[Travis L. Stevens]

Travis, that prompts me to ask a question concerning the 10g project. In your construction while you've discussed filtration to a great extent the project itself only utilizes LR and a refugium. What else can you add to augment or improve the system?

More or less, that is the filtration that I chose. All the filtration methods that I explained are viable choices, but the choice is yours. All filtration methods will work IF you properly maintain it. Even sand and live rock isn't fool proof. The choice is yours of what extra filtration you want to keep up with.

I'm about to the point of adding rock, sand, and water to my setup and I'm starting to get nervous. I've got a solid 2 micron water filter at the house for drinking water etc. and was considering making my own salt water, but I begin to worry I'm missing something there.

A micron filter won't get everything out. If you are worried about it, then I suggest getting a TDS meter to measure the Total Dissolved Solids in the water.

Then I get concerned with buying premade water from my LFS.

Same situation with home as is with the LFS. The owner's responsibility is to keep his water top notch. You can either kindly request the results of the LFS water, or buy some and take it home to be tested. Also, if you are thinking of premixed saltwater, ask and test what the salinity is.

That prompts me to wonder just how much water to buy based on how much/many water changes I'll need to make and how often while my new live rock cures and the tank cycles.

This is all up to you, and also whether or not you choose to do water changes during the cycle. For more information refer further back in the thread about the Nitrogen Cycle.

I'm 'What Ifing' myself into timidity and hesitance. Can you give me a touchstone or sanity check on this? Thanks

There's really no Right or Wrong way to do this. The key is knowing what you're doing. Usually, if you don't feel comfortable with something, then you lack the needed knowledge. So, I recommend doing a little more independent research on areas that you feel are still shady in your mind. Once you understand the processes that you're curious about, you should feel a lot more comfortable. Now, it's okay to feel a little anxious or nervous. After all, drilling glass for the first time will make just about anyone nervous.