Cinder blocks on the floor with 1/2 inch plywood and then a wood toy chest on top of that (it holds perfectly). LOL. Cinder blocks bear weight best when you stack them with the holes facing vertically (so the holes will be hidden once your stand is assembled). I danced an Irish jig, because dancing in front of your children is fun. It looks great. I love your aquarium stand, but I really would like to know where you got the drift wood in your tank? Select pine boards (for everything else), *. I especially liked seeing some of the details you added for both functionality and aesthetics. Decide how far you want them from the wall (I chose 3 inches) and position them 12.5 inches apart. To learn how to stain and paint your aquarium stand, scroll down! 2 years ago, Question That is what I am thinking, if so can you give instructions on how you did that? Then use a brush/broom to sweep off the wood dust so you have a smooth surface for painting. Waterproof wood glue (all joints are glued, not nailed or screwed). Most people recommend priming raw wood before applying latex, but the brand I use is very thick and goes on fine without causing any warping to raw wood. Do you have any advice or caveats? I live in a typical by level ranch and under where the fish tank will be is my downstairs family room. ", "It helped me ding the stand frame for a 250 gallon aquarium stand. This is great!!! If you have the extra time, though, you may want to wait 24 hours just to make sure its completely bonded. I do have a quick question. I am concerned about the weight of the cinderblocks on my wood floor. Great looking stand. Looks gorgeous, it's arriving tomorrow. Laying out the details of this could quickly swallow up this Instructable, so I made a separate one to cover just making the tapered legs. You could also add the knob at this point.. Although made of inexpensive, 1/2" MDF coated in a high gloss melamine, it still holds over 750 pounds. Then I had two pieces. Make sure to use sturdy wood and place cross pieces along the top to support the weight of the tank when its filled with water. way to go! Here are things to bear in mind before you begin. I used two different bits, a decorative edge on the top, and a square edge on the bottom. To build an aquarium stand, start by adding 1/2 inch to the length and width of your aquarium to get the length and width for your stand. Eventually will paint the blocks but that's a project for another day.Thanks for sharing. My wife and I get bored with how the house is decorated and like to rearrange our furniture for a low-cost makeover. I'm thrilled to have come across this post! Really great build, I am gonna try this tomorrow with a 48 inch aquarium! This photo and the next one are screenshots from the design I did using Google SketchUp. Will the weight of all those cinderblocks plus the wood planks plus the tank with the water and all the accessories in the tank and a filter be too much weight on the floor? Cost of paint is more variable. % of people told us that this article helped them. As the click baiter says: "the answer may surprise you.". Making these pieces, and the jig used to make them, was a project in-and-of itself. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. THANK YOU!Now I'll show you mine since you've shown me yours. It's fun to share. I'm curious, but have you thought about a matching canopy at all? Also, do you find that the top center is rigid enough? Pretty cool project, Im going to steal a lot of your ideas here, but I have a couple of questions. A dowel: This is something simple to hang wet nets on.5. Might be nice to add some kind of curtain over the two holes for discreet storage. I'm passing your site along. Yes with my setup everything is diverted through that one opening on the back left. There's got to be a better option, right? I would suggest you use these to get a concept in mind, together with the photos. It turns out "those fancy decorative, curvy thingies that go under the edge of a cabinet" didn't have a nice ring to it.To make each corbel, I used my circle cutting jig and a router, then cut that arced piece in half, then glued the two halves side by side together, then sanded them against a table mounted belt sander.Afterwards I found that it was fun to impersonate Christopher Walken and say "I need more corbel," even if I was pronouncing it wrong. Did you make this project? All of the vertical pieces supporting the weight of the stand slide neatly into this channel. "I am not building an aquarium stand, but the video was extremely informative. The one with the arc cut? I'm glad the tutorial helped. Is a provision for ventilation included or required to minimize moisture accumulation from sump, etc? The two pieces are then biscuit joined and glued together so that you leave a 3/4" slot that is 3/4" deep from the lowest point.I used a circle cutting jig to create