I just started a tiny reef tank myself (details in my siggy link!) and I'd say a 28-29 gallon, or even a 24, would be the way to go. That way you can get some room for live rock, corals, inverts, and some fish. I started with one much smaller and I already want a bigger one! lol
I'd def check out the Cincinnati Reef group:
http://www.cincyreef.com/forums/As for set ups, the Biocube seems to be pretty popular, since it comes as an all-in-one package as opposed to buying bits and pieces as I've been doing.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=biocube&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7242299625372988027&ei=jQk5TNj9JYWWnAfLnrWFBA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDwQ8wIwAw Monfort has the 14 gallon version of this tank set up in their store, and I know I've seen more in the area as nice displays.
My personal recommendations of reads and sites for the saltwater noob:
http://fishkeepery.blogspot.com/2010/06/recommended-reads.htmlJust keep in mind marine tanks are 1. a big financial investment and 2. really addictive! Have fun and good luck!!!