Hi Corky,
Things have changed enormously in the last 30 years. We understand the nitrogen cycle now, filter technology has improved vastly, and fish farming is now big business. The last one is a major problem. The conditions at the farms and breeding practices have led to weaker fish. You can no longer just put fish in a tank and expect them to live without massive water changes.
And the best way to start a tank is not by getting a few fish and building slowly, it is by doing a fishless cycle before getting any fish at all. This technique is less than 20 years old, so you might not have come across the concept.
While you are building your stand, can I suggest you read these two threads.
this is the older way of fishless cycling, the method I used earlier this year, and
this is a newer method which has only recently been worked out.
