I made this stand and took pics for my friends at school AND stuff...however i think i should post here so if someone like me who decides to make a stand needs someones experience to step on can def. use this. Hope it helps, or at least if someone can tell me if i am doing something wrong and put me on the right track ! Thx.
This is what i was working with:
6 - 36" 4x4
Now before people kill me about trying to use 6 nos. of 4 x 4's for a 75 stand, i know its more than enough. I seen 180's on 4 of them. But i just wanted to be sure since its my first wood work. Finally i could use the mechanical Engineering background to make a fish stand ! hahahah :
Cost of this DIY stand was 64 bucks so far and counting But i am making something to my specs which is 36" high (stand only). So tank will be eye level while walking by it! And as i write i am almost done with it...so when i look at it now, it doesent look like a 75 ...more like a 125 because the tank looks so big and the eye is used to seeing a smaller stand for a 75 so the 75 looks like a 125ish. (Dont jump me yet!) .
I have no wood experience - This is my first time i tried to work with wood and i must say, i work like a pro! Art skills used somewhere atleast...
To start:
Three 4 x 4's and one 1 x 8 screwed together by 2" wood screws!
Every part was drilled and screwed 4 times - sturdy!
Here you see the 2 sides : front and back. After making these i measured them (Silly me, should have done it before)! The sump doesent fit. Here you see me trying to find a solution.
Same shot: Me still confused:
Solution: Since i only needed 2 inches more: i replaced the 4 x 4 in the back center with a 1 x 6:
Now the sump will fit!
The next was to connect the front and the back with 2 pieces of 1 x 8 each side: Heres my brother making sure it sits flat.
And it does... a little sanding here there at the bottom of the 4 x 4s and it was leveled.
Heres another shot. We ran out of nails as you can see we put 2 nails instead of 4 cause it was 2am and HD was closed. We decided to have it on its own legs (Lol) by the morning and we will screw the rest in when we get em the next day (Now you know how unprepared we were!!!!) Not even a professional drawing to follow. Its all up there baby!
This piece of wood goes here...i dont know what its called. I walked around HD and found it...
Heres the rest screwed in the morning!
So Far so good!
Tank on top...But i wanna get a new tank. Nothing wrong with this one. But i found this deal at Absolute Fish ... Midnight madness ....75g tank for 75....had to stand in the line...but its darn worth it. This tank was way over 2-3 yrs old too. I wanted to have a NEW LOOK!
So now i got more pieces of 1 x 8 and had them cut to 18" and stacked em up on the stand.
I think by now you know what i am gonna do next. Cabinet doors!
This wasnt for support but just the asthetic appeal so i simply put 2 screws on it
Till then i had the wet dry run on a cycle to make sure nothign died in there cause i was gonna make a Aggressive FOWLR tank...sorry i really really dont understand the peacefull fishes anymore.... i love the look though! We still friends, right! lol.
These are the doors i am gonna put on it.
The Cabinet doors were hung by 2 of these thing that looks like this(I know my experience rating! lol)
The old cabinet doors were perfect. I got them from an old stand that was a flip open for a 75 i got from a fellow reefer buddy! So its a little dirty on the inside but hey thats why its on the inside.! And i am gonaa fix that before i stain it some time from now before the school starts!
I also got this hook to put the towels and stuff (you know the regular stuff)
And these things that hold the cabinet doors closed and shut...
And these on the doors
Tada...the rooms a little messy for now i guess!
So now the future plans....
Well i had the tank sold! So i get a new tank soon which i need to drill cause i hate overflows.
Need some one to help me out with it....if anyone has some time over the weekend and stuff! I pay of course!
Next is also the edge trims since i am a newbee and had all my wood cut at HD so i couldent do the 45 deegree cuts on the woods and make it look pro. so i will put the L shape trims on the edges and stain it cherry chocolate wood!
Also gotta cover up the sides with 1 x 8's before i stain...so i guess that happens in a few days!
And then .... the tank and stocking
so far i am thinking about triggers lunare and porcupine trigger.
And maybe some lights...50-60W max. No corals going in here!
Oh and maybe if my teachers go easy next semester and give me some time of from the 26 credits h/w in Engineering building, i will work on a canopy.
Comments anyone!
I might need some help with plumbing this if anyone wants to trade a Mag 9.5 for 2 mag 5 or soemthign liek that Or advise me on how big the return and the intake holes should be cause it is sitting atleast 56-59" tallall together....
i will update when i do some more work on the stand and construction pics will follow!
