My first cube tank

[Thereefdoc]

I came across this great deal that I just couldn’t pass by. A friend of mine, who I introduced to the hobby, was looking for a bigger tank. He found a great plug and play setup and the seller also had an SCA cube tank that was also plug and play. It came with a diablo, protein skimmer, varios return, g3 radion, heater and a nice ato reservoir, as well as some miscellaneous equipment. I went to go pickup his setup and ended up leaving with this one as well. I actually got everything for $150, which I think is a great deal. The only catch was that it didn’t come with a stand. After researching stands, I couldn’t find anything that I liked. Almost all of them have very limited access to the sump area which is my biggest issue. I want something with a wide opening that’ll allow me to work comfortably in my sump. So I decided to build my own stand . This was about 2 months ago and after intense negotiations with the wife, the build can finally move forward!
Im going to start by building the stand. It’s going to be 24x 24 and made out of wood. I found a couple of good videos and articles about diy stands. I bought the wood and a pocket hole jig this weekend. I plan on starting the stand this friday. I have a 36x36 space that the tanks going in so I might decide to make the stand a little wider and maybe use the extra length as fish stuff shelves or a controller/power area. I haven’t figured it out yet.

hopefully this build thread will turn out better than my last one. I started it and never updated it.

 

[Socal-Reefer-60]

Sounds like familiar goal to my cabinets end result. Good eye
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Make sure to check the level of your slab in whatever workshop area you are in. Your cabinet will typically be as level as the surface you assemble it on.

 

[Thereefdoc]

Sounds like familiar goal to my cabinets end result. Good eye
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Make sure to check the level of your slab in whatever workshop area you are in. Your cabinet will typically be as level as the surface you assemble it on.

I didn’t know! I’ll be putting most of it together in my garage. I definitely will be checking now.

 

[Thereefdoc]

I started building the stand today. I put together the bottom and top frames. I decided to go with a longer stand than the tank. It’s going to give me more room on the side of the tank to do things or for storage. In the stand it’ll be enough room so I can fit an ato/other equipment.

I used a pocket hole jig to put the frames together. It’s supposed to create a stronger joint between the pieces. I can say it definitely feels sturdier. It also makes the wood easier to work with. It took a few tries on a piece of scrap wood before I figured it out. My key takeaways from using a pocket hole jig is to actually measure the thickness of the wood and set the drill bit collar to the thickness using the marker not the tip of the bit.

Tomorrow I will add center supports and hopefully get the legs and most of the skeleton done.

 

[Thereefdoc]

Today I finished up the frame and attached the guide legs. I still have to add the pieces that are actually going to support most of the weight. I realized afterwards that the legs could’ve been installed to support a lot of the weight. The next time I work on it, I’ll either take the legs out and reinstall them or just add supports and call it a day.

If anyone has any suggestions, concerns, moral outrages, comment and let me know.

 

[stylolvr]

In the process of building a stand for my 20 Waterbox cube as well, although much less snow here in central Florida. Good luck, and following along!

 

[Ls7corvete]

I have some pocket hole stuff that just arrived, are you happy with it?

 

[stylolvr]

I have some pocket hole stuff that just arrived, are you happy with it?

Love pocket hole assembly. Easy, strong, and clean looking. Highly recommend!

 

[Ls7corvete]

Love pocket hole assembly. Easy, strong, and clean looking. Highly recommend!

Great! They look perfect, but I have not seen any other posts on building stands. I plan to go with 3/4" ply.

 

[Thereefdoc]

I have some pocket hole stuff that just arrived, are you happy with it?

I’ve never used pocket holes before but I’m a huge fan now.

 

[polyppal]

Today I finished up the frame and attached the guide legs. I still have to add the pieces that are actually going to support most of the weight. I realized afterwards that the legs could’ve been installed to support a lot of the weight. The next time I work on it, I’ll either take the legs out and reinstall them or just add supports and call it a day.

If anyone has any suggestions, concerns, moral outrages, comment and let me know.

From the looks of it that frame will be more than strong enough. I would put a brace in between the top and bottom frames and screw them into each leg (I think thats what your already referring to)

one tip on stand design - although you know the tank dimensions are 'supposed' to be 24x24, measure the tanks base just to make sure when sizing your stand! My stands all have a trim piece around the top, and more than once its been to small because I didnt account for the tanks frame thickness or glass thickness -_-

 

[stylolvr]

Great! They look perfect, but I have not seen any other posts on building stands. I plan to go with 3/4" ply.

I just started a build thread today and have my plywood stand partly completed. A few pictures there to show the process. Seems to be plenty strong already! I can share my plans if you’re interested.

 

[Thereefdoc]

Great! They look perfect, but I have not seen any other posts on building stands. I plan to go with 3/4" ply.

I haven’t either. There are a lot diy stand videos on YouTube.

From the looks of it that frame will be more than strong enough. I would put a brace in between the top and bottom frames and screw them into each leg (I think thats what your already referring to)

one tip on stand design - although you know the tank dimensions are 'supposed' to be 24x24, measure the tanks base just to make sure when sizing your stand! My stands all have a trim piece around the top, and more than once its been to small because I didnt account for the tanks frame thickness or glass thickness -_-

You think so? I was contemplating redoing it just to be on the safe side. I’m cutting 2x3’s this weekend to install the braces. I actually had to measure my tank because the sizes didn’t match up . I think my biggest lesson was always measure everything more than once.

