DIY 55 gallon stand

[beglely]

Well now that im home and have a lot more free time ive started to set up my 55 gallon aquarium. Needed a stand tho and since i really didnt feel like spending a hundred bucks for one my dad and I built my own in the last day or so. Pictures should help show what we did but I can explain. Costed about $30 dollars in all just for the wood

 

[beglely]

more pics...we had a general idea of how we were going to design this by looking at stands in the store and other peoples but it changed over the course of the construction, so there are probably a few more effecient ways to have done this

 

[beglely]

the doors actually slide...we just took a router and cut out a channel in a board that we nailed on the front inside. moves pretty smooth

 

[neilanh]

Very Nice!

 

[beglely]

and the finished project

 

[Hellathafish]

Looks great! I like the way you did the doors.

 

[meegosh]

Very nice work! I love the door idea. I wish I had a router when I did my stand. I love the stain, really brings out the character in the wood.

 

[beglely]

well i picked up some finish/ sealant today and got the stand finished now. Should be filled with water by this weekend and begin cycling.
fits well in the setup I have in my bedroom.

 

[thincat]

I like it. Two thumbs up!!
TC

 

[glassbird]

Ummm...I have a question....what part of the stand is actually carrying the weight down to the ground? I don't see it. The picture in post 5 caught my eye...the one with the numbers "4229" in it...

Is the weight of the tank going to be supported by the screwed on pieces that hold the exterior wood in place, and the exterior wood (the planks that were stained)? Is that the structural support for the tank? Unless I am missing something, all that weight is going to be supported by screws and planks? Why not have the corner pieces (2x4?) go all the way up instead of stopping 2 inches from the top? At least some of the weight could be taken that way. And some interior diagonal cross bracing could be added, even now.

I have built 3 tank stands myself (29, 55, and my current 90 gallon), and its all about support AND lateral stability. This tank stand LOOKS nice (and I like the sliding doors), but I am concerned and hoping that there is more to this stand than what I can see.

Just curious...

 

[ohio reefer]

awesome wood working!

by using the 1x4's on the sides and ends it be more than enough to hold the weight not to mention that it will be a lot lighter than the 4x4 stands i used to make back in the day.

great job!

Mark

 

[beglely]

The 1x4's are doing most of the work in the stand. the exterior trim and the interior bracing are simply locking the 1x4's in place. The 2x2 you see in the aforementioned picture could have been extended all the way to the top, but wasnt really necessary. It was there simply to make the corner more rigid along with the corner brace it sits atop. the small boards laying across the top of the structure are drilled down into the 1x4's that line the stand and the 1x4's are drilled into the exterior trim that surrounds the top and bottom and the stand is resting on these. The stand really doenst look like it can hold much but it more than exceeds the job, as both my dad and I can sit on it and it wont move an inch (and we both weigh 240lbs a piece). Its solid as a brick and light as every--i can move it alone with no problems. There is no lateral movement in the stand either as we tested that to make sure.

 

[Sicklid]

I think it looks good... My friend has a 220 gallon acrylic that has been supported on a store-bought MDF (particleboard) stand for over ten years, doesn't look HALF as strong as this design...

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

how much did the stand weigh?

 

[thincat]

Good job...480# WOW...

 

[beglely]

how much did the stand weigh?

no more than 30 or 40 lbs...I could pick it up and hold it above my head pretty easily and it was very simple to move into the house.