Sorry if I got anyone wound up, Its my first tank, and im still learning.
tyrel,
no problem! Actually, if you stick around the forum you will find that your story and questions are quite common. I think that some find it a little frustrating to go over the same basic stuff so frequently, but I blame the retailers that sell fish tanks to newcomers for this. A person interested in aquariums gets SOLD stuff, but not TOLD stuff! Ultimately, that is how and why AA came about, and why it prospers, Aquarium owners united to help other aquarium owners.
So now you are cycling a tank with fish, time to make the best of it. Dont be afraid to ask questions, or feel bad that you are doing things this way. It will all work out, and in a few weeks you will be on your way in a fantastic and rewarding hobby. Since you are just starting out, think about some of the things you will need, and order them online from bigalsonline or petsolutions. You can save quite a bit that way. Things like pythons for water changes,
FW master test kits, filters, scrapers and such are all readily availble, usually quite a bit cheaper even with the shiping charges. If you don't already have them, the Aquarium pharmaceutical
FW master test kit (with nitrate test) and a Python water changes would be my recommendations for your first purchases.