Help need to know everything i need to start

lol of course not, if the "someone else" put it in the tank then how could you put it in the tank.;D

but seriously doing it yourself is half the fun.

 

I've have had no problems with the T5 lights I've gotten on Ebay. They have been very reasonable with parabolic reflectors. That is just my opinion and I wouldn't pursuade anybody wrong. Ive bought 2 36" 2x39W T5 retrofit kits for about $100 each. They were fine. I bought a 48" 8x54W T5 retrofit kit for about $350 and it's fine. I bought them from buildyouraquarium. I really liked the fact they were narrow 4" and 12" respectively. Now if you don't have a canopy then I can't speak for the fixtures that are designed to sit on a 4" bracket. That might be where the line is drawn. Anyway, without good lighting your in for a rough beginning. Especially for corals. I wouldn't consider corals without good lighting. Maybe you can start with a fish only tank and work your way into a reef.