DIY 75g cube stand
 

I threw together the framework of the stand for my 75g cube today. It took me about 1 1/2 hours. I decided to make the stand 36" tall because I want extra room under it to put a couple 15g tanks for Bangaii grow outs. Since the tank is 28x28x22" I figure it would look good on a tall stand anyway giving it a bit of a pillar effect. The way I'm going to finish the tank with the decorative trim will add to this effect, but I can't spill the beans. You'll have to check back to see! I'll probably work on it again next weekend. :)



Materials:

8 - 2x4 8' $12
1 lb 2 1/2" Brown exterior deck screws $4.50
Wood glue $4

Total $20.50



Here's how it looks. My dog wanted in on the picture taking, so I got her to pose in the stand. :lol: You can see the 5g water jugs to scale the size. :)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Mar302008.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Mar3020083.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Mar3020082.jpg

I would strongly suggest that you put some plywood and foam onto the top of that stand!!!

:lol: It's not done!! I just put the tank on there for pic purposes, but thanks for lookin out. :)

Looks good are you going sumpless on this tank as well?

No, I'm going to drill it. I couldn't find any diamond hole saws on Saturday, so I may have to order online. I also haven't decided on my plumbing. I'm thinking I'd like to do an overflow on this tank instead of just the strainer on the bulkhead like previous tanks, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet since the tank is glass, and I don't like the look of the eggcrate overflows.

Okay...this stand is already putting me to shame since we got our tanks at the same time and I haven't officially started building the stand yet. I do have questions though. What is holding the cross members up?

nice job on it. my cube's tank's 18" tall and I went with a 36" stand as well.

Would you maybe consider wood sheeting on the sides and back to keep the stand square? I always worry when looking at DIY wood stands that haven't been squared up with wood sheeting. TIMBERRRRRRR!. It's from building cabinets all the time with my dad when I was younger.

The cross members are just glued and screwed. They are only there to help keep the bottom from bowing down too much. I'll be putting 3/4" plywood on the top too, so they don't need to be as strong as the support on the sides. I would feel comfortable if they weren't even there. I'm going to put a couple 3" nails through the members as well since nails have much greater shear strength than screws. :)

Once the plywood and foam is on the top the tank will actually sit about 37" or so. I think it looks good at that height. It's a nice height to view a shallow tank.

:lol: I worry the same thing all the time too. The sides will be sheeted with plywood. That's as much as I'm going to say...it's supposed to be a surprise! :p

It's looking good...I'm eagerly awaiting the special woodwork on the outside. Do you have much experience as a finishing carpenter?

Yes I do, but I lack shop tools, and I get real lazy when it comes to working after work!!! :lol: So it won't be a show of my skills or anything. I would have really liked to make the stand out of solid white maple and black walnut to match my end tables, but I don't have the shop tools available to work with solid wood. I think I will still be able to put together a good looking stand though.

Lookin' good Myka!

Have you considered using 3/4" or 1" MDF to have a true flat surface versus plywood? (or maybe some solid core plywood) For my stand I laminated two pieces of 3/4" (glue and screwed), then finished in black formica :)

Ya I thought about using MDF. I'm not a fan of MDF as it has formaldahyde in it, and the dust is really not good to breathe, so mask or not I'd rather not work with it at all. I may use it for the doors though.

Actually Myka they have changed the formulation of mdf, it contains a fraction of what it used to. Only trace amounts according to the manufacturers. Which is a little late for me as Ive been working with the stuff for 15 years. At least my lungs should be well preserved.

Its really not good to breathe any kind of saw dust! :)

MDF would be ideal for the doors, very easy to router and sand smoooth! :)

Changed the formula, eh? It's about time! I haven't heard that yet. Either way, I freakin hate that stuff!!! Makes me itchy.

I don't think I'll be routering anything other than maybe a 1/8" or 1/4" roundover, but I think I'll just hand sand the corners down just ato take the sharp off them. I'm going for a very square look. You guys will see soon enough... :D

Hehehe I have a new plan to finish the stand! *rubs hands together* I just gotta figure out the cost... :biggrin:

reply
 

Here's an idea for an overflow that you might consider. It's completely DIY.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...p/IMGP3110.jpg

I used a standpipe inside of the external overflow box. Inside of the tank I just have a strainer. The standpipe is ideal for adjusting your tank water level without making anything perminant.

Any hiiiints?

