[dhboyd1]

I am not sure I understand all your steps but you say you are going to put LR and sand in after tank cycles? You know your tank will cycle again after you put in that stuff if it come overnight from ebay. If you have just water in the tank your aren't cycling yet, not until you add something to cycle (biologicals).

From what I understand, you basically build bleachers for the rock using the pvc. I have seen people glue it to pvc or drill it and fit the pvc into the holes but I think the bleacher concept would work best. Eventually coraline will grow over everything and you can't see much. I wish I had done it that way myself as I built walls from my live rock and had to move everything so I had flat surfaces to put corals and stuff.

You don't need lights until 4-6 weeks into the cycle unless you like diatoms, brown algae and green algae to an excess.

I like the idea you are planning ahead and asking questions as you go along. Keep asking.