Welcome to R2R Amy. My journey is FW >>> Planted >>> Discus Tank >>> Reef for the last 6-8 years on an off. You are on the right track. I would also stay away from the standard 55. With reefs, and this is only my opinion, depth of the tank is much more important than height. Coral take space, and the more colors / coral you want, the more of a footprint you need. Also the deeper the tank, the more power your lights would need to penetrate. Take a look at some 36-48" tanks that are around 20" in, generally they are all 24-26" high. And the most important rule is go slow, don't rush into it.