First SW Tank ever - Where do I start?

[Trigger Man]

To start you need to decide what you want to keep in the tank. Is it going to be coral? and if coral is it going to be soft coral (less flow) or SPS (more flow and brighter lights). Do you just want to keep fish? Any specific fish, many fish do not get along with eachother.
Back to lights I have been a big fan of T5's as they produce less heat use less watts and can grow anything, but others like Mh as they are more powerful and some swear that they get better growth.
Another thing to think about is are you going to go with a sump or sumpless? I would recommend going with a sump, so much more options.
Then there are skimmers, this is one item where you really get what you pay for, trust me, spend the extra money and get a good skimmer to begin with.
So that is a little bit of info, hope it helps.