Some Question about reef equipment

[ponokareefer]

If you're going new for everything, you will spend a lot more than $5000 for everthing you need. I agree with the previous post, and look for a used one. You may have to wait until you find one, but it will be a fraction of the cost.
If you do go new, try to figure out what you will want to keep. That will direct you to what type of equipment you want. You could spend $1500 on lighting, or $200, depending on if you want to keep corals/clams/anemones, or just fish. Regardless of what you are going to keep in the tank, you should look for a good skimmer. I have an ASM G-3 skimmer on my 125 gallon system, which works fairly well, and the price isn't too bad.