Hello, my name is Todd. I'm new to both this forum and fish keeping. I just started my first tank.I've been reading this site for a little while trying to learn the basics.I have been interested in getting a fish tank for years, but never did it until recently. I know next to nothing about this stuff so I am gona need advice....figured this was a good place..

Welcom Todd. You are definitly right, this is the place. It is the first forum for tank keeping that I signed up on, and still the one I like the best. Lots of great people, with even better advice. If you've been reading, then I hope you've learned about the nitrogen cycle. I didn't, and lost a couple of fish at the start because of it. The key is to ask lots of questions, and you will get lots of responses here. Best of luck with your new tank, and new life. It will be well worth the time and effort.

Welcome to the forum.

We wont get annoyed by retarded questions as we were asking all asking them when we first started(some ppl even before internet!?!), so like kelbri said, ask lots of questions.

What kind of fish are you keeping? And what size tank do you have??

Well I actually found this forum a bit too late.This may be a bit long but I think I should tell the whole series of goofs so you will have all the info.
I thought I had the information I needed but now realize I goofed..and I don't know what to do about it. On the advice of a coworker,who sure talks like he knows what he is doing...I believe I made some bad choices. First, I put in 5 feeder goldfish and 10 rosey reds or something like that..the feeder fish they sell at Wal Mart. He talked about the nitrogen cycle and what not...basically told me the tank needed to grow good bacteria and the way to do that was with some goldfish because they are tough and could survive it...So I put the water conditioner in the tank and put in those fish the same day. After a few days the water got cloudy .I did about a 25% change but it almost seemed to be worse..then a day or two later it was very clear. I right off the bat had used the tank buddies tablets for amonia ,PH and the chlorine without ever vtesting anything. At this point I had read somewhere a little bit about Nitrite and Nitrate,and thought I understood,but I didn't. I just thought they had to be zero..I didn't know the process of the amonia and Nitrite levels rising first and then going back to zero...I just thought they had to be zero. Well the fish all lived almost 3 weeks (actually none died I got rid of them) I thought the tank was ok so I turned all the fish loose in a creek by my house,did a 50% water change, plugged in the heater and let it run for a few days, then got my fish. I added 6 very small tiger barbs and 1 dwarf gourami. That was 10 days ago. Three of the tigers have died,1 every day the last three days. The Gourami just hides in the weeds. Each day I knew one would be gone because they were acting weird...one swam upside down briefly then died that night..the other two both llooked sick the day before they died.They appear to have either very small bubles on them or the white salt looking deposits...the tank had been staying nice and clean but I still was doing small water changes every couple days..then a few days ago,almost overnight, the filter, heater and decorations all were covered with a blue greenish slime and the glass had a film on it too....every time I did a water change the tigers would be very playfull and zoom around the tank..then a day or so later they just hide near the bottom.They don't even school together like they did at first...today I did a 50 % water change and cleaned the slime with a rag dipped in the tank water. and the 3 remaining tigers are zooming around chasing each other while the Gourami just hides....I also have already made the mistake of washing the filter in tap water a few days ago. I feel very bad about the mistakes I've made and do not know what the best thing to do is.I feel like I am being cruel to these fish . I wish I could just drain it all clean it up and then cycle the tank correctly without fish......
It is a 23 gallon tank with a Whisper 10-30 I think it said on it.I also have an 18" bubble bar going.SORRY such a very long post but that about sums things up.Any suggestions ? I don't know anyone to give the fish to so I can start over.

Your fish had ich, so also read the page I wrote on that. It explains it and tells you how to control and cure it.
http://www.aquatricks.com/fishdiseases/ich.html

I'd take the fish back to the fish store and start over, if your fish store will accept them. Personally, I dont use chemicals except for disease control which i havent really had to use(only once in the 1.5 years I had the tank), I try to go as natural as possible.

At least you're willing to do some research and admit to your mistakes. Dont let these problems ruin you on fishkeeping as this is a fun and enjoyable hobby, just sometimes gets off to a rocky start.