Welcome aboard! A good book will provide you with a better overall understanding of sw and reef tanks and give you a basis to start off. Unfortunately when I first started out I bought an older book which provided me with outdated material. Before venturing into sw and reef tanks read the message boards and archives to get a better understanding of the biological and mechanical needs your tank will need. Check on substrate (crushed coral and live sand), lr info, filters and skimmers and lighting. You don't want to start out and then regret any of your decisions. Live sand and lr are highly recommended on the boards and myself (they have been great for me so far). Patience is the key to this hobby. Without it you will get frustrated, lose money and have many deaths on your hands. Don't trust in your local fish store too much because they stand to make a profit from you. When in doubt ask questions. I'll give you a quick breakdown of my 29 gallon to give you an idea of a reef tank(so far pretty succesfull). lr - 70lbs, ls 4-5 inches, 2 95 watt vho lighting, 3 powerheads and two overflow penguin filters for water movement, bak-pak skimmer(just run it for movement now), heater and a 15% water change every 2 months. Every system is different and nothing is written in stone but you will have guidelines that can help you along the way. Good luck and hope this helped.
