Okay, I'm all caught up on this thread. (Check that off my To Do list now :lol: )
Overall you did good. It looks like one of the things I was worried about has already been resolved (the DSB debacle).
<u>Refugium Lighting.</u> Lower the bulbs to about 8" off the water, and get rid of the reflectors. The bulbs have internal ones and will be fine.
<u>IceCap ballasts.</u> These are very good ballasts with great customer support, but you need to know that even if the wiring is correct, you should always wait 15 seconds before restarting them. If you turn them off, don't flip them on and off and on and off trying to get them to work. Something inside gets burned up every time. They'll fix it every time, but just knowing this will save you time and shipping fees.
<u>Electrical.</u> I really am worried about your coverplates. Please replace these with the correct kind that cover the internals completely. They are quite cheap ($1 each, perhaps). The trick is screwing the switch and outlet the correct distance apart so that the cover fits over them perfectly. You'll have to tinker with this a bit, but it will look cleaner and you'll have less risk of water splashing inside. It will also help reduce the humidity dangers, but not stop it entirely.
<u>LR.</u> You mentioned a specific number of pounds, but I'm going to assume that isn't all LIVE rock. Some of it is base rock, or dead rock. That means it won't be viable filtration for at least 6 months as it gets seeded and only then will it begin to assist the real LR you put in the system. Try to avoid overstocking the tank during these 6 months or you'll be fighting a battle with nutrients and spiked parameters. Trust me on that one.
<u>Fish stocking.</u> My tank is a 280g reef that had 29 fish in it 2.5 years ago. I had to feed heavily, and then I had to deal with the Phosphate Wars of 2005. I had 6 tangs and a bunch of other fish. I would recommend that you only put 3 tangs in your tank, so pick your favorites. Tangs create an enormous amount of waste in the water, and over time you may decide you can add another one or two. There is no rush on this one. Dwarf Angels are hit or miss. You might get away with a Potters Angel or a Coral Beauty. Flame Angels are 50/50 so you probably made the right choice in taking that one off the list. Put it in your 75g instead, perhaps.
<u>Corals.</u> Don't put any mushrooms in your tank. That's it. Lots of reefers have learned this the hard way. I'm still nuking my "ultra rare" red mushrooms every couple of months. Dang things cause so much damage it is rediculous. Same for GSP, Xenia, Anthellia. These corals (esp. mushrooms) can travel quickly and don't stay isolated in particular areas as you might hope.
<u>Heaters.</u> Get an Aqua Controller Jr. These cost about $179 or so, and will turn on and off lights, heaters, fans and more. It is a great device that will measure tank parameters and enable or disable equipment based on those numbers. I have two heaters on mine. If either of them sticks on, the AC II will turn off the power to the heater so it can't cook my tank.
<u>Feeding.</u> Don't overfeed. This is tricky, but you'll get it down to a science over time. I turn off the return pump every night when I feed to keep the food in the display. The Tunze & VorTechs keep the food blowing around in the tank and the livestock can eat as they catch it. 30 minutes later, turn it back on. DON'T FORGET to turn on the return pump.
There was something else, but I can't recall at the moment.
I really like your water change station, but you may find those barrels will do the same thing the DSB barrel did.
