# DIY tank stand



## Guest (Jul 18, 2006)

I can't find the plans I had saved on my computer but I did send it to someone on here, if you are the person I sent it to let me know so that you can send it back to me please.

Anyway the way the supplies you'll need is
a few 2x4's
at least a 1/2" board
nails
thin piece of ply wood to put on back and sides of stand (optional)

This is what it will look like when its done,


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Is that strong enough? Personally i wouldnt have legs on my stand unless it was steel. If your going to make a wooden stand its better to have wood supporting it on all 4 sides to distribute the weight of heavier tanks


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2006)

It must be as its been holding for almost a year. 

Oh BTW, the dimensions for it are 4' 2.5"x 1' 8"x 1' 8" thats LxWxH but you can alter the height.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Sweet, you should add a finish on there to match your night table


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2006)

I can do that? What I wanted to do was paint it black, can I do that and what kind of paint is best?

Edit: What kind of finish do you recommend, is there a fish safe one?


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Any finish...shalack , paint ....anything. It doesnt have to be fish friendly if thats hwat your asking....


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

I would use a primer then a lacquer finish.


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2006)

Ok, thanks. Do they only come in one color or what? If they come in different colors what color will I need? Also should I cover the top of the fish tank with a blanket or something?


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## AndrewH (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks, but it seems my posts from Aug 13-14 are MIA (or deleted).

Let me know if you'd like for me to repost my pictures or if you had them deleted.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2006)

Holy crap! They are missing! I did get a chance to read what you wrote and see the pics but you can post them again if you'd like so other people can see them. 

That is wierd how people's post are being delted. *cough cough*


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## AndrewH (Mar 17, 2005)

If you go to your local home improvement store (HD or Lowe's), you'll find wood veneers (really thin sheets of wood, usually fake) which can easily be glued to your stand. If you take a picture of your nightstand (or whatever you're trying to match), it should be really easy to match the color and wood type. It's pretty simple to use and you should be able to get really good results even for a first timer (maybe even asking someone at the store to give tips or pointers and starting on a scrap piece of wood).

Also, if you wanted to go with a stain or paint there are millions of options. And you can always paint over it if you don't like it. I built a stand for my 90 gallon and used less than 1/2 a pint of lacquer. I incorporated a hood into the stand design, but you could always come back and build a canopy to fit the tank to match the stand you already built, plus it'll help hid the lighting, filters, etc.










Here's the support structure.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2006)

Awesome! 

Hopefully it will stay this time.


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## AndrewH (Mar 17, 2005)

I wanted to clarify; my stand doesn't have wood veneers on it. I took some old fence wood (6' tall privacy fence which people just throw away), I first ripped each 1"x4" board in half (of course removing all the nails first), then plane it down on both sides to give a smooth surface, then I used brads to secure it to the frame work. Then put 3 coats of lacquer on it. My original plan was to use hidden hinges, but I got in a hurry on the doors and need to go back and redesign them.

The next step is to integrate my lighting, then stuff in the tank.

It's really hard to see the details with this reduced picture size. If anyone wants close ups or detail drawings let me know and I'll post them or e-mail them to you.


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