I'll echo what everyone else is saying here and say your lighting ALL depends on what corals you want to keep. But keep in mind that your preferences may change. I am happy I started off with a MH over my 20g from the get go. It quickly went from an LPS/softie tank to a 40g tank packed to the nuts with SPS. Despite what others have found, I've never had heat or significant water loss problems using the big kid lights.
Some other advice for you:
1) Build as big as your ________ will allow you (insert: budget, significant other, building manager, etc)
2) Use a sump from the get go if you can. Adding one after the fact is a pain in the royal arse as I am discovering now
3) Go see some other systems that are up and running to get a better idea of what to do (You're welcome to come by my place to see what I do)
4) Take people's advice but with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own experiences and develop their own methods. I have seen many tanks and do many things that people would call "unconventional" and they have been some of the best tanks I've seen and some of the most successful experiences for me (check out yvr75's tank... no skimmer, no sump, heavily stocked tank and it's awesome!)
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