Custom Stand

I am not sure where to post as there’s not a forum that screams “DIY HERE”. Though the questions below are very generic to aquariums, ultimately its for a big planted tank, so here goes.

In my intro thread, I talked about putting up a planted tank and various options. Creating a new planted tank and keeping my reef tank won out. I’ve bought a 60” x 24” x 20” tall starfire glass tank. Now its on to building out a custom stand for it.

I have a pretty complete wood shop and do furniture repair, cutting boards, gun boxes, signs etc. And I’ve built more than a few cabinets. But I have never done a furniture quality display tank stand. The one under my 150 reef tank is a T-Slot Aluminum high tech looking thing.

I’m looking for some advice or ideas in 2 specific areas.

Structural: Any tutorials, videos, blogs and or ideas on the structural requirements for a tank stand would be greatly appreciated.

Look/Feel: I don’t like the look of most tank stands. Too often they look like someone took construction lumber from Lowes, glued and screwed it together, and slapped a stain on it. So I’m looking for ideas on tank stand exteriors. Any links you have for ones you would like, please let me know.

NOTE: There might be a business opportunity for me here. The guy I bought the tank through is looking for a new custom stand maker in So Cal.

you could use 3 or 4 ikea lak tables

Unicornblast5000 said:

you could use 3 or 4 ikea lak tables

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Thank you for responding. I’m looking at stands that will probably retail, after building them, for $2,000 - $4,000 each. Eg solid woods, high end hardware, etc.

I have Lack Tables for some 3D printer enclosures, so I’m familiar with the designs. The aren’t strong enough to hold a 130gal tank.

SKMoss said:

I am not sure where to post as there’s not a forum that screams “DIY HERE”

Click to expand...

Actually there is a DIY forum, it's down near the bottom of the page

I can move this thread there if you want

yes please. I guess I only scrolled for 2 minutes and didnt get there.

Done

I’ve built now 2 stands.

both of them were built with structural dimensional lumber.
Then wrapped with trim and boards. They have a rustic look to them. But by my calculations, they can hold up my truck.

if you’re looking to have a complete fine furniture finish to all parts, you definitely want to have a build using hardwood materials. These larger tanks get really heavy really fast with that water weight. Your design is going to need to incorporate those load carrying capacities into the structure before you consider the finish.

ive seen a few of these done online, they’re not simple builds. But with the right plans, tools and materials, they can be both strong and good looking

Also as you thinking of a reef tank, you might want to think about a sump and incorporate that into your design.

Another idea might be concrete breeze blocks. They're rather cheap and can be painted.

rj enterprise makes decent solid wood stands as well as glasscages. You could use those two areas for price checking. One thing with glasscages is the stands are unfinished so you could buy one of them and then finish it as you desire. I have two rj enterprise stands one for a 120 and one for a 40 and they are fairly solid.