Ava_Banana
Fishaholic
Just before I picked up the tank, I realised I needed somewhere to put it, and something to put it on.
We found a spot in the Living Room where it would be suitably out of the way of getting knocked, but central enough to be viewed all the time.
Something to put it on was a little trickier..........I wanted something that wouldn't be out of place and would fit in with the rest of the furniture, but had a budget of zero.
I decided that wood was the way to go, and as luck would have it, my wife's sister and her husband had been throwing out an old pine bed that had broken about four months previously. I didn't want to see good wood going to waste, so had the boards from either end and the legs in the garage.
I put together a plan in my head, cut the headboard (1 and a quarter inch thick pine) down to 38 x 14 inches and all four legs (4 x 4 inch) down to 15 inches (wanted to be able to sit on the floor with the children in front of it).
Sanded it all down and used strong glue (no-nails) and very long screws to hold the legs onto each corner.
Put a plank across the back legs to hide the "workings" behind (light controller box, airpump, plug socket for heater and wiring).
Then touched it up with Antique pine wood-stain to match the rest of the furniture.
I now have a child-safe very solid stand (the back legs are about 2 mm shorter than the front, so there is a very, very slight lean back), which is hard-wired for safety and convenience, which cost me nothing but a bit of thought.
And my wife doesn't mind it being in the Front room. .....bonus........ B)
We found a spot in the Living Room where it would be suitably out of the way of getting knocked, but central enough to be viewed all the time.
Something to put it on was a little trickier..........I wanted something that wouldn't be out of place and would fit in with the rest of the furniture, but had a budget of zero.
I decided that wood was the way to go, and as luck would have it, my wife's sister and her husband had been throwing out an old pine bed that had broken about four months previously. I didn't want to see good wood going to waste, so had the boards from either end and the legs in the garage.
I put together a plan in my head, cut the headboard (1 and a quarter inch thick pine) down to 38 x 14 inches and all four legs (4 x 4 inch) down to 15 inches (wanted to be able to sit on the floor with the children in front of it).
Sanded it all down and used strong glue (no-nails) and very long screws to hold the legs onto each corner.
Put a plank across the back legs to hide the "workings" behind (light controller box, airpump, plug socket for heater and wiring).
Then touched it up with Antique pine wood-stain to match the rest of the furniture.
I now have a child-safe very solid stand (the back legs are about 2 mm shorter than the front, so there is a very, very slight lean back), which is hard-wired for safety and convenience, which cost me nothing but a bit of thought.
And my wife doesn't mind it being in the Front room.
.....bonus........ B)
) .....it was in the house when we got it and we decided we wouldn't change it until the children were a little older...........
