Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. Best advice is to take it very slow and read everything you can. You can get lots of good information on forums and some misinformation. The majority you'll get here is spot on. So get several opinions before you leap in to making a decisions. One of the best things I can tell you is to take what your LFS (local fish store) tells you with a grain of salt until you get to know them well. Some out there are very informative and do what's best for you and your tank but there are tons of horror stories about those who just try to sell you as much as they can whether it's good or bad for your set up. I have a couple of good ones near me, but I've still been led astray by a not so knowledgeable employee, ie was told to get crushed coral for my substrate which I learned after the fact is a set up to produce more nitrates in your tank. Go with reef grade sand if you want a sandy substrate is my advice. Anyway, ask any questions that you have and you'll get lots of good advice here. Good luck!