[GMGQ]

Whatever your budget is, the reality will be doubled.

There's only so much you can plan, but once you get into it, things happen, or you change your mind, or you find a 'once in a life time' deal on a higher end skimmer that you CAN'T pass up, etc.

Once you get your foot in the door, you'll end up doing more research on new toys, and you'll realize that you'll WANT the better stuff. You'll find yourself telling your significant other "Aw honey, it's only $50 more, but you get almost TWICE as much GPH! I've got too many elbows, I'm gonna need the extra GPH..." Or "I could get a cheap MH ballast, or I could get an icecap which will save me money in the long run, and be easier on the bulbs so that they may last longer as well! Plus everyone wants the best for their pets, so when push comes to shove, are you really gonna cheap out on a piece of equipment? You're only gonna spend MORE money when the cheap one breaks down, or when you find out it sucks. So you'll wanna get the better stuff, so that it lasts longer. Then you think, I might as well get the biggest one, so that I can use it on my next tank when I upgrade -- think of it as an 'investment.'

All that stuff is only human nature, and the list goes on and on. One thing that you CAN control is patience. You can start your tank up, get the rocks and stuff, but have MINIMAL inhabitants. But again, once you start making fish shop runs, it will be VERY hard to resist adding 'just one more...'

I totally agree with others that you should start with a decent sized tank, so that parameter changes are minimal when they do occur. (psssst... bigger tank = more fish = bigger skimmer? :P)

Bottom line is, you WILL find excuses to justify getting the nicer stuff. After saying all that, having a nice tank is very rewarding. Dont get discouraged! Just take your time and practice patience.