Advice for planning in the long run

[fl2re]

Hey reef2reef. I've been lurking for the past 2 weeks and I absolutely love the forum. I appreciate all the help given!

Yesterday I got hired for my first "big boy" job and I've decided to do a "treat yo self" celebratory gift. I want to start a 90-150 gallon mixed-reef tank from scratch. Unfortunately I will probably be moving out in 4-6 months into my own apartment. I don't think its smart to start a tank that large before I move out. Is there something smaller I could set up now that would be beneficial for the large tank when I move?

So far I've come up with these ideas:
-Start a small frag tank that can eventually be used as a frag QT tank for the MT.
-Start a small reef tank that can be the start of the MT and then convert to a QT once the MT is setup.
-Start curing the MT rocks in a tub in preparation for the MT.

Ideally, I would like to gain as much hands-on experience as I can before I begin the MT to prevent any huge mistakes. I have experience with a 50g freshwater and a 30g brackish but I understand they are very different compared to reef setups. If anyone has any other ideas I am absolutely open to suggestions. Thank you!

 

[evolved]

Planning and curing rock is the most sensible plan, but started a frag tank would be more fun.

I'd stick to the planning/curing path.

 

[Waters]

As hard as it will be, I personally would just wait until you move to start anything. Use this time to gather equipment and continue to research.

 

[saltyphish]

I would cure the liverock and as everyone else states plan. Maybe get the frag tank you mentioned and use that to cure the rock in. Work on getting your parameters in check. I would not add sand since the tank will have to be broke down for the move.

 

[fl2re]

Great ideas guys. I guess as much as I'd like to start right away, I should just be patient. I'll grab the rocks and cure them 1.5-2ish months ahead of time then install the main tank. Thank you for the advice!

 

[jolt]

In my experience 4-6 months is too short of a time to set up a tank and get it really stable enough for good coral health. So I too say invest your time/money taking steps to get things ready for the post-move tank. It would be a good time to invest in testing kits and meters and learn how to use them too.

I would add that a good use of the next few months would be planning your equipment list for the big tank and saving so you can take advantage of Black Friday sales!

 

[fl2re]

Thank you Jolt. I definitely plan to watch for deals that come my way. I've already hypothetically planned a few tanks and the setup cost is frightening if you're not prepared for it.