Salty stage: Have you ever built a DIY aquarium stand?

[Arron209]

Built this stand with a friend for my 260g aquarium.

 

[19Mateo83]

My humble first attempt. My second was a little nicer but I sold that setup.

I love the look of this! Thanks for the idea

 

[19Mateo83]

This is my 75g from 2010. I never got the burl panel lower doors attached but I did get them made and the matching canopy done. Sadly I wasn’t good at documenting things back then … These pictures are from another reef forum. Black walnut stand and canopy with camphor burl door panels.

And this little 2.5 gallon for a friend.

 

[Spicy Reef]

This was so much fun and easy, I recommend everyone has a go

 

[Peter Houde]

Mine is small compared to some but it is unique since it is a hex tank and I had some preconditions before the build. My wife did not want to see the water level at the top or the sand or gravel on the side of the glass. She also did not want to see any of the equipment in back of the tank. So this is what I came up with. Below are some photo of the completed stand and canopy and a few during the build.

Very nice!

 

[n2585722]

Very nice!

Thank you.

 

[jabberwock]

I built this out of rough sawn black walnut that was cut almost 100 years ago. Long story, but I planed and jointed all the lumber. Had a great time doing it.

I am about to replace it with an APS aluminum stand. The wooden stand is too short. We are putting in hardwood floors and ODing on wood furniture right now...

 

[tsharpe291]

Been in the hobby since 2004ish and have built all of my own and a bunch for side jobs

 

[DIYreefer]

I built my stand and canopy to match the cabinets in my house. I know it's not reef tank related, but I'm including the floating entertainment center that I built to match as well. Just because I'm proud of it, lol.





For reference, the TV is a 65".

 

[fredward]

Just finishing my first stand build. 3/4” Baltic birch ply, pocket hole screws and glued, coated with rustoleum appliance epoxy, wet sanded and buffed.

 

[vtecintegra]

My previous stand was one of those cheap pine stands that come with fresh water tanks. It had two small front doors and you had to drop the stand over top any sump. What I hated most was how short it was. You had to crouch down to look directly into the tank.

So when I replaced the tank I built my own stand out of t-slot. Doors on the front and both sides are on lift off hinges for easy removal. The the one inch acrylic that the tank sits on, and the door panels are wrapped with Instant Granite vinyl that closely matches the kitchen counter top just out of the picture. This stand is a lot taller than previous. For me, cutting aluminum bar was a lot simpler than building with wood. Foot print is 48"L x 29"W, and 38" tall.

 

[shakacuz]

built my tank, not the stand. i don’t trust my measuring skills

 

[Aardvark1134]

Salty stage: Have you ever built a DIY aquarium stand?

We spend a lot of time thinking about our tanks, looking at our tanks, and focusing on what it is happening in our tanks and appropriately so. However, sometimes we overlook that stand that literally and physically supports all the magic in the tank. Whether you have a premade stand or a DIY stand, whether your stand is made of aluminum, wood, or some other material, it is safe to say that all stands are not created equal. If you did decide to build a DIY aquarium stand, why did you choose to go that direction? Was your motivation cost, the challenge, the need for custom size/features, or something else? If you have built a DIY tank please share your experience and any tips/designs that you think may be helpful to the community. If you haven’t built a DIY stand, have you thought about it? Feel free to share your thoughts about why you have chosen not to or what is holding you back. Whether it is wood, steel, aluminum, or other material, let’s talk about DIY stands in the discussion thread!

Photo by @Brian Goldstein

With as much as a saltwater tank will end up costing by the time you stock it...even a nice aluminum frame stand with wood wrap doesn't really change the overall cost much. Which is why I will never build my own stand and tank...2 of the most critical parts to built right and not much % saving overall.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I, along with a lot of people over the years, used @RocketEngineer 's guide on another forum for inspiration on the 240g stand in the basement. Lots of awesome stuff here!

The stand I made uses 2×8s and 2×6s...severely overbuilt and could probably hold something way heavier, but at least I won't have to worry lol

 

[Ef4life]

Building one now. Different than most as I wanted to use kitchen cabinets for the construction. It will have a dry electrical cabinet side and a wet sump side. The stand also is ducted with fans to pull out hot humid air from inside, down a channel between the cabinets, and out through the toe kick. So any water that ever gets underneath the stand will be able to dry out.

 

[malfist]

I have, would not do it again. It's a lot of work and never could get the doors quite the way I liked them. That speaks a lot to my lack of skill though. If you're good at cabinetry or woodworking, it may be worth it.

 

[JCM]

Yes, built a few. Here's my current tank. Steel frame with Baltic birch panels held on with magnets embedded in the plywood.

 

[CoralB]

Nice builds !!!

 

[rhizotron]

As far as I can tell, i pretty much invented the idea of using Strong-Tie framing connectors + 2X4's like fifteen years ago.

 

[