Ok tell me about septic tanks

we just bought a house that runs on septic
can somebody please give me a rundown on what i should and more importantly shouldnt do with a septic tank
at the moment i use bio zet front loader washing powder- can i still use it?
also is normal toilet paper ok
and
what are some of the better cleaners that are septic friendly
i need some cleaners that kill bateria as well- DH is a chef and sometimes cooks at home so has to be cleaned thoroughly
also whats a good toilet/bathroom cleaner that is septic friendly as well
thanks

Some of the toilet papers will actually say on them can be used with septic, we use Quilton and haven't had any issues.
We have actually run our washing machine to a seperate pipe and use it to water the bottom of the garden or to run off down into the paddock.

I just use normal cleaners - white king etc and cold power, but that water from the wash and kitchen doesn't go through your septic at all - only the toilet water. Normal toilet paper is OK too, but try to avoid flushing tampons down there. If it is set up right, you wont have any trouble with it. We don't do anything special at all with ours and don't have a problem. We have it pumped out every 18mths to 2 years. I don't clean the toilet that often though - clean it with chemicals once a month and use boiling water the rest of the time and it stays clean enough and doesn't smell. Jut do what you would normally do and you should be fine.