the large arcs in the outside layer of the bottom frame before gluing. There are no sheering forces involved, and the fatal side-to-side collapse is also avoided.Although this method takes more time than more common DIY stand construction methods, it uses the wood efficiently, looks more professional in my opinion and saves space on the inside of the stand. Think about how you will plug things in and how you will hide dangling cords or power strips. This Instructable will show you what I'm hopeful you will see is unique about it and how I built it. My stand is positioned 3 inches from a load-bearing wall. If you want this design enough, I bet you can find a way to make it work. Pre-made stands bought from the store can be very expensive. You can even use press board to go cheaper; it just doesn't look quite as nice. Next, assemble the frame by attaching the 4 width pieces to the 2 length pieces and attaching the height pieces at every corner. Answer Drill hinges onto the stand and connect them by this means. I agree with your comment "Contrary to the paranoia implied in many DIY aquarium designs, you do not need to build your tank stand out of landscape timbers, fence posts, or even 2x4"s and 3/4" plywood". I'm hopeful that well beyond this contest, there are ideas you can take from it and apply it to your own design, whether your tank is big or small. At this point you can make a cabinet door: a four board frame with slots for the center panel. In one of them, put all of the things which have to be unplugged when you do water changes (i.e. Then, youll have a homemade aquarium stand at a fraction of the cost of one from the store. Remember not to position your stand completely flush against the wall, because you need room behind the aquarium for cords, hanging filters, etc. After all eight are done, then each of those is ran through the table saw again against the fence with the blade set at a 45 degree angle. Better lighting is really helpful for finding the essentials you have stored away for aquatic life health. The strips of light come in rolls and have a self-adhesive back. My goal was to use the walls also as support, and in your proposed design you are taking that out. Take a look at your stand and the room it is in, and imagine your aquarium here. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. I think that visually helps tie the whole thing together.I flipped the cabinet upside down again when gluing the corbels. Was wondering how much did the materials cost to build the stand, roughly?It is probably the best looking stand I've seen, would love to see a canopy to match. I'm on a concrete basement floor so no load bearing concerns here.Tks for your thoughts. They also have some beautiful 1x48 boards that I would love to have. Dose this setup work for a salt water aquarium? Strip of cool white, waterproof LED lights. Pictured is a stack of these wedges and two of them side-by-side, so you can see them from an inside view, including the effect of the notches.The wedges are attached to the stand with glue, one side at a time, and were held in place with weights. The vapors from latex paint are noncombustable.After the paint dried, it got bitterly cold so after clearing it with my wife, I took the painting operation inside and clear-coated with a non-flammable, water-based VOC polyurethane. With over ten years of experience, Aaron specializes in aquarium maintenance, custom design, manufacture, installation, and moving. I used a carpenter's level to ensure that the surface is level, but you can also assemble the stand, set your tank on top, and fill it with just a couple inches of water to ensure that the water sits level in the tank. thank you. Youll also need to make very precise measurements to make sure the pieces fit together properly. it looks like a 1x8? Plus, my cat totally digs the craftsmanship. It turned out great. 2 months ago. When you think its time to hire a new stand, don't employ one from the store. ". Seems like if it were left empty it would be a trap to accumulate debris and make a weak area where the upper side of the empty groove might break off. In any case, paint the wood with a nice thick coat, using a primer first if you prefer. The angled accents on the corners of the tank, which I will call "legs," are made of two pieces, mirror images of each other. I'm new to the hobby and seriously considering building this stand. Install these vertical posts so that their long sides run parallel to the cross braces on your frame. Share it with us! And whether you make a stand like this or not, I'm hopeful you will also see some helpful ideas on what you might incorporate into your cabinet. The particle board is durable enough and affordable, but it does not finish out as well on corners. You have to glue the bottom pieces into the slot first, and carefully so that the cap will fit after everything is dry. Avoid