DIY Stand (75 gal)

darkfish

darkfish

Member
Well, I have wanted a tank for a while, and I feel the time has come. I have decided to build my own stand with some spare wood that my dad had in his shop. There is enough room for a 30"x14" sump/fuge to fit though the front opening. More pictures are coming because I am painting it over the next few days!





 
1990jpyj

1990jpyj

Member
nice man looks like the one i built for my 55g a few years back. lots of 2x4's went into it. i think like 10 or 15. it was a fun build. and it was a heavy *** thing to
 
darkfish

darkfish

Member
Thanks! ya I over built it but since this will be my first tank, I didn't know how much weight to expect. My dad screamed when we lifted it up together
 
ick

ick

New Member
How do you know how much the stand will support? When I build mine I hope to build it correctly :)
nice work!
 
darkfish

darkfish

Member
Yep it is partical board, 1/2 inch. I used what I had. I sanded the edges once they were fitted together so that it has nice round edges.
The front hole is for accessing everything that will be in the stand (fuge/sump, reactors, powerbar). I will put two swinging doors over it once everything is painted. The back two holes are for air ventilation and a place for plumbing and wires to go through.
Thanks for the comments! I feel at ease now that no one has said I did anything majorly wrong!
 
veni vidi vici

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Originally Posted by Darkfish
http:///forum/post/2860185
Yep it is partical board, 1/2 inch. I used what I had. I sanded the edges once they were fitted together so that it has nice round edges.
Looks great to me,you gonna give it a nice shinny acrylic finish?
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
looks nice, just be careful that 1) that particle board never gets wet and 2) that you are PERFECTLY square. i had a diy stand for my old 75 that got warped and ended up making the tank leak because it was off square.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
one other thing i've wished i did before putting the tank on-- mount your power strips onto the stand before putting in place. makes it better than having them hanging all over the place
 
saltygerman

saltygerman

Member
I've seen other mention on this site to put foam board between tank and stand to help distribute weight. I wish I would have done that.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by saltygerman
http:///forum/post/2860877
I've seen other mention on this site to put foam board between tank and stand to help distribute weight. I wish I would have done that.

I kinda got an idea about what your talking about...but could you describe it in better detail...or reword it mabee. I'm wanting to build my own stand as well. I plan on something solid looking like that...but a little wider to allow In/around access to everything. I plan to add digital meters, and power strips at a later day and will make a similar stand but roomier.
And never thought about foam pads.
 
diy

diy

Member
how tall is your stand. I plan on building a 4 foot tall in wall stand for my 55 gal. Is too tall for that amount of weight.
Thanks
 
saltygerman

saltygerman

Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/2861365
I kinda got an idea about what your talking about...but could you describe it in better detail...or reword it mabee. I'm wanting to build my own stand as well. I plan on something solid looking like that...but a little wider to allow In/around access to everything. I plan to add digital meters, and power strips at a later day and will make a similar stand but roomier.
And never thought about foam pads.
Hopefully someone with mre hands on experience on the matter will chime in, but from what I understand just cutting a piece of styrofoam(for lack of a better desription) exterior house insulation board the same dimentions as the bottom of the tank and place it between tank and stand.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
ok i got it now...the stiff foam you have to cut with saber or skill saw. the kind you can walk on practically w/out it breaking.
never considered that tanks might better re distribution of weight.I spose i could flip my empty tank over and ill notice that it only rests on the black frame...not the whole bottom.
 
darkfish

darkfish

Member
Thankyou all for the comments and advice! I will remember your ideas when I come to them.
The stand is 36" (3ft) tall. It is a little taller then some stands from what I read but I don't think the height will be a problem. The stand is square, but the floor where it is going isn't! I will have to make some shims to put underneath to make it level.
Here is the stand right after its second coat of paint. It might look shinny because it is wet but I actually chose a flat black color. Its a special water resistant paint. I think I will paint on a clear coat of some sort when I am done just to make feel nice

 
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