most of a stand build up

[muddlehead]

i have really enjoyed AA and i thought i would document my custom stand build up, i didnt really like any stand that i could buy and i figured i could make one that i really like for about the same money or a little less, so here are the pics of the build up, i dont have too many pics because i thought of posting all this stuff a little late in the process but here is what i got, i check here every now and again so feel free to ask questions

this is the frame, standard 2x4's with 3in screws and a little bit on the overkill side, but there is no doubt it will hold together


this is one of the finished panels before it was stained, it is 3/4in ply with a birch skin, we also taped the edges with finishing tape


the panel on the left is stained only and the panel on the right was just coated with polyurethane, we used minwax mahogany for the stain


this is the finished product all assembled, sorry i dont have a better pic, but you get the idea, the tank itself has only been running for about 4 days, the substrate is eco and black rock for the plants i am going to be adding later when i get my lights and CO2, i have added a few more items for the fish to hide in since then


here is the inside with the installed shelf and filter, i have an inline heater if your wondering


alright i hope all that works, i plan on building a hood when i get my light and my whole setup figured out, ill try to get that out to all of you too, feel free to ask any questions about the build up and i will try to get back to you

[dskidmore]

Is your tank resting directly on the 2x4s, or on a wooden shelf?

[DeFeKt]

looks good mate
one question, you opted to rebate the middle legs, but why not the sides as well?

[fishfreek]

Looks great. One question. Whats all those cans to the left?

[DeFeKt]

LMAO is that a bar built of beer cans I can see???

[QTOFFER]

Looks great and that tank ain't movin'!
Minwax poly is great stuff. I brushed three coats on my aquarium stand - it's indestructible.
Are you going to use knobs or pulls on the doors? Brushed nickel would really complement the mahagony stain.

Originally Posted by fishfreek

Looks great. One question. Whats all those cans to the left?

Maybe that was the OLD aquarium stand?

[tmcgee]

It's the captain's chair to sit in when he wants to admire the fish!!! haha..

On topic though, I like the color of the stand. I was thinking of opting for a darker look for that too when I build my stand for the new 75 gallon I just bought.

[muddlehead]

sorry its taken so long to get back to you guys, the tank is resting directly on the 2x4s, i saw no need for a top shelf because all the weight of the tank is on the edges anyways, i didnt notch the corner supports because i didnt think it was necessary, the biggest reason for notching the middle supports was so there would something in the middle so you couldnt see between the doors into the stand, that turned out not to be much of a problem because we spaced the doors suprisingly perfect, i wasnt planning on going with any pulls but if i did i would go with some small anodized aluminum ones, i just used normal mahogany for the stain, i know there is red and dark mah. too, i wanted a 75 but the budget wasnt allowing it, oh well, and to answere what seems to be the biggest question is all those cans are a chair, the throne of rainier, another one of my diy projects, seattle pride!, anyways ill check back soon for more questions on either project

[dskidmore]

I had trouble when building my 75 gallon stand getting all the tank shelf pieces perfectly level with each other. Ended up going with a foam pad under the tank for safety.

I have plans for how to do it better next time.

[muddlehead]

yeah we made sure to keep the top of the stand level so it wouldnt flex the tank