If you can try to figure out what you want to put in the tank before you start throwing a bunch of random stuff ie coral and fish into it then you'll be better off.
Probably by far the best idea you could take for action in order to reach your goal, otherwise this might be one of the "Things you do that you later wished you wouldnt have done". What you want to keep will dictate lighting and tank size and a whole host of other variables. Before the first item is purchased I suggest that you have a well thought out plan that will take you from start to finish. Granted we often times decide to go into a slightly different direction than when we started. Its one thing if you want to do soft corals and some of the easier LPS corals but if you suspect that you will soon be going to SPS corals after getting you feet wet you may find out that you should have went with a tank with better lighting options. Sometimes its better to spend a few more fun dollars from the start and get what you need than it is to continually upgrade as you progress. Its usually cheaper in the long run and you dont end up with a closet or garage full a junk you cant use.
Experience is the best teacher but learning from others mistakes will be a lot less costly and a lot less painful to boot too. So keep reading and keep asking questions and come up with a plan and post it so that others can beat it up and you can work out any possible stumbling points. It will probably result in a smooth transition in to the hobby with few problems or suprises in the process.
I am VERY new to this, and want to get into it seriously, so please have pity on a new know nothing.
No worries, thats the great thing about forums and the internet. There is a lot of talent here, use it to your advantage!!! I would much rather reply to 50,000 questions than have to reply to a "911 help my fish/corals are dieing" threads!