Danny zubot: Thanks for posting that photo!!! I've been trying to figure out how to do an external overflow. That's perfect! How noisey is it?

nazerine: No hints. :D

Geez...you're a tough one...lol.

I'll post a hint on Saturday after I go price hunting. I think it's gonna cost more than I want to spend though. So I'll either tell you what it was on Saturday if it's too expensive, or I'll drop a hint.

Ok, I got my hands on quite the deal! So here's the hint:

"Looks kinda rocky to me."

First thing that came to mind was the faux foam rock used on homes..... dun dun dun!!!

BAHAHAHA! Uh no...that's not it.

You kill me...lmao.:lol:

Ya so I got tied up today and didn't get to the store to pick up plywood...bummer. So I guess next weekend is more building. Dangit, I wanted to get some of that rocky look goin on tomorrow. :D

So I picked up a 15g tank today that I was planning on putting two of in the stand to be plumbed in for Bangaii grow-out tanks, plus a 25g sump. Half the reason I made the stand 36" tall is so that I could stack the two 15g tanks on top of eachother. Uh....ya that ain't gonna work!! I can fit 24" only one direction under the tank, so I can't set two 24"x12" tanks beside eachother, and there really isn't room to stack them either. So I guess plumbing the Bangers in isn't gonna work. Now I just need to find a 25g to use as a sump, and I'll have to have a totally separate system for the Bangers.

Plumb it out the side of your tank or make your stand two tiered...that would look good, especially with rockwork.

You mean to fit the tanks under there? It won't work, the 3 tanks physically won't fit under there in any direction. LOL!

Myka, I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but build them yourself. I spent 3 years looking for the perfect tank that would work under my stand and finally bit the bullet and tried making one out of Acrylic. I couldn't believe how easy it was and I was easily able to create what I had envisioned. I got the acrylic cut at a glass shop (mainly because I have no power tools), and borrowed a router and those were the only power tools needed. In all it cost just under $200 to create the perfect tank. I'm sure someone with the skills to build their own stand can easily make tanks to fit your needs :mrgreen:.

At least keep it in mind for the future....

Good Thread so far, but needs more PICS!

I hear ya...I've considered it, but honestly I don't want to spend $200 on a sump. A 25g tank will fit under there perfect to use as a sump. I could find one used for like $20 plus a few bucks for some baffles.

It will work best if I set up a separate system for the Bangaii's anyway. My current system does not handle the HUGE extra bioload of all the baby Bangers, and I think it would be much wiser to separate them from my display system. I'll pick up a used tank and stand out of the newspaper or something for the Bangers and use the 15g as a sump for that.

Hey Myka,

When I said plumb out the side, I meant you should look at making your stand two tiered (one taller and one shorter but attached and side by side) and plumb the banger tanks beside the cube (on top of the lower stand) and then back into your tall stand and into the sump through gravity. It was just an idea because you probably want ready access to see and work on the banger tanks, plus if you can really get them going, they can help pay for this hobby of yours.

Oh ok! Ya, I'm thinkin that it's a bad idea to plumb them into the display's sump, as I'm noticing they are contributing to the bioload HUGELY. So I think they'd be best off not contributing so much Nitrate into my reef! If they are on their own sump I'll be able to do big waterchanges to keep the nitrates down, and I won't need to worry as long as they're under 20 ppm. I'd freak if my reef got to 20 ppm!!!

How is the stand doing by the way?

It's at a "stand" still. Bahaha...so funny. Woo...

Ya, so I'm going to buy some stuff for it today, actually mostly just plumbing. I've been having troubles finding the time to get the plywood cut. I have to either do it by hand using a circular saw, or go to my boss's place to use his big table saw to get the 28" width, which I would MUCH rather do. It just hasn't worked out yet. Due to the way I have decided to finish it, it doesn't need to be super nice cuts, so I may just do it with the circular saw.

Mines at the same stage...I will try to start a thread later today on it.

Hey Myka, where do you stand on the "stand"? lol

:lol: No progress. Actually I completely forgot about it this week. I should buy some plywood today...it's freaking cold outside though.

I bought a sheet of plywood an I got my door all made up too. I need to start work on putting the overflow in the tank and start figuring out the canopy.

I'm selling my truck and gonna buy a car with cash, so I'm keeping the tank budget really tight right now so I can save up as much money as possible before the truck goes. I may not work on the stand for awhile. :)