55 gallon Tank Stand

[Fresh808]

I am finishing a stand for my 55 gallon. It's not the most attractive after my first attempt at staining. (homedepot clerks shouldn't give advice if it's bad advice)
I wish I had used stain w/o polyurethane then applied the poly after it was stained the right shade. Came out sorta dark, but not up to the task of stripping and staining over again.
Anyhow, if I knew how to size pics, I would post a couple of how it went. I used an idea off google and ran with it.
Built it with space underneath for a sump or canister. Going with canister since I know nothing about sumps. Even after trying to educate myself about them.
Aloha...

 

[hdultra]

we want pics

 

[saltwatertogo]

Always love to see pic's. Is this a fresh or marine aquarium?

Fishman

 

[Fresh808]

FW Tank

Its a freshwater tank. Afraid to tackle Saltwater. Don't want fubar and kill everything in the tank. SW is very beautifull though.

 

[BigJim]

For future reference, use a piece of an old cotton T-shirt as a stain rag and put it on lightly. You can always put on more coats if you want.

Google "Melev's Reef" and look at his sump page. You'll learn everything you need to know.

 

[Fresh808]

stain

Was the kind with polyurethane mixed in. Big mistake.

 

[Fresh808]

PICS???

Been trying to load pics on my photobucket, but for some reason the upload button appears when it feels like it or I am just doing something wrong.
The upload button was always there, but now it seems I have to search for it.
Got alot of pics leading up to the 55 gal stand and then a partial teardown to rebuild it for a 75 gal tank.
I'm trying...comp ill...?
Scott

 

[Smitty]

You can also "attach pictures" to a message posted here. They will be smaller than if you link from photobucket but will still work.

 

[Fresh808]

resize pics

You can also "attach pictures" to a message posted here. They will be smaller than if you link from photobucket but will still work.

Not sure how to resize pics in my computer or ipad, but I'll give p-bucket one last shot tonight. This way I can hopefully post sequential pics as the build progressed.

 

[Fresh808]

I have finally put together a sequence of pictures of my stand up to where I am now.
So go to the link below and click on the Aquarium album and let me know what you
think.
www.photobucket.com/smbolter
Aloha,
Scott

 

[akkitten]

Nice, what kind of lumber did you use? We have been looking to build one to get one of my FW tanks off the kitchen table. Someone told me to use oak or one of the hardwoods for the extra strength.

 

[Smitty]

Nice 455 And the Impalla is great too!

Oh yea, fish tank... great work! I really like the doors. The shelves on the inside are another nice touch! What was the 2x6 top frame for? Did you put that on the stop for the tank to sit on? Hard to tell where it fits into the stand. Looks like it will be very sturdy!

Edit: What jig did you use to sink the screws into the horizontal boards like that? I may need to invest in one of those...

 

[Fresh808]

Nice 455 And the Impalla is great too!

Oh yea, fish tank... great work! I really like the doors. The shelves on the inside are another nice touch! What was the 2x6 top frame for? Did you put that on the stop for the tank to sit on? Hard to tell where it fits into the stand. Looks like it will be very sturdy!

Edit: What jig did you use to sink the screws into the horizontal boards like that? I may need to invest in one of those...

The 2x6 top frame is on the top sandwiched between to sheets of 3/4" plywood then secure to the base.
Thanks for looking and glad you like it. First time I ever built anything from wood.
I used a pocket hole device. Just ask your local associate at Home depot or whatever you have in your area. They'll hook you up.
Aloha!

 

[Fresh808]

New pics

Added a few new pics of the stand I found in my files as well as one pic of some of my Convicts and their little ones. I know the tank looks a mess with all those plants, but the males are terrible lanscapers. Just keep moving the fake plants and chewing the real ones, but they are fun to watch.
I recently took all the decor out including places to hide and they looked lost and then started having little stand-offs with one another. Even the mating pairs appeared to be having domestics with each other. So that's why I just dropped a bunch of stuff back in temp till I get the 75 up and running.
Aloha!!

 

[Fresh808]

Just added some new pics. Got my 75 gal tank yesterday and decided to paint the back a few colors instead of using one of these cheesy background pictures. Hope everything looks good so far.
Let me know what you think.
Aloha,
Scott

 

[Fishu2]

Looks Great. Love the cat in the tank. They just have to get in to everything.

 

[Dylan5359]

How much was the overall price of the 55 gallon tank stand? I'm upgrading t a 55 in a couple of weeks and don't feel like paying for an expensive stand.

-Dylan

 

[Fresh808]

How much was the overall price of the 55 gallon tank stand? I'm upgrading t a 55 in a couple of weeks and don't feel like paying for an expensive stand.

-Dylan

I honestly lost track of what I was spending. Especially after I had to rebuild the top for the 75 gal that replaced the cracked 55 gal.
I will be building a 55 gal stand next, but open in bottom to hold my 29 gal. If you aren't in a rush, give me a week or so and I will try and see what it costs, but you should really ask someone on the mainland since everything here in Hawaii is more expensive due to shipping costs and an additional middle man or two.
Aloha,
Scott
Note: Had I stuck with the 55 gal, I would've probably been able to do it for about $100, but no matter what, you are better off building or having a stand built. The ones you can buy like from Petco etc are weeeeeek and if you take a look at a typical stand inside. You will be amazed how it could ever hold up an empty tank let alone a full one.
Just my 2.5 cents

 

[Dylan5359]

Oh. I'm not in a rush. Let me know how much! I'm very interested in doing something like this.

-Dylan

 

[JASONinNM]

I honestly lost track of what I was spending. Especially after I had to rebuild the top for the 75 gal that replaced the cracked 55 gal.
I will be building a 55 gal stand next, but open in bottom to hold my 29 gal. If you aren't in a rush, give me a week or so and I will try and see what it costs, but you should really ask someone on the mainland since everything here in Hawaii is more expensive due to shipping costs and an additional middle man or two.
Aloha,
Scott
Note: Had I stuck with the 55 gal, I would've probably been able to do it for about $100, but no matter what, you are better off building or having a stand built. The ones you can buy like from Petco etc are weeeeeek and if you take a look at a typical stand inside. You will be amazed how it could ever hold up an empty tank let alone a full one.
Just my 2.5 cents

i was wondering what all the materials and sizes of lumber needed to make a stand just like this.. for a 55g.