starter kits and quality
While you may be getting what looks like a good price overall, the individual items tend to be a bit less quality unless you are very careful. In all, you will do much better to buy the glass locally and get equipment online where the selection is better and pricing is better. Sometimes you can take a quote from Petsmart online to the local store and have them honor it, I've never tried that.
Things to look for; on the hood -- screw in lights are not good for fish in general, too much heat, so go for the flourescent tubes. On the hood itself, the least quality has a cut-away plastic which is hard to seal up if you cut it wrong. The better quailty has a vinyl flap that you can cut as needed and replace if necessary. The best quality is the glass top with a light fixture on top of that. If you ever go to a planted tank that light fixture will need upgrading for more light.
As for heaters -- all have problems, but the hang on types are the least flexible, the submersibles are more flexible. Look for one that the temp seleciton knob is not too loose -- I had a fish dart past the heater, turn the knob and cook itself.
Filters -- in the kit you will typically find a cheaper version of a Whisper. Maybe some other knock-off of a well respected brand. This is where you may really need to upgrade, the filter is often the first thing replaced from kits. Save yourself the money and just buy a decent filter right off the bat.
Check out the major online sources. I like DrFosterSmith.com and BigAlsOnline.com and PetSolutions.com, but there are others too. You may also find a more local online presence, one in Austin, one in PA that I know of.
Were I to start a new tank, and not buy the tank used as I so often do, I'd get the glass tank and glass top with a light strip from the best priced local store, with a cabinet or stand perhaps depending on size. I'd get gravel there, and fish there later after the tank was all set up. I'd get the equipment and such online, all from one site, so that'd be the heater (I'd get Visitherm or Ebo Jager), the filter (I'd get an AquaClear or Penguin or Eheim or Filstar depending on budget and tank plans), I'd add Prime water conditioner, fish food for 6 months only, nets, thermometer, filter cleaning brushes, filter pads or media or cartridges as needed, algae scraper of some sort. Add a Python gravel cleaner/ change and fill kit maybe, but I might get a super cheap gravel cleaner online and make a drain and fill kit myself from hardware store parts. I'd get a huge bucket from the hardware store and mark it "FISH ONLY" to store my stuff and as a Q tank in a pinch, and a tiny straight razor thing to clean glass.
I'd get pickleing salt from the grocery store -- very useful for several fish problems, and a tiny bottle of vinegar to clean the glass top.
You may want to get ammonia, the cheapest clear ammonia, to do a fishless cycle, or try to find BioSpira at the local fish store to cycle the tank, or use some hardy zebra danios from the fish store.
