help with lighting

I have a 55gal. tank i am plainting to put coral maybe a fish. i am not familal with all typs of coral. i gueass im leanning tord soft not sure yet.
I went to the local fish store and as soon as i said light they try to sell me a led light that cost about $500.00 scared the hell out of me, so i left.

My question is what size light should i get and should i have a moon light cycle or not? should it be Led or not? AND HOW MUTCH SHOULD I SPEND??

 

For what you want to do, LED is a waste of money. Go with a 4bulb tek light with geisemann and ati bulbs from reefgeek.com. It will easily be enough to keep softies alive, and you will not need to get a new light when you decide to try LPS and SPS.

Buy the 48" a-bulb w/ bulbs.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/

 

Excellent recommendation, this light will also let you keep SPS and clams should you want to keep them in the future.

 

+1 on everyones suggestions, don't go with LEDs for soft coral. there more expensive to start off with and will probably have to be dimmed tremendously because they are extremely bright for soft coral.