Much too much to summerize comletely in one post or thread, but I can offer this advice . . .
There's three secrets to a successful tank . . . patience, patience, and even more patience. I'd say 90% of all problems you read about on this board are/were caused by people rushing into the hobby without adequate knowledge.
Actually, I lied, there's six secrets . . . the other three are research, more research and even more research on top of that.
Spend a couple of weeks (Yep, I said "weeks") at least going through this board, the FAQs, the archives, using the search function.
I would also advise getting Fenner's THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST book, considered the bible of the hobby (And much more highly regarded than the "Dummies" book I believe). Be aware that Fenner's book is a few years old now and some of the more recent real-world experiences available on this board may contradict what Fenner says, but it's still the go-to reference. Kurtz's THE SIMPLE GUIDE TO MARINE AQUARIUMS is pretty good too I think, as is Micheal's THE POCKETEXPERT GUIDE TO MARINE FISHES. This is a good book to have since it runs down a ton of the fish you'll be interested in and while it doesn't have a wealth of information on the individual species, it does explain compatibility, habitat requirements, and feeding. There's one other book that's very highly regarded, but its title/author escapes me right now.
Equipment-wise, there's a sometimes dizzying array of options and approaches, so I don't think you'll get too many silver-bullet answers to a lot of questions in this area, but you will get advice on what to look for. Besides the many options in specific items, a lot depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what type of tank you want.
Last of all, welcome to the board and good luck!!!!!!
