i've been in the reef hobby for about a year and a half and I'm just starting to leave the "noob" phase. What I've found is that even though equipment can be exciting, when you look at an amazing tank and go "wow!" the equipment is only 1/4 of the reason it looks so good. Consistent tank husbandry, lots of patience, and lots of planning is what makes or breaks a tank I think. Read read read like joe said. There are all sorts of ways to keep a tank at various sizes and all can be successful. I rushed my first reef tank and thought it was just the gear that would make for a nice tank and concequently I paid the price.
Do step back though and think "how much do I have to spend on this tank?" One person said a good estimate of a tank cost is $30 per gallon and I think that's right on the money if you want to run a really nice tank.
Reading is the best way to learn in the intial stages before you have your tank because there's SO much to learn that discussion on the forums would not cover it all. The canreef document library is great
Cristy does a great job maintaining it.