How to DIY an aquarium stand!

[whitrose02]

DIY stand, made with 2x4, some plywood, and luan to finish it nicely. My day-job is an interior designer, so I used my professional skills for my hobby for once!

 

 

We still need to make doors and stain and seal the whole sh-bang, but not bad for $70.

 

How to do it yourself:

#1 important thing - measure. Measure a lot. Measure more then you want to.

#2 important thing - consider your weight. Aquariums are very heavy and you want to make sure your stand can take it. I recommend going "over-board" like we did. Use at least 2 wood screws at all intersections, 90 degree brackets are great for added support. You might even want to check under your house where you plan to put your tank... are there floor joists in appropriate locations? You don't want your tank to fall through the floor!

#3 important thing - square-ness. Use the right tools and cut everything square and all will be well. We used a table saw, miter saw, and jigsaw for ours.

 

Design -

Consider the shape of your tank... you'll want to support the entire load of the tank with the frame of the stand. You can either design it flush with the face and sides of the tank (very clean and neat), make your sides "proud" of the tank (meaning sticking out, but be advised you should still have supports directly under each corner of your tank at least), or use a top that will be "proud" of the tank (this is the option we opted for). I recommend using an easy rendering program like Google Sketch-up to "built" your tank. The program is free and has excellent demos if you're not familiar with it.

 

Materials -

Base materials can be as simple as 2x4 framing and 5/8" plywood. I recommend 5/8" as it is more stable, in case you plan to put your sump on top of a shelf in your stand as we did. 1/2" is acceptable, 3/4" is better. We used Luan to finish the sides of our tank. Other good finish materials are linoleum, laminate, aluminum, clear acrylic, tile or anything else water resistant - let your imagination rule here.

 

Building -

Again, remember the loads you're dealing with... tanks are very heavy so be sure to use heavy duty wood screws, countersunk no more than 1/8" for stability. 90 degree brackets are advised at any "iffy" intersections. Measure twice to avoid any accidents. Use at least 2 screws at all joints. After your frame is built, lay your finish face material over the frame with construction adhesive and finish nails or screws sunk slightly in (you will need to wood fill over these later).

 

Finishing -

I recommend using water-based finishes for almost every home project... the chemicals that "off-gas" from oil-based paints must be carefully vented so be advised if you so choose an oil-based stain and finish. Also worth noting, you must combine oil-based stains with oil-based sealers, and water-based stains with water-based sealers. They are not compatible in any other combination unless explicitly called out by the manufacturer. Follow the instructions on the package on a test piece of wood or metal or whatever your face material is. Play with it until you are happy, then do it on your stand. It's better to make a mistake on scrap then on your masterpiece!

 

If you have any questions about load, design, joints, finishes, etc... feel free to PM me. I'm happy to help!

 

That's pretty much it! Have fun out there DIY'ing and reefing it up!

[nemmy]

#4 Important thing. Think before you start putting screws in everything.

 

I got ahead of myself on my build and had to dismantle part of it...

[whitrose02]

#4 Important thing. Think before you start putting screws in everything.

 

I got ahead of myself on my build and had to dismantle part of it...

 

I think that falls under the measuring thing...

 

Seriously - think before you move forward... measure, check, double-check, it's better build slower and catch mistakes then to rush and put it together incorrectly, un-level, or not strong enough.

 

Good tip! Thanks!

[fly*]

Some good words of advice there. I'm planning my next stand build for the next few months, will put up the Sketch plans once i'm done to get some final advice. Started out with 12mm Supawood and after some research realized that it would be a horrible idea to use it. So I have switch to 18mm Marine Ply and see where that takes me. What are you using to seal the ply? Standard varnish? anything special I should look at?

[whitrose02]

Not really anything special. We used a rub-on sealer.

 

You will need more coats then normal... generally twice the coats will make the surface water resistant, three times water-proof.

[hookedonreef-er]

Very Nice!