Hi, Newbie Here, In Planning and Research Stage

[Aquattro]

I wouldn't over complicate things for your first setup. Largest sump that can fit under stand. You don't need refugium, it's added work IMO. Remote sumps tend to get neglected, keep everything together.

I have about 2.5x flow through sump. Works well, all I need is water to pass through for skimming, other filtration as used.

That skimmer is ok for reasonable bio-load

Eggcrate is NOT needed and the worst thing I did on my last build. Rocks will sit fine using gravity.

Heaters, I prefer undersized x 2. If one fails off, you still have enough to not get critical. If one fails on, hopefully not strong enough to kill things.

Lighting should be determined only after you decide what you plan to keep. Lighting is expensive, so best to buy it once.

Plan out how to automate top-off and water changes, 2 of the biggest PIA chores if it's not made simple. War Dog had a good write-up on his water change setup.