You seem educated for a noob... not the regular "i have 6 oscars 4 pacus 3 plecos in my 37 gallon what more fish should i add" lol...
Add dechlorinator to your water (I use Aquasafe, many others use Prime) and get a test kit. You can get any kind of air pump you'd like... lol.
Fish, AFTER YOU CYCLE, (make sure you cycle!) can be:
Guppies
Platies
Corydoras
Gouramis
Pretty much any tetra
Some angelfish (only 2 at the most, with a few other fish)
Barbs (should not be kept with long finned fish, usually)
Swordtails
Bristlenose Plecostomus (NOT common pleco!)
Figure out a stocking and get back to us, we'll tell you if it's good
As for light, use any light you want, as long as you don't have plants. If you want plants get a fluorescent.
In my 29 gallon (8 gallons less) I have 7 platies, 7 corydoras, 1 paradise gourami, 1 opaline gourami, a female betta, and two tetras that just won't die (they usually need schools)