Hiya
I felt overwhelmed when I started with plants, don't worry, it
does get easier with time. I'm still learning a lot (you're right, it really is like starting over again), but hopefully I can help a bit.
If the light is 22W, you'll need to stick to low-light plants - 1.1W per gallon is quite low for plants. If you want some higher-light plants and your fixture is 24" long, you could purchase a retrofit kit to change your lighting from standard fluorescent to power compact fluorescent.
www.ahsupply.com is the place most people seem to find the best prices.
One thing that I find invaluable for my tanks is a light timer. The light should really be on for 10 - 12h per day with plants, and a timer can make it consistent.
You could start off with a single plant (like the anubias you saw), just to 'get your feet wet' - if it's in a pot just remove the pot and most of the rock wool, trim the roots if they're very long, and place the plant in the gravel (just like a garden plant - dig a little hole, put the plant in, and fill the hole back in). It will take a while to settle in after being transplanted, but soon you should start to see some new leaves growing. With low light the plants will grow slowly, so be patient.
If there are just a few plants they'll likely get all the phosphate and nitrogen they need from the fish, but they'll need added potassium and micronutrients to do well. You can add potassium (K) by purchasing KCl at the grocery store - a product called 'No-Salt', sold as a salt substitute. You can buy trace element mixes at aquarium stores - you won't need to add much in a low light tank with just a few plants, but I still think it's important - like vitamins for people
.
I found that for me, diving in was the best way to learn. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that the plant dies, and I've found that they're actually pretty tough. Good luck, let us know how it goes
