"Tom Burns" wrote in message
I'm still digesting all the information but I think I'm going to go with
a 90 or 120 gall tank, refugium/sump that will have all those plants and
little critters living in it, a halide/VHO lighting system, R/O filter
with auto top up and bulk filtered water reservoir, and a high quality
skimmer. No calcium reactor until the demand warrants it. I'm going to
get the tank going without anything live in it and see what my
temperature fluctuations are, then I'll get a heater or chiller
depending on what I need. I figure that since the indoor temperature of
my house is relatively stable, I should only need one or the other.

Does this sound like a good starting point?

Yes, much better than before. What kind of plants are you talking about? I
recommend that you have about 1-1.5 pounds per gallon of live rock and a
4-6" sand bed. Somebody has probably already told you that, but I'll say it
again. That's the only filtration you'll need. You say that you are going
to hold off on the heater for now. I still don't have a heater and found
that my tank does just fine. But remember, even though your house temp
doesn't fluctuate much, the lights will heat up your tank a great deal.
You'll have to figure out the difference between your tank water with and
without the lights on.