 

[Ls7corvete]

Found it!

Thanks!

AIO Build - stylolvr's Waterbox 20 Cube Build

So now it truly begins! Starting back in September, I've been slowly collecting equipment for my first reef tank build in about 5 years, and am now only a few steps away from getting this thing wet. Starting the custom stand assembly today spurred the motivation to start a build thread to...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[polyppal]

I haven’t either. There are a lot diy stand videos on YouTube.

You think so? I was contemplating redoing it just to be on the safe side. I’m cutting 2x3’s this weekend to install the braces. I actually had to measure my tank because the sizes didn’t match up . I think my biggest lesson was always measure everything more than once.

yeah measure like 10x lol



If your using 2x4s, they can handle a lot of weight. If its a 60 cube, figure you'll need to support about 700-750 max, but that weight is distributed over the entire top surface, so each stud is supporting about 150-175lbs (which it can do easily). If you add a brace between the 4 height studs it also relieves the stress on the screws/connections where the top/bottom frame meet the height studs. Make sure those cuts are very precise and fit tightly in place, no gaps between them and the top/bottom frame. In this stand for a 60 cube I actually used 2x3s because I already had a few, but id recommend 2x4s since they are only a few bucks more. If it was like 40g or less id just use 2x3s...

There's nothing wrong with overengineering the stand if it gives you more peace of mind either, but its nice to keep it minimal and save money and weight. Think about it - most crappy petco stands are just 4 corners of MDF with no real frame and they put 100g tanks on top of those x_x

Note: this stand was 36" high and it seemed too high honestly. I would recommend like 32"-34" max, but still make sure to account for enough space for filter/skimmer/etc.

 

[Thereefdoc]

yeah measure like 10x lol



If your using 2x4s, they can handle a lot of weight. If its a 60 cube, figure you'll need to support about 700-750 max, but that weight is distributed over the entire top surface, so each stud is supporting about 150-175lbs (which it can do easily). If you add a brace between the 4 height studs it also relieves the stress on the screws/connections where the top/bottom frame meet the height studs. Make sure those cuts are very precise and fit tightly in place, no gaps between them and the top/bottom frame. In this stand for a 60 cube I actually used 2x3s because I already had a few, but id recommend 2x4s since they are only a few bucks more. If it was like 40g or less id just use 2x3s...

There's nothing wrong with overengineering the stand if it gives you more peace of mind either, but its nice to keep it minimal and save money and weight. Think about it - most crappy petco stands are just 4 corners of MDF with no real frame and they put 100g tanks on top of those x_x

Note: this stand was 36" high and it seemed too high honestly. I would recommend like 32"-34" max, but still make sure to account for enough space for filter/skimmer/etc.

That stand looks good, very nice craftsmanship. I was thinking of using 2x3s for just the height studs, everything else is 2x4. Do you think that’s a bad idea?

You’re absolutely right, I’ve seen and owned many crappy stands .

I was originally planning to make it 32” high, but of course when all was said and done it’s around 36” maybe even a little higher. I’m not sure whether I should shorten it or just keep it as is. I mean the extra room under the tank is not bad. Especially as I add equipment that can be mounted inside the stand.

 

[stylolvr]

I haven’t either. There are a lot diy stand videos on YouTube.

You think so? I was contemplating redoing it just to be on the safe side. I’m cutting 2x3’s this weekend to install the braces. I actually had to measure my tank because the sizes didn’t match up . I think my biggest lesson was always measure everything more than once.

As the son of a carpenter, “measure twice, cut once.” As the son of a carpenter, I always measure more than twice, and still muff it up occasionally. Double and triple check! It’ll save you at least a little bit of frustration and maybe some money too.

 

[polyppal]

That stand looks good, very nice craftsmanship. I was thinking of using 2x3s for just the height studs, everything else is 2x4. Do you think that’s a bad idea?

You’re absolutely right, I’ve seen and owned many crappy stands .

I was originally planning to make it 32” high, but of course when all was said and done it’s around 36” maybe even a little higher. I’m not sure whether I should shorten it or just keep it as is. I mean the extra room under the tank is not bad. Especially as I add equipment that can be mounted inside the stand.

I mean there’s nothing wrong with the additional height, I just though it looked weird with a cube attached. That’s just ‘eye of the beholder’ though

If your adding the second beam to the vertical supports then 2x3s would be fine

 

[Thereefdoc]

I mean there’s nothing wrong with the additional height, I just though it looked weird with a cube attached. That’s just ‘eye of the beholder’ though

If your adding the second beam to the vertical supports then 2x3s would be fine

the extra height will definitely make it difficult to reach the sandbed.

 

[Thereefdoc]

Today I added four 2x3s as vertical supports. I made sure they fit really snug and then drilled 2 pocket holes on each end of each brace. I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable about the durability and strength of the stand.

My next step is to paint the whole frame in a waterproof primer, then cover the skeleton in plywood or decorative wood and stain or paint it. I still haven’t decided what material I’m going to use for the outside and if I’m going to paint or stain it.

I’m very happy I went with the longer/higher dimensions for the stand. I’ve been thinking of having a small tank underneath the stand to use as a coral qt tank. I also think I’m going to have a connected display refugium sitting next to the cube tank. Again, this is all speculation at this point and none of these expansions have been approved by my wife yet. I still haven’t told her I decided to make a bigger stand