I've tried saltwater before and failed but I feel like I am on the right track now, thanks to forums like this. However, I hope people learn from me and my mistakes. I did a few things right this time and a few things totally backwards. The things I learned that were most important was:
1. Don't use tap water
2. Let the cycle finish before fish
3. Get a good skimmer
On the backwards side I would say I got it right but not in the right order was:
1. Ground the tank with a GFI and a grounding probe. (First tank I had went belly up because of this but mine is safe now!)
2. Don't rush and quarantine fish. I added fish faster than I was planning due to excitement and I was lucky not to suffer Ich or something similiar.
Overall I think I got in a hurry because the LFS I found was A+ compared to the less than compentent fish stores I've seen in the past but I've also seen several stories of Tangs causing a Ich outbreak in a reef tank so I want to be careful.
I have friends come over every Friday to hang out and I'm anxious to let them see a awesome tank. It makes it tough to be patient but so far so good. I wasn't as patient as I would like but tommorow my friends will see a pretty sweet tank with a few coral and some very nice fish. Ten years ago, I would've never waited out a cycle or paid out money for a RO/DI unit and a above average skimmer. Slowly I'm learning.
