There are as many ways to set up a tank as there are things to put in it. I'd say for anybody looking for advice on how to setup their tank, the first question should be... what are you planning to keep? Then, seek out the people who have tank systems that you want to mimic. Sounds like a recipe for success to me.
I couldn't keep that sponge you have Michae52 alive for a week in my tank... nor could I keep the true marine plants that Patrick keeps. I set my tank up to keep SPS and I'd be losing out on a whole lot of money trying to keep sponges in my tank... let alone increasing the capacity of my tank and running a tank outside to keep true marine plants... let alone expensive! Haha. But with their respective systems, they do that easily and without much equipment needed at all.
Michae52 hit the nail on the head, there is no ONE way. My advice is to find a mentor tank and follow their steps to success, while incorporating some of your own ideas to customize once you start understanding how to read your own tank.