Derek, A small tank would be easy for Alden. Lets say you want to start a 10-15 gal tank.
The three most important things for any tank are FLOW, LIGHTING, and STABILITY. All three are easily acheived in the method known as the "Berlin" method.
The basic requirements and the products I reccomend are:
Heater. I really like the azoo titanium heaters. A bigger heater works less to maintain temp, and makes it last longer. I use a 300w for my 37 gallon tank.
Aquarium Heating & Heaters: Azoo Titanium Electronic Heaters
Powerhead Pumps. Maxijet pumps are small, powerful, and bullet proof. They can run dry for days without breaking. Flow is one of the most important things in a reef, it is what "filters" the tank. If you have low flow areas or "dead spots", you will have Nitrate poblems which kill coral, although fish can tolerate very high N03 levels. You should have as much flow in your reef as your coral can take, with lots of surface agitation.
Maxi-Jet 900 Powerhead / MP 900 - SaltySupply.com
Proper Lighting. Corals feed through photosynthisis just like plants. Algae living within the coral called "xoozanthellae". This fixture will work great for soft corals. If you want a better system go with Metal Halide for stony corals. I would stick to a soft coral system for Alden to get started. Cheap and easy to keep.
20" 2x40 Watt Current USA PowerCompact Dual Satellite Fixture - SaltySupply.com
A skimmer (isnt 100% neccesary, but will help with maintenance, if you buy one get a nice one vs upgrading later). I use an aquac remora, the nano version would work great for a smaller tank. If you buy the regular one it could work on the bigger tank too if you upgrade.
Remora Series
Aragonite Live Sand and Live Rock. Good rock is the difference between a nice looking tank and a not nice looking tank. It also filters the tank, you will need between 1.5-2lbs per gallon for proper filtration and looks. This is the best rock I found after a year of looking, and its cheap. You can buy the "Aragalive" sand from your reef shop and skip the expensive shipping. .5lb per gallon of live sand is also a good idea.
Sea Life Inc.
Calcium/Alkalinty buffer system is very important for keeping your water the same as ocean water. Think of it this way, stony corals grow by calcification. Think of the caclium part as the building blocks, and the alkalinity as the glue. I can explain this in detail later
E.S.V. B-Ionic 2-Part Calcium Buffer - SaltySupply.com
Read this simple article about ca/alk, it is critical you understand the process.
Chemistry and the Aquarium
Good Salt, this is citical to a reef tank, all salts are not the same, use pharamscutical grade only. Bad salt is one of the biggest issues reef keeps face. This is all I use, and has proven time and time again to be great quality, mixed with Reverse Osmosis Deionized water, if you dont want ot purchase the RD/DI system($100) most Local Fish Shops or "LFS's" as you will see on forums will sell fresh water. With a small tank, buying water is practical. Wal-mart sells 7 gal camping water containers, these work great for getting the water from the shop to your house. For larger systems you will need one at home. Another note, if your family likes to drink water it is also great for making awesome tasting water.
Tropic Marin Sea Salt Mix - 50gal Box - SaltySupply.com
Test kits are also very important, otherwise you dont know the chemistry of your tanks water, you are in the dark. The only kits you HAVE to have are Nitrate, Alkalinity, and Calcium. I would reccomend pH and Magnesium, but they are not a must have. Again, dont buy cheap kits that dont work and then upgrade, get good kits from the start and you will be much more succesful as you will know whats going on in your tank.
Salifert Test Kits - SaltySupply.com
I'm sure I will think of something else!
The basic daily things to do to the tank would be topping off, cleaning the glass, and dosing calcium and alkalinity. I will talk more about maintenance and water changes later.
More to come, and I will talk about kit tanks like the Biocube and Nanocube.