This hobby can be very expensive and within that "very expensive" realm there is definately a lot of variance. You can go with all the bells, whistles and gadgets or you can go relatively low tech.
I do not agree with going with a smaller system. They can be very discouraging for someone starting out in the hobby as they are more difficult to maintain and things can and do go wrong in a hurry. A larger tank is a lot more forgiving than a smaller one.
You would do well to look at the type of system that Beverly has set up. It is labour intensive but also low tech. I am sure that she would give you some pointers. You should also research the types of corals/fish that you keep. If your goal is to keep corals and such that require pristine water quality you are probably going to be discouraged because it is difficult to do without proper skimming, lighting, flow etc.
If you go slowly and introduce the animals that are appropriate to your system you should be able to keep your costs down significantly.
As mentioned look at Bev's system (past and present), go slowly, and do a lot of research.
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