building a stand for 90 gal

annanymous

annanymous

Member
i have decided [afte going through building a 75 gal thread] to make my own thread about a DIY stand and explain in detail [with pictures] how i built my stand for the 90 gal tank that i will soon be adding to my living room decor.
please notre that i am no expert in this field [and this was my first stand built] so do not take only my advice. as more people around before making any final decisions!!!
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
first step:
well getting the matirials you will need.
1]. 2x4 wood studs [for anyone worried about stand breaking, you could go with 4x4]
2]. 2 1/2 " nails [corrosiaon free prefarably]
3]. the sketch of your future stand. i will try to draw a plan of my stand, but i made many changes as i went along. for a simple idea i recomend going to this site ...http://www.fishandtips.com/index.php
4]. carpenters glue [though i didnt use it much]
5]. circular saw if your studs are not cut to size in the store.
6]. charged battery for the saw!!! [ ihad to waste many hours waiting for this thing to charge :mad: ]
almost forgot 7]. get yourself a wood clamp . a handy thing to have around when you are building a stand.
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
second step:
1] after cutting all the studs to the needed sizes, lets put them together and make a stand.
depending on the length of your stand i would say anywhere from 2 -4 feet use only 1 stud inside the bottom base. more then 4 feet use 2 or more depending on the length.
2]. attanch the 3 shorter studs to one long at the 90 degree angle. then place another long stud on top of the 3 forming a closed rectangle. look at the picture to see what i mean.
3]. do the same again for the top base , but add more studs inside the base. the top need more support then the bottom. i recomend at least 2, maybe even 3 for a 4 feet long stand.

 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
my measurements were ...
bottom base... 50" long
19" deep
MATIRALS USED:
2 x 50" [2x4] studs
3 x 15" [2x4] studs
top base...
50" LONG
19" DEEP
MATIRALS USED:
2 x 50" [2x4] studs
4 X 15" [2X4] studs
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
third step:
its time to connect the bottom and top bases together. take the studs equal in length to the height of the stand you want, and attach them inside the 4 corners of the bottom base. after that attache the top base on top. you have completed simple base.
matirials used:
4 x 35" [2x4] studs
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
fourth step:
take the studs and attach them in the from of each corner stud. then take 4 more studs and attach them on the sides of the 4 corner studs. the picture will make it a bit clearer.
matirials used:
8 x 27" [2x4] studs
make sure to attach each stud securely as each one will be holding the weight of a 90 gal tank. in my opinion 3 screws each should do it.

 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
step 5:
attach a stud inside the base in the front [middle] and attach 2 more to it in the back
refer to the last picture of the full stand. do the same in the back for added support.
matirials used:
2 x 35" [2x4] studs
4 x 27" [2x4] studs
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
please note that in the last picture, the stand's front is facing the door. the carema is facing the back of the stand.
 
N

nluchau

Guest
annanymous,
Can't believe I haven't seen this thread yet. Mine is all setup - gonna get some LR this week. Check it out at the 75 gallon thread. Can't wait to see some updates. Did you put siding on the stand? What kind of lighting are you going with for this 90?
My thread kinda went into a whole setup thread. oh well.
Nick
 
J

jacob_poly

Guest
Hi annanymous,
Just a quick question for people like me who sometimes debate between DIY and purchasing....how much did it all cost for DIY (breakup would be a bonus)? and what would it have cost to buy? Just trying to see how much it would save me to do it myself versus purchasing the whole darn thing. I am all for saving $$.... :jumping:
Thanks,
Jacob.
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
to break everything up...
studs around $20
glue, screws, and drills around $15
i have personaly chose to go with 1/2" oak for sides and front, so that was an extra expense, around $60-$70
the top and bottom planks are maple 1" thick, quiet expensive, $50.
mnoldings and door hinges and door magnets, plus door knobs around $20
so you are looking at the total of $165-$175.
i live in NYC, so the prices here are a bit higher then other places i guess, but a similar stand out of plywood goes here around $299 and up. if you want real wood like mine, it would be way over $400 :scared: .
if you have extra $$$ on u, i suggest buying a ready stand. im making a 90 reef set-up from scratch, so extra $$$ appears only in my
dreams.
this stand took lamost all my free time, and its a lot of hard work if you [like me] aren't used to build things with your own hands.
if you have the patients, time, and needed equipment, i guess you should definitely DIY a stand
>>>YOU WILL SAVE AT LEAST $100 ON AVERAGE<<<

hope this helps
 
N

nluchau

Guest
I agree. You will save a few bucks and in the end you can say "I built this". All the stands at the LFS are made out of like pressed wood. It's hard to believe they could hold the tank full of water,sand and LR. Mine costed me about $110.00.
Annanymous - Can't wait to see your updates.
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
funny cuz the stand will be the ony thing i will have for my 90 gal reef. i haven't even bought the tank yet [or any equipment for that matter]
:hilarious
im like laughing there at myself, anyway, if anyone does have any equipment for sale that fits a 90 gal, drop me a line here.
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
all i have left to do in my canopy is sand and stain it. pictures coming soon [once i find my recharger for the batteries
]
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
STEP 6
buy a whole sheet of plywood grade A-C [very nice and smooth], and cut it into the pieces that you need for stand [ at lowes they cut it for me for free!].
before cutting make sure you measure your base stand again just to make sure your calculations are correct. sometimes n the paper it looks right, but when you do the actual measurements, its a bit different.
after all the pieces have been cut out start glueing them to your stand. YES,...GLUEING!!! i made the mistake of attaching them with screws and not i have ugly screw heads visible in my stand sides and front!!!. unless you are planning to use molding to cover up the screw heads, better glue those sides on.
once all the wood is in place, its time for sanding. after asking questions in the HS, i have learned that before painting you need to sand it with paper around #150 courseness. after the fist coat use #220 or a bit higher. after the complete paint job use a very fine sheet to just buff the staining, #500-600.
you are done!!!!! :cheer:
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
almost forgot....
make sure to attach the door knobs to your door [as many as you will have, personal preferance], and when attaching the hinges for the doors make sure you first try out how the door [and hinges!!!] will look before drilling any holes. any mistake counts here, this is the front of your tank.
also the screws taht will hold the hinges in place must be shorter then your wood planks you are attaching them to, or they will stick out. :thinking: not pretty.
i used a 2in1 stain. the name i'll have once i get home from work.
if anyone needs help building a simple canopy to house MH/VHO set ups let me know and i will post a tutorial for that too.
DISCLAIMER: if anyone has any sugestions as to how to make the stand beter or prettier, or sees any mistakes in whatever i wrote here, please let me know. i am no expert, and only relating my own work to you.
 
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