yeah i hear you. believe it or not have a low tech planted tank with good balance is like have a child that can take care of its self most of the time.
nitrates in non planted tanks will only ever build up. in a well planted tank they can go to 0 which is best case for your fish. mind you, ideally you want around 10ppm in a planted tank to feed the plants. easy when dosing kno3 once a week.
also fish benifit from being in a more natural environment.