrate - There are a few cheap substrate options out there. I would suggest sticking with sand over gravel. I personally use one of 3 different types of sand in my tanks. Pool filter sand which is generally light brown. Black Diamond sandblasting sand which is black. and lastly is a silica sand which is very fine and white. I personally wouldn't use a white sand for planted tank because it gets dingy looking.
Eco complete is a good choice for black substrate, but is a little more coarse than I like and isn't necessary by any means for plant health.
Dirting a tank was mentioned earlier. You place down a layer of organic gardening soil approximately 1" deep and follow that with 1" - 2" of sand. It's not necessary but can make things a little easier for your root feeding plants.
3.
Decor - Most people go with driftwood for planted tanks. You can buy it in the store, but I like to scavenge mine. If you're looking at buying it then either manzanita or mopani are the two most popular ones around right now.
4.
Plants - With stock lighting you could do low light plants. These include Anubias, Cryptocoryne (Crypts), Java moss, Java Ferns, Anubias, and bolbitis. Here is a slightly more comprehensive list of low light plants.
Excellent List of Low Light Plants
5.
Fish - I would highly suggest a school of harlequin rasboras. Other good choices include a single dwarf gourami, cory cats, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, Guppies, and platies to name a few. There are a lot of other fish that would work in this size tank; but they can be hard to find.
Use
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor to figure out a base line stocking level.
Use
Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums to find fish that can fit in your tank size.
6.
Cycling - Can be done either fish in or fishless. They both work equally well, although fish in cycling can be a little more work.
Here are links to guides for both.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
