First Time Saltwater - 60g Cube Build

[Buckeye7]

This is my first saltwater tank build, but I have had a bunch of freshwater tanks over the years. I've been taking this build extremely slowly and researching as I go. I'm not in a big rush to set it up until I've got my research done.

Planned stocking:
2 ocellaris clownfish
5 pajama cardinalfish
1 flame angelfish (on the fence)

I want to do softies and paly/zoas mostly. Maybe some lps but nothing difficult.

I bought the tank and sump used. The tank itself was in good shape but I had to rebuild the stand due to water damage. Here are a few pics of the tank and sump before I cleaned them up. If anyone is interested, I will post the rest of the build. Almost done with the plumbing and cycle! Very excited to add fish soon.

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

Watching the build

 

[RobW]

Post it up! Let's see this build. It is always interesting to see what others are doing for the build plans/ideas.

 

[SPR1968]

Well that looks great so far and thanks for sharing all the pictures

Welcome to R2R as well!

 

[ccombs]

Welcome to R2R, Best of luck and feel free to ask us anything!!

 

[Hemmdog]

Welcome to reef2reef! Cool build! Welcome to salt!

 

[GoatmealJones]

Welcome fellow Buckeye, OSU Class of 2017 Grad

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R !!! Following>>>

 

[maroma]

Welcome

I'm Starting my 60 Gallon Cube Build I can learn from you and the R2R.

It's taking me a bit to buy the stuff as its pricey.

 

[maroma]

Please share some pointers my side also its really appriciated.

 

[Buckeye7]

Here is the stand that came with the tank. I think it would have held the tank fine but it would not have looked good, even with a coat of paint.

I decided to do a full stand build based on the KingofDIY's plans. I highly recommend his book because it breaks down the process better than his videos.

I did a x4 frame with a lot of screws and covered it with 1/4" plywood. The top has two layers of the plywood. After that, I coated the whole thing in three coats of Kilz primer. Kilz is nasty stuff to work with, so definitely recommend gloves.

I should have taken more time sanding between coats.

I painted the outside in grey acrylic paint and the inside is acrylic exterior paint. I really like the color and it turned out well.

The doors are all 1/4" plywood as well. I used French cleats to hand the doors. Unfortunately, I messed up hanging them on the first try. Oops.

Finished product.

The door is on a little crooked in this picture (I fixed it after), but overall I am happy with the result. Removing the doors completely has made plumbing really easy so far.
I made a bunch of mistakes when building this. Most importantly, I should have made the stand slightly taller to accommodate the sump plumbing. I used the old stand as a reference, but then I built the base on top of the 2x4s so I lost a few key inches. I think it will all work out in the end, but lesson learned the hard way on planning.

 

[Buckeye7]

I am almost ready to start quarantining fish. My big question is what order should I buy them? Do I get the clownfish first or pajama cardinalfish?

I am also thinking about getting some inverts for clean up. Thinking about some cleaner shrimp and an emerald crab.