Stand

Here is the stand that I built for a 126g. I no longer use that light fixture. It was to heavy in my opinion.
I have made a new one out of aluminum. Can post pics of that if you like.

 

Have you looked through the DIY section? Just by glancing at the first page I saw three of them (never mind the big sticky at the top)

 

This is before the staining....its skinned with Cherry ply, and cherry hardwood

 

Thanks for the replies. Yes I have been looking through the DIY section here and on other boards, Just thought I might get some good idas that I haven't found before. Especially for doors.
Since I never found a thread like this one, I decided to start one and thought it might be useful for others looking into building stands.

 

Have not built it yet so no pics but somebody on this forum gave me a great idea on doors . . . do a french cleat instead of hinges. Two things are nice about this. (1) When you want to get under there to work you just lift the whole door off and get it out of the way. (2) Do four of these across the front. It means the whole front comes off for easier access, plus four doors will look like a piece of furniture, while two big doors will look like an aquarium stand.

 

If you're planning on paint, mdf, or better yet sign board mdf can be perfect. Sign board takes paint really well.

Painted pine generally looks bad unless you fill, seal and sand reseal, and sand again.

On a stand that size, if you plan to skin with plywood, a decent veneer really doesn't cost that much more than good birch plywood.

If you aren't experienced with door hanging, consider skipping hinges or having a cabinet shop make the doors and install the hinges for you. If you are willing to let them do it in slack time, the cost won't be a bad as you might think. Learning on a huge piece of furniture you will be looking at every day isn't usually a good thing.

Don't forget to install a good power strip setup inside the stand. I like this one http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5H300-EXT-10-Outlet-Protector-15-Foot/dp/B00006BB7U Ten outlets and a fifteen foot cord.

Good luck.

 

i plan on putting the door on next week so i will post another pic then.

 

I made this stand, the front panel comes out so nothing blocks access under the stand. Also saved a few dollars on hinges an handles.

 

what light is that? and how did you get the wood to stay on it. that give me ideals! :smile:

 

This is the one I made for my 45 gallon tank:

And, for the ten gallon tank I tore down last week end:

 

I still have a lot of work to do. I started building a stand for my 60p about three days ago. I still have to install the “Euro Hinges”, sand it down as I apply wood filler to try and make it seamless so that the laminate (Formica) applies smoothly.

Clearly my inspiration and blueprint comes from Jason Baliban. I too ordered the laminate (Formica) from Lowe’s. Thanks Jason.

EDIT** Finally finish the stand. I decided to paint it as opposed to finishing it with formica. I'll just hold on to the formica for another project.

(Rough finished)

(Primed)

(Finished product)

 

Not as nice as some of the others, this is my 15 tall.

 

Thanks for the replies. I defenately not experienced with doors, so I´ll look into that french cleat or having the doors built for me by professionals. Since the tank will be in my living room I´ll probably be involving professionals to please the mrs.

 

If you don't want to build your own doors I would look at Home Depot or Lowe's for doors. Many sizes can be found. I did strip down the doors to bare wood as I didn't like the color they came in and then stained them to match the wood.
Here are some doors I used on my bar:

 

Lots more pics here...

 

i really like this one!! :icon_mrgr:bounce::bounce:

 

10 Gallon Stand

Here is my 10 gallon stand out of oak. The design is meant to be viewed from all sides; centrally placed in a room (not against a wall like it is at the moment). The suspended shelf houses my CO2 and filter along with various ferts and tools.

The legs are held at the base with a tension cable to counter the outward thrust.

 

Here is mine for 150 gal.

Basically 2 x 4 and wrapped it with a 3/4" oak plywood.

 

Thread of PlantBrain's stand and light canopy.

Griffin_Pack's metal stand converted to wood stand.

 

I've got one in the DIY forum...

Some great looking stands here.

Also I gave Houston the idea of using a cleat so the door can be removed.

Craig

 

Manolito, that is a real nice stand! Can't believe I never saw that before.

 

Manolito, that is a real nice stand! Can't believe I never saw that before.

Thanks Glen.

Actually I lied a little bit. I bought those aok cabinet doors at a local Habitat for Humanity store for $2 a piece. So I design the stand and the canopy so the doors will fit accordingly.

Just have to be creative a little bit. :thumbsup:

 

some real nice stands here, this has already given me a few good ideas, thank you all, but keep them coming
I´ll make sure to post mine when it´s done. Got the lumber yesterday.
How imoratand is it the the lumber is straight? I think I got very straight 2x6's for the upper frame, but the the 2x4's are not as straight.
My sisters husband is a carpenter and he told me that it was a waste of time to look fer perfectly straight lumber at the store since it would always bend a bit when you bring it home where it is hotter then at the store since i´m not buying dried wood.
Hvae you been storing your lumber at room temperature for some time before building the stands?

 

For a carpenter using a large amount of lumber on typical projects (Generally for someone else I might add), I can see where they may feel looking for straight lumber is a waste of time.

When building a stand, personally I would definitely take the time to handpick the small amount of lumber needed for the straightest you can find.

 

A post talking about the setup is here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...planted-tank-discussion/64722-kirsikka-updated-photos-before-after-replant.html

Doing a better job isn't really that much harder than doing a 2*4 or 2*6 job, just spend a bit more on wood and take a little time to think it through.

 

A post talking about the setup is here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...planted-tank-discussion/64722-kirsikka-updated-photos-before-after-replant.html

Doing a better job isn't really that much harder than doing a 2*4 or 2*6 job, just spend a bit more on wood and take a little time to think it through.

That is very nice!

 

29g diy stand and hood, hood has changed alittle since moulding has been added and top is hinged and doesnt look purple in real life lol its brown, wierd flash i guess. why dont people use feet/legs on there stands?
mine are 4x4 treated lumber.

 

Nice thread!
Here is my 75 gallon stand build thread with lots of pics...
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...al-aquarium-plants-discussions/49707-rimless-75-gallon-close-loop-filter-4.html

and a picture for this thread...

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I had some issues with learning how to use the random orbit sander when I finished the doors, it looks better in person. :icon_redf

My office is rather small with not enough room to back up far enough to take in both the stand and the tank without the funny angle.