using a coarse or medium grit sandpaper to sand your stand, as these may actually do some damage to your wood. *. Rather than take punches at my old stand, which has seen better days, I'd rather use it to point out something to fish owners and the DIY stand builder. When I could not find the perfect part to keep the panels in place, he cut me these out of acrylic. You can see similarities between it and the stand in the second photo. You may also opt to use finishing nails to complete the installation. *. So to make that happen, I bought some PVC plumbing parts and built risers. Tack on $6 for a paintbrush and $3 for sandpaper if you don't have them already, and you can. Using a file, I slightly rounded the edges of the boards so they were easier to fit into the top slot. Hi,I'm 6'4" and I like my tanks higher in order to comfortably work in them. You can prime the blocks, but I just brushed on latex paint, going over the surface in every direction to fill in all the crevices. For example, for an aquarium stand that you want to be 3 feet (0.91m) tall, 3 feet (0.91m) long, and 1.5 feet (0.46m) wide, youll need to cut 2 2x4s to be 36.5 inches (93cm), 4 2x4s to be 18.5 inches (47cm), and 8 2x4s to be 36 inches (91cm). There are two hand twist knobs for removing this assembly from the cabinet. In this case, 94% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. I can tell you that, personally, I've had my 55 gal against a load-bearing wall in my 2nd floor apartment for 3 years with no issues. Question Recruit from within yourself and you'll have one that's better than new!Now I'm hungry. Thank You. *. Use fillet too if needed. You can hang the door with european hinges designed for a flush mounted door. Before building his stand, we spent some time thinking about balancing the structural needs of an aquarium stand versus the aesthetic appearance, and came up with this solution. Okay, I'll just come straight out and admit it: I'm a sucker for a good contest on Instructables. :). No, it doesn't look tacky. Then I tested to make sure the top would fit without glue, then removed it and put it back on after gluing. Lighting: The inside of an aquarium stand can be dark. After that dried, I glued the whole thing to the cabinet. My turtle tank is on the patio so I elevated the bottom shelf to keep it dry when it comes time to wash off the patio. In the next few pages, I hope to point out you what makes the design of this aquarium cabinet and the methods used to create it unique. I tried to take everything that I did not like about my old, store-bought stand and to do something about it. The first four of these ideas could be used as an improvement to a store-bought stand or one you already have:1. 6 months ago My floor was cut little too small, so I later covered the gap with glue and trim.I fit the 3/4" thick corner pieces first, biscuit joining them together. Automatic Light Switch: The lights come on automatically when you open the cabinet door, just like your refrigerator.3. To distribute the weight evenly for a 55-gallon tank, build three columns of cinder blocks spaced 12.5 inches apart. This plan does not have that, but you could include it in one of the panels at the back. "Was looking for simple, strong stand layout, and this was it. I didn't even know what a corbel was until after I made one and someone told me. Wood planer & digital caliper (pictured). Also, I imagine the weight of yours would be significantly less since you won't be using as much water for turtles. The risers separate the stump from a slate base buried at the bottom of the tank, and everything you don't see is held together with stainless steel screws or PVC glue. Question I built a stand for a rectangular, 75 gallon aquarium, you may be building one smaller or larger than that, and it could be rectangular, square or bow-front. Question The idea is to use two rectangular frames, one as the base and one at the top, with a channel routed into them. searching for this exact framing model. Next, lay the sheet of plywood over the cinder blocks, aligning the edges. You can use this design for a lot more than just aquariums! For inspiration, I poked around the web, looking especially at kitchen islands for ideas. Only one problem: they're so ugly! It's not quite my style, but it is great to see something besides those horrible 2x4 stands that you see everywhere on the net. You can pre-assemble your stand to make sure it is positioned properly and looks the way you want before painting. You should apply at least 1 coat of paint to your stand (if you intend to paint it), but theres no harm in applying 2 coats overall. Can I just make the structure as wide as the tank? You may also want to use wood adhesive to ensure that the 2x4s are securely attached to each other. I considered using spray paint, but after some tests on a scrap piece I actually liked the brush