Growth on aquarium fish

Question
HELP!   I am new to aquariums and am not having luck.  All my previous fish, goldfish, died with a white growth like on them.  I treated my 55 gallon tank with ick medicine and bought 4 new fish yesterday.  Now they have something on there scales and one is lying around like he will soon die.  what am I doing wrong?  I have some aquarium salt in the talk.  I used distilled water to fill it 2 months ago.  I have 3 koi a black moor and 1 algee eater?  Help Please, these is getting costly!

Answer
Hi Sandy,
Thank you for your letter. You have discovered the dark side of the hobby, but hopefully my system for easy aquarium care will get you back to the light. Here is my page of instructions, which you are welcome to print out:
http://steamboats.com/aquarium.html
My system is wholistic and does not use chemical treatments. It revolves around proper feeding habits and natural water. Use "Cycle," which is organic biology, friendly bacteria, to condition the water. It's expensive, but keep it in the refrigerator and it will last for a long time. Distilled water does not have the friendly bacteria to help break down fish waste and protect their slimy coating. You can use distilled or regular bottled water, as long as you add plenty of Cycle.
Buy a bottle of Cycle and follow the emergency proceedures at the bottom of the page. Be sure to keep the temperature in the tank steady when you do the water changes. Limit feeding to only one flake or pellet per fish at first, increase gradually as the fish grow.
Try this and write back if you want to discuss further.
Nori