am i missing the boat?

[jaggedfire]

I think the most important thing so far is, What do YOU want to keep? Though this dictates how small of a 'big' tank you can go. But, if your goal is to keep angels, no less than 120 for a long term.

I wish I would have started with a 40 breeder instead of a 25 tall. The taller tanks dictate more light whereas you can get by with less light (T5) on more forgiving coral/inverts in a shallower tank. I have grown SPS well in a small tank for over a year, but not without work.

Determining how big you might go, say a 48" tank, try a smaller dimension tank of equal length, such as a 55 or 75 gallon (upgrade later to 90, 72bow, 100, and 120 too). This would keep cost down for early learning and maintenance, but can grow into a bigger tank of similar footprint.

Setup a staging growth for a tank. When you start a new tank, it doesn't have to have a big skimmer, loads of rock and a massive sump. (Unless it is drilled, and even then......) You can add rock as you find what you want and cheaper if you buy dry rock and cure yourself. The skimmer can grow with needs (begin with $20 used starter) or added later once your load exceeds what the rock handles and inhabitants dictate.

I am still running a 10 gallon tank with inverts and fish, some coral and awesome macro won at a club meeting. In almost a year with no more than top-off, the tank is thriving. No skimmer, no fancy light, no fancy rock, and I love it.

One other thing, your starter tank probably wont be your only tank...........