marks better than the spray. The internal dimensions inside the cabinet are so tight that the tubes from my canister filter have to dip downward before they go back up in order to make it through the opening you are talking about.That dip in the tubing makes priming the canister filter (when the tubes start empty) very challenging. Here's a tip if you keep fish: use TWO power supply strips, none just one. I added a fixed shelf and also outlined the bottom in trim. You dont need to attach sheeting to the back of the stand unless it will be visible or you plan to store a lot of items in the stand that might fall out of the exposed back. In North America, Home Hardware, Home Depot, Lowes, and even Walmart sell hammers. Lastly, have a plan for your electrical outlets and for tank maintenance. The power strips are located close to the door where they can be seen and reached easily. You are AWESOME,AWESOME,AWESOME. I allowed the blocks and wood to dry overnight (12 hours), then reassembled the stand as described in the previous step. All you need are some 2x4s, a drill, screws, wood glue, wood sheeting, and the willingness to put a little work into it! Most of the verticals are 1/2" thick, with 1/4" trim, so the combined depth is 3/4" thick and matches the corners. will this work for a 75gal and would i need more cinder blocks? This comment has been removed by the author. What size board is the bottom frame part? Do I need a medical degree or a good recipe for kung pao chicken to have that? Do you have any advice or caveats? I have a 40 gallon fish tank to rehome my two red eared slider turtles. Good luck and I hope that helps! I flipped both of those upside down, so now the roots are at the top, making the two trees you see (focal point tree on the left, companion on the right). Please comment thank you so much by the way I love the way your project turned out. I am convinced I can build Something more suitable for me thank you so much I will be eagerly await your reply. ", "Followed the basic steps and ended up with a very sturdy frame. The stand has remained level and perfectly stable. With something this long it seems like it might benefit from structure spanning the top center width. After that, there are step-by-step instructions on how it is built. That's great to hear! Having read your DIY, I feel that my fretting days are over ;) Of course, I'll have to adapt these instructions for my monster-size tank. The wood and cinder blocks can be bought from Lowe's or Home Depot for $30 or less, and of course the employees can cut the wood for you as well. I hope you saw several original ideas here for aquarium stands, whether you use yours for fish, reptiles, hamsters or whatever small pet normally kept in an aquarium. Thank you. Youll need to measure the dimensions of the tank and build your stand slightly larger so the tank is fully supported. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Have one similar for a 29 gallon tank. The two most important features of an aquarium stand are that. I'm thrilled to have come across this post! Now, for the 2x8s and plywood. After that dried, I routed the edges. ", http://www.reefaquarium.com/2013/building-a-aquarium-stand/, http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/29-building-an-aquarium-stand. My thinking was that it would be nice to make it easily removable so I can rework how the cords are arranged, etc. Power Cord Manager. Of course, you place the mounting screws to match your power supplies and other equipment. Do you want to add another shelf or make any other changes to the structure of the stand before continuing? Then, cut 2 pieces of wood to the desired length, 4 pieces to the desired width, and 8 pieces to the desired height, which can be up to 3 feet. This way I will get the most creative and simple stand for my 66 gallon tank. Also, notice that in my design the top and bottom frames have an inside and outside piece glued together. Instead of plywood I got a 16 board and cut that into 50in pieces. Think about what faucet you will use for water changes and how you will access it, preferably without having to haul buckets of water back and forth across your house--I've been there and it ain't fun! same amount of materials for a 40 gallon breeder tank? on Introduction. This will become your shelf. Now, to empty the tank and get it swapped over to the new stand! I do have a question though. I have a stand that I built 35 years ago, and I didn't use a single 2x4. I just don't want to buy a full sheet of plywood when all I need is 50". Yes, I have thought about this but haven't seriously pursued it. Can I use this method for 5*2.5*2ft 12mm glass 190 gallon aquarium? By using our site, you agree to our. This design can be modified accordingly by adjusting the length and width to your needs. I am going to try this in a month for my new 300liter tank. I built the power