Rob,

Totally agree. That's why I switched for 170 display tank to a system totaling 80 gal.

I find the "glad I didn't start big because the cost would have scared me off" type comments funny. I came to the opposite conclusion after thinking about the cost and decided to stay small this time.

How much do you want to bet that in a year I’ll post pictures of a new 250 gal tank proving I didn’t learn from the past?

I wish I had put a liftable subfloor into my fish room to make it easier to put things into spots they weren't planned for. I'm now realizing that my plan wasn't "perfect" (ha...there's a surprise!!), but it is really hard to modify things after the fact.

I didn't plan for a refugium and managed to squeeze that in. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to install a larger skimmer....ozone...UV...

I suppose there just wasn't enough flexibility in the plan... Now that it is running, every mod is much harder.

Sad but true

As goofy as it sounds, I would have bought a different house that had the proper space for a large tank. Buying a house with a finished basement really only allowed me the space for a display tank of 90 gallons. IMHO anthing bigger than that and you need a proper fish room for all the goodies that go along with a large tank.

In our next house I want a walk out basement that is unfinished so I could do a 300+ gallon in wall tank with a proper fish room (I think we are still 10 years away from a new house though :p lol)

I would build the fish/sump room first allowing lots of room for expansion and make sure ALL the water that was put in the system was treated via RODI and chemically balanced first. i.e. Ca, PO4, Alk etc...

1) Taller stand so my sump/skimmer can be accessed easier
2) Spend the $$$ up front and get the light you want not just what you can afford as you will end up buying it anyway
3) Research everything!!!!!

Best of Luck!

Just started 3 months ago and built my 90 gallon tank into the furnace room. Looks great from the rumpus room but is difficult to clean/vaccuum/ scrape algae. Also, taller stand would have been ideal. I did put a sink with running water in the furnace room and also and left the floor concrete for spills, etc. The cost wasn't an issue for me because I researched things for over a year before I decided to go for it and knew it was going to be expensive.

I woulld have bought the good light right off the bat, and a controller from the start. also would have built up the rock on a pvc frame as well.

I don't regret starting with a small tank, was good for learning and working through mistakes.

I would make my list out well ahead of time and slowly buy everything used off of Canreef members.

And do my aquascaping without water in the tank.