Getting back to abwahl's questions...
I agree with Tomm10 that the compact flourescent lights work rather nicely there is no desperate need to obtain a flourescent tube fixture. Interestingly enough when I asked about that at my local Petco they advised me against it... I tried it anyway and that is my most successful plant tank! The compacts give off a different color than the tubes, so presumably there is a difference in spectrum, but it hasn't adversely affected my fish or plants.
For water changes and such... try 99cent stores or other bargain type places for smaller 2.5 gallon buckets. I try to let my water air out over night, then add a water treatment like Amquel, then do the water change. Might be overkill, but it feels safe.
kikuchiyo brought up some interesting points... but taking careful note of the "cons for dumping" section of that post... I'm always concerned about Petco water and don't want to add it to my tanks. Although it would probably be ok for you to go this route if you get all your fish from a trustworthy source like the specialty store you mentioned.
An all tetra tank can be a lot of fun. Just keep reading up as you have planned... you don't want to start a tank out with neons only to repeat the funeral scene.
And you requested a link for setting up the aquarium:
Here's one that has a ton of info- although I think they recommend the fishy cycle- it is such a large site, there is probably still something you might find useful:
Pet Fish Talk
Here's a nice
Beginning FAQ site. Still recommends danios for fishy cycling though.
Good luck!