SaltyBuddha Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 I bought a standard Ikea cabinet I was going to retrofit into a stand, but none had the right cross section for the IM Fusion 10. I planned on using it. But then I started to think about my cat. Any extra room would allow him to hop up and get easy access to the tank. If he wants up there, I want him to work for it, so I decided to make my own stand. Pretty simple. 2 x 4 frame with cheap plywood walls. One shelf and enough room on the bottom for a 5 gallon bucket for an eventual ATO reservoir. I also added a wire earthquake bracket on the back. Just in case the cat decides to get mischievous but I'm also in California. I plan on keeping all of my electrical plugs/wires outside of the cabinet. Can't think of a simple way to protect it all in case of a leak. Will be adding some LEDs and I'm planning on caulking some edges with silicone. Initial frame plus dog (cat was hanging out in the frame as well but was camera shy) Testing it out Plywood panels Finish and gloss Wall anchor Storage plus cat... I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. The wall anchor doesn't allow the cabinet forward very much but I hope it never had to do it's job. Still need to silicone some edges and add some LED lights. Also adding a spring loaded opener. And last but not least. The reason why I need a stand dedicated to my tank. This is Floki. He wears the harness when he is a bad cat. Link to comment
Ranjib Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Does plywood require sanding before painting? Link to comment
SaltyBuddha Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 7 hours ago, Ranjib said: Does plywood require sanding before painting? I used 220 to lightly sand it. Actually used an ebony finish and polyurethane gloss. Hard to tell in the pics Link to comment
Ranjib Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 One more question, did you use glue/clamping the joints? Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 This is a good looking stand! I'm surprised you didn't put some wood putty over the screws before you painted it. That's my OCD coming through The wall anchor is a good idea! You should keep an eye on it when you first fill the tank, the added weight plus the carpet may cause the stand to lean forward just a little bit. Link to comment
SaltyBuddha Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Ranjib said: One more question, did you use glue/clamping the joints? I did use some wood glue as well. No clamps. Just the panel nails to hold it together. It is very solid. 1 hour ago, Christopher Marks said: This is a good looking stand! I'm surprised you didn't put some wood putty over the screws before you painted it. That's my OCD coming through The wall anchor is a good idea! You should keep an eye on it when you first fill the tank, the added weight plus the carpet may cause the stand to lean forward just a little bit. Thanks! The nails actually didn't stand out much at all until I finished it with the gloss and 220 grit. Then they started to shine lol honestly might go over them with a sharpie or some acrylic to hide them because it was bugging me too. Might do that tonight when I put in the lights and a few other things I'll definitely keep an eye on the stand when I fill it. Hoping my rocks cure in the next two weeks so I can start the cycle. Itching to get going Link to comment
SaltyBuddha Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 LEDs have been added. Going to put a few other shelves in but that doesn't need to be noted. Lights make a big difference though Link to comment
JR! Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 this looks great. better then what i had in mind for mine rofl Link to comment
SaltyBuddha Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 8 minutes ago, JR! said: this looks great. better then what i had in mind for mine rofl Thanks! I normally rush through stuff like this but figured I should take some time since it will be a display piece lol it's got a nice handle and a magnetic latch with a few small shelves now too Link to comment
SaltyBuddha Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 6 minutes ago, GPFeathers said: I love those leds Super easy to install and is great for functionality. I've got the switch on the right side behind the frame. Got them at Lowe's for like 30 bucks I think. Worth it for sure Link to comment
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