God bless you!
This is what i was working with:
6 - 36" 4x4
Now before people kill me about trying to use 6 nos. of 4 x 4's for a 75 stand, i know its more than enough. I seen 180's on 4 of them. But i just wanted to be sure since its my first wood work. Finally i could use the mechanical Engineering background to make a fish stand ! hahahah :
Cost of this DIY stand was 64 bucks so far and counting
But i am making something to my specs which is 36" high (stand only). So tank will be eye level while walking by it! And as i write i am almost done with it...so when i look at it now, it doesent look like a 75 ...more like a 125 because the tank looks so big and the eye is used to seeing a smaller stand for a 75 so the 75 looks like a 125ish. (Dont jump me yet!) . I have no wood experience - This is my first time i tried to work with wood and i must say, i work like a pro! Art skills used somewhere atleast...
To start:
Three 4 x 4's and one 1 x 8 screwed together by 2" wood screws!
Every part was drilled and screwed 4 times - sturdy!
Here you see the 2 sides : front and back. After making these i measured them (Silly me, should have done it before)! The sump doesent fit. Here you see me trying to find a solution.
Same shot: Me still confused:
Solution: Since i only needed 2 inches more: i replaced the 4 x 4 in the back center with a 1 x 6:
Now the sump will fit!
The next was to connect the front and the back with 2 pieces of 1 x 8 each side: Heres my brother making sure it sits flat.
And it does... a little sanding here there at the bottom of the 4 x 4s and it was leveled.
Heres another shot. We ran out of nails as you can see we put 2 nails instead of 4 cause it was 2am and HD was closed. We decided to have it on its own legs (Lol) by the morning and we will screw the rest in when we get em the next day (Now you know how unprepared we were!!!!) Not even a professional drawing to follow. Its all up there baby!
This piece of wood goes here...i dont know what its called. I walked around HD and found it...
Heres the rest screwed in the morning!
So Far so good!
Tank on top...But i wanna get a new tank. Nothing wrong with this one. But i found this deal at Absolute Fish ... Midnight madness ....75g tank for 75....had to stand in the line...but its darn worth it. This tank was way over 2-3 yrs old too. I wanted to have a NEW LOOK!
So now i got more pieces of 1 x 8 and had them cut to 18" and stacked em up on the stand.
I think by now you know what i am gonna do next. Cabinet doors!
This wasnt for support but just the asthetic appeal so i simply put 2 screws on it
Till then i had the wet dry run on a cycle to make sure nothign died in there cause i was gonna make a Aggressive FOWLR tank...sorry i really really dont understand the peacefull fishes anymore.... i love the look though! We still friends, right! lol.
These are the doors i am gonna put on it.
The Cabinet doors were hung by 2 of these thing that looks like this(I know my experience rating! lol)
The old cabinet doors were perfect. I got them from an old stand that was a flip open for a 75 i got from a fellow reefer buddy! So its a little dirty on the inside but hey thats why its on the inside.! And i am gonaa fix that before i stain it some time from now before the school starts!
I also got this hook to put the towels and stuff (you know the regular stuff)
And these things that hold the cabinet doors closed and shut...
And these on the doors
Tada...the rooms a little messy for now i guess!
So now the future plans....
Well i had the tank sold! So i get a new tank soon which i need to drill cause i hate overflows.
Need some one to help me out with it....if anyone has some time over the weekend and stuff! I pay of course!
Next is also the edge trims since i am a newbee and had all my wood cut at HD so i couldent do the 45 deegree cuts on the woods and make it look pro. so i will put the L shape trims on the edges and stain it cherry chocolate wood!
Also gotta cover up the sides with 1 x 8's before i stain...so i guess that happens in a few days!
And then .... the tank and stocking
so far i am thinking about triggers lunare and porcupine trigger.
And maybe some lights...50-60W max. No corals going in here!
Oh and maybe if my teachers go easy next semester and give me some time of from the 26 credits h/w in Engineering building, i will work on a canopy.
Comments anyone!
I might need some help with plumbing this if anyone wants to trade a Mag 9.5 for 2 mag 5 or soemthign liek that Or advise me on how big the return and the intake holes should be cause it is sitting atleast 56-59" tallall together....
i will update when i do some more work on the stand and construction pics will follow!
God bless you!