If I want to start over...

[mcarroll]

I'm also feeling more lost and overwhelmed as I gain more knowledge if that makes any sense lol.

Learning the scope of what you don't know is the first step and it is a lot.

But keep cool and keep reading.

IMO, focus on reading good articles and books. Use the forums for questions that come up and to find folks keeping similar tanks to what you'd like to have so you have something to model. Ideally the tank(s) you model will be owned by someone whose posts you feel comfortable reading (or who is local and you know), whose tank you feel like you can understand and model – and hopefully who will be able to dialog with you directly.

BTW, there is no last step.....reading generates questions at a 3:1 rate to the answers you'll find and the reef tank you'll create will be perpetually amazing.