DIY aquarium setup, enjoy the process... not the cost.

[FFGuest6357]

I built a fence and made some alterations to my deck this year. Have lots of lumber leftover.

so when my son wanted to get an aquarium and I have been dying to get back into the hobby, we picked up a bunch of used aquariums/parts etc. After much buy and selling and trading, I was basically -$75 and had a 22 gal long tank, tank only, nothing else.

water test, failed. So there’s $30cad to buy silicone, buthad appropriate tools and cleaners to get the job done.

tank is now water tight, good to go, next thing is build the stand.

went pretty straight forward here... 2x4 construction with proper point loads, this thing can hold any tank that will fit the dimensions...

structure complete (pre-stained the wood after all my dimensional cuts).

had to buy a single sheet of 3/8 ply (no 1/2” at the time, which I wanted, thanks COVID). Used 2x2 railing pickets for trim, and 1x6 fence boards to fill in. Doors are 3/8 ply with fence boards to face it. Couple bucks here and there to buy door hardware , hinges, pulls and magnetic closers, so far not to deep in cost wise.

what killed me was the stains for the wood. Spent a lot of money on different colours and types, but was able to mix and thin, I have a bunch to use in future projects.

because I am a carpenter by trade, I had a lot of fasteners and tools on hand. I did not keep track of costs for this build, because most of it was scrap wood and materials on hand.

this was a passion project, not a budget one. But my time is also limited, between work and family, so it couldn’t be super fine finish, which is fine, because I wanted a rustic cabin sort of look anyways, especially since I was using weathered left over material.

anyways, I come to a point where I want to add some pizazzz. Enter led strips lights...

spent even more money to buy the connectors, adapters and wired the under cabinet lights to a door switch so that the light turns on when the door opens and shuts off when the door closes.

At the end of the day, cost wise, this project got out of control pretty quickly, especially if you don’t have the tools of fasteners on hand.

but my boy helped me build it, and I’m sure there are far more economical alternatives out there, this is ours. Also you can cut costs by stopping at the structure, this stand is a tank, or a beast, it holds a tank, and will carry tons of weight, without breaking a sweat.

also we decided that instead of a plain black background, we would first paint some wood and plants to give it a neat look. We did those with acrylic craft paints. Then a black paint over them, turned out pretty cool.
Let me know what you think! I’d be glad to answer questions more specific about the build as well.

 

[Ellie Potts]

Super cool! Looks great

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Very nice! And great that your kid was in on it. I always admire people that can build things that are both strong and beautiful. I can usually manage one out of the two.

I'll look forward to seeing this project develop. What kind of a fish setup are you thinking?

 

[FFGuest6357]

Very nice! And great that your kid was in on it. I always admire people that can build things that are both strong and beautiful. I can usually manage one out of the two.

I'll look forward to seeing this project develop. What kind of a fish setup are you thinking?

Originally, we loved the idea of neon tetras with panda corydoras and eventually otocinlus, I’ve got a soft spot for those guys.

unfortunately our pandas are not doing well, but I’ve posted that in the catfish section of the forum. So going to probably be an even longer than anticipated wait time for those otos.

we’ve also removed or displaced a lot of the decor that was originally setup so I can better monitor the cories health.

not going to do anything else until the cories get back on track. Truth be told I rushed the stocking because of Covid to limit trips to the store, now we’re scrambling to save fish. So we will need a few months to get the tank back to looking great...

thanks for the compliments though, I’ll keep it updated.

 

[Fishmanic]

Super nice stand and tank. I hope you enter it in our January Tank of the Month contest. For January, we will feature tanks sized at 17 to 30 US gallons.

Our December contest will feature tanks sized at 16 US gallons and smaller tanks.

Right now, the November TOTM contest features tanks sized at 31 gallons and larger..

 

[FFGuest6357]

Super nice stand and tank. I hope you enter it in our January Tank of the Month contest. For January, we will feature tanks sized at 17 to 30 US gallons.

Our December contest will feature tanks sized at 16 US gallons and smaller tanks.

Right now, the November TOTM contest features tanks sized at 31 gallons and larger..

Super nice stand and tank. I hope you enter it in our January Tank of the Month contest. For January, we will feature tanks sized at 17 to 30 US gallons.

Our December contest will feature tanks sized at 16 US gallons and smaller tanks.

Right now, the November TOTM contest features tanks sized at 31 gallons and larger..

Again, appreciate the compliments, but I got this notification just before I replied above, I need to take care of the fish first before I put everything back together. Should have left it empty, idve had a chance to win with no fish, lol.

a little joke to make myself smile, but I’m working hard to save fish.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I hear a lot about panda cories being poorly bred and hard to keep healthy. Mine weren't like that at all, but I think it's a pretty common problem. Sad. Such cute little guys. Hope yours pull through.

 

[FFGuest6357]

I hear a lot about panda cories being poorly bred and hard to keep healthy. Mine weren't like that at all, but I think it's a pretty common problem. Sad. Such cute little guys. Hope yours pull through.

me too, hard to explain to a 9 year old. But still doing everything we can to save them.

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

the tank and stand look awesome! good luck on the cories. looking forward to your updates.

 

[FFGuest6357]

Thanks again everyone, fingers crossed things work out!

 

[Fishmanic]

I’ve had no luck keeping panda cories. I’ve had better luck with salt and pepper cories and spotted cories.

 

[FFGuest6357]

Last time I was in the hobby 12 years ago, I had guppies, ottos and salt & pepper cories, was a great setup. They were all thriving.

first goal is to save the pandas, if I can’t, then I will find a more hardy variety, because i love cories. Again thanks man for all the support and advice, this place is

 

[AilyNC]

Great work - well done! Lovely tank & stand. Like the idea of painted plants too on background.

 

[vanalisa]

Labor of ♡

 

[mcordelia]

what a great project! I think it's so cool that you're doing this as a project with your son, can't put a price tag on that That stand came out beautiful, and some ruggedness is perfect in case your kid is more on the "rough and tumble" side of things (mine sure is and he's only two...). I sure hope your pandas pull through, I hear you on it being a bummer for your son too. I'm sure you know this stuff, but as someone returning to the hobby after a 15+ year gap, I've learned that water hardness is more important apparently than pH and perceived "easiness" for selecting fish that will do well for you. It probably explains why I was never able to successfully keep otos in my previous life. If you are looking for any tips on what to stock based on your water parameters, go ahead and post your ph, KH and GH and you will hopefully get some good feedback on that as well! I've gotten a ton of helpful advice here and ended up with a much longer list of fish to choose from that should do well with my water than I originally expected! Good luck with everything, I'm excited to follow along on your journey!