Advice for getting started?

[sumpfinfishe]

Welcome to Canreef IJC

One option you could look at is to go with a 40gl shallow.
Alot of stores use these tanks as they are ideal to keep almost anything in without the use of expensive lighting. I have a 27gl shallow, and it's worked out great My tank measures W12xH15xL36, so it's long and shallow. The 40gl is the same except it's 18' in width. I have mostly LPS and SPS corals in the tank now, and I'm only running 90w of NO lighting. I admit that my acro's are not being fragged every month, but they are all alive and healthy with nice coloration. I have about 10 SPS species now and have seen an inch in growth in all the species that I have had longer than 6 months. With the shallow tank, a 2" LSB, and LR that means alot of my corals are in the middle and higher range of the tank. The lights sit directly over the tank seperated by a 1/2" acrylic top.
This is just a suggestion though, I'm not trying to talk you out of something bigger, and you could always use the 40gl as a sump when you upgrade to over the 100gl club
You can see pics of my tank on the link below.