supply manager out of two pieces of pine. *. Question Would the floors and corners stage in step 10 be adequate to support the weight of a 70 gallon tank? Was that one piece, or did you have to put it together with pieces? Aaron holds a BS in Biochemistry from Arizona State University, where he studied the effects of climate change on coral reefs and began to propagate his corals. Aaron Bernard is an Aquarium Specialist and the Owner of Limited Edition Corals in Phoenix, Arizona. This allows the 3/4" plywood floor to rest evenly with the outside edge, essential for a flat threshold. At this point, you can glue the corner pieces to the base only. Make sure your stand will be sturdy enough to support the filled tank. I carefully used a saw, a wedge and a hammer to split the stump into two pieces vertically. Even if the four legs could take the compression (8.3 lbs per gallon x 70 gallons = 581 lbs, plus glass, gravel & rock, then divided by 4 legs), you also have to address the risk that the stand collapses laterally, like a house of cards falls. Extra cord length can be hidden behind the power cord manager.4. Excellent outline! 2 years ago Yes, but youll need special tools to cut the glass and a strong sealant to ensure there are no leaks. I did mine a few months ago. I am entering this Instructable into the "Animal Innovations" contest. Reply 6 months ago. Looks tacky but did it and works very well. You can add the 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide vertical accent trim now to hide the seams. The thickness doesn't really matter, as long as it's nice and flat (not warped). It's always good to learn from others. the pump, power heads, heater). wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Summer Holidays for Chicken (using Poor Man's Fibreglass). tank light, cabinet light) plugged into the other strip. Having all or most of the panels in significantly reduces that type of lateral collapse. Now you will never forget to unplug something before a water change, or plug it back in when you are finished. A flat threshold: This very subtle stand design is a huge improvement over the annoying lip that fish keepers catch on when taking heavy, wet, spill-able things in and out of the cabinet. I just acquired a 6 foot tank that holds over 100 gallons, and have been fretting over what to use as a stand. If you study every layer, from top to bottom, the weight of the aquarium is really just sitting on a stack of boards. But the old stand, with the ugly backside, has to stay against the wall.So in designing this new stand, I figured there were three possible configurations. If one of those panes were to crack because of unevenly distributed weight, you would likely have disastrous water damage on your hands. Yes it will work. on Step 22. About: At home, you can find me with my wife and three boys, maybe practicing violin, guitar or piano, in the garage doing some woodworking, bicycling, at the computer, learning small electronics, video editing, surf. You will have a small space, about 1 inch, between the 2x8s. 1 year ago. You just saved me hundreds of dollars. I have spent the last three days. So the solution was to come up with a design that involves the use of two "secret" removable panels which would fit into the aesthetics of the cabinet. (hinges and pulls not on in this photo yet), I am having a hard time seeing how all your plumbing and cords exit the back of the stand. Using Excel and my fading memory of high school geometry ("yes, it does serve a purpose," I remind my kids), I created an arc calculator that told me the diameter of the circle needed to create the desired arc if I know the height and width of the arc.To achieve a flat threshold, on the bottom frame only, I cut 3/4" off of the inside edge. I used a latex paint made for furniture. So you obviously can't just plop an aquarium onto a spare rickety table and hope for the best. Okay, let's switch gears and explain how I built it. There is also a wide-spread practice by manufacturers of not finishing the back of the stand because the designer probably expects you to always place the stand against the wall.But doctor's offices and Chinese restaurants put theirs out in the middle of the floor? The plywood floor should be cut to match the inside perimeter of the 3/4" slot. I happen to keep a 5-gallon bucket of white latex on hand, but a gallon of paint will run you $13-25, depending on brand and color. But you didnt say if you then filled the empty slot below the span of the door. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Build-an-Aquarium-Stand-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Build-an-Aquarium-Stand-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Build-an-Aquarium-Stand-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/aid1391678-v4-728px-Build-an-Aquarium-Stand-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"