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.