If possible I would look into the "drinking water" from walmart as opposed to the distilled water - the "drinking water" says it is Reverse Osmosis purified.
Distilled will contain more impurities I believe, and copper is often used in the distillation coils - not something you want in your water...
(I wouldn't use either one as the ONLY source of water for a freshwater tank, unless you are adding buffers and electrolytes, but thats another discussion.)
Other than that, my recommendations on the first few steps:
1. Buy or borrow some modern aquarium books - Fenner is good, as is Tullock, but they are far from the only good ones. Avoid anything overly thin, or published more than about 10 years ago.
2. read
3. re-read
4. read again
5. decide what your goal for this tank is - just fish ? corals ? both ?
6. make a list of livestock you "must have", livestock you "really like" and livestock you "kinda like"
7. find out as much info as possible on said livestock - online and in books. If something on your "kinda" list would kill something on your other two lists, cross it off.
If something on "really like" would kill something on "must have", cross it off.
8. then pick out a realistic blend of those three lists - now you've got some ideas on what you might be keeping.
9. Now figure out what equipment you'll need for them -- skimmer ? metal halide lights ? a refugium ? the answers to #5-8 will affect your equipments needs greatly - if your keeping (for example) acropora corals you will want bright lights, super clean water, and lots of calcium, so you may need metal halides, a big skimmer, and a calcium reactor. On the other hand, if you really want a mandarin goby, you will need lots and lots of live food -- meaning lots of liverock and a refugium filled with rubble and macroalgae, but you may be able to go skimmerless and with lesser lighting.
etc etc etc
Then start looking online for product reviews - whats a good brand skimmer, light, etc.
then you can start getting into the real "meat and potatoes" -- setting things up, adding liverock, cycling the tank, adding livestock, etc.
I'm sure I'll have more to add, but the missus just got home so I'm going to go be social
