I want to build my own tank stans & hood

[StrontiumDog]

Hi all,
I,ve been debating this along time with my self ( God i sound like Gollum in L of the R ).
Do i buy a stand & hood and be like all the majority of people. Or do i build my self one, the later is what i'm going to do.

So the question is where to i start ie good wood and the finishing stains and varnish. ( so's not to introduce toxings from the wood and stains )

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=29984

wow love the work u did, Dixon is it still in 1 piece, I may be PM'ing you with advice.

Good thing is my tank is only 24"L X 12"W X 15"H

any advice for a novice? Who want something different to manufactured stuff.

 

[Angry_Platy]

I built my tank stand...using good quality pine (no knots or twists) following a guide on www.garf.org....you put the tank dimensions in and it gives you measurements of timber needed and reasonably good instructions....

My 75gal tank is on the stand I made and so far so good....

All up it cost me about $60....including nails....screws....timber...glue etc. As opposed to paying $300 to buy one allready made...

I stained it using normal woold stain...3 coats

 

[carrcn]

Something to consider also would be using a water sealant on the 2x4 frame. I soaked mine with 3 coats before I "skinned" it with oak plywood. Didn't bother staining the frame. It all gets covered by the plywood anyways.

Looking at Dixon's post, I'll tell you how you can save some lumber if you're planning to use plywood to skin it. When you cut out the holes where the doors will be, save those pieces you cut out. Mark them somehow so you know which one goes in which hole, and which way is up, so you don't make the same mistake that I did and put them in upside down. Also, be sure to cut them out in one piece or this all goes out the window. You can drill holes in 3 of the corners and use a jigsaw to cut it out to make sure you get them out in one piece. You just have to use a drill bit that is larger than your jigsaw blade.

But instead of having to cut out oversized doors, you can frame the pieces you cut out. Just use a wood trim, cutting your trim pieces at 45 degree angles and mount them to the outside of your door. Now, the actual door will be flush with the rest of the plywood, and the trim will stick out a bit. Now you can mount the hinges to the trim and you're good to go. I'll post a pic to make this a little more clear. But for a 55 gallon tank, I was able to skin the front and sides and also put shelves inside using one sheet of 4x8 plywood.

Well, I guess I can't post a pic here. Click here and you can see it in the first pic. Hope this works.

I took a slightly different approach with the canopy. Instead of using trim on the doors, I used quarter-round and nailed it to the edges of the plywood, cutting 45's in the corners. All it really does it hide the ugly edges you get when using plywood.

Hope I haven't made this too confusing!

 

[tazco]

I have a tank thats 48"x24"x24" and I built it out of 3"x3" fenceing posts and it is fine.


tazco

 

[Ell-Ess-Dee]

Yep, using some guides on the net i built my own stand and hood for my 60 x 24 x 18.. Filled it up earlier (with fingers crossed) and all seems to be fine..

After 2 weeks will get some fish in their which EVERYONE will envy