Elana, Tank Q?

So hey ya'll. I'm Elana. And I'm starting a saltwater tank, kinda as we speak. It's going to be a bit before I can actually get all my stuff together for it but I'm working on it. I currently just have live rock and sand with water moving around. I'm trying to do a low tech reef tank. I'm trying to do it on the easier side, simply because it's my first tank. I've had freshwater tanks all my life and have coveted yet feared my brother's 55 gallon reef tank. My manager at my new job has encouraged me to start a tank and when I asked him for any really cool fish I could keep in my tank, he gave me the idea for a fu manchu lionfish. They're definitely really cool but I can't really put much else with it and I worry about the mess without having a cleanup crew. I've thought about having a more invertebrate and small fish style tank and I have some ideas that I've been throwing around. I also really want to do a couple different soft corals, though my favorite coral is a hard, small polyp coral. I've been thinking about a sump system as well as T5 actinic and 20,000K lighting. I've joined for advice on making a visually pleasing yet not too complicated reef tank.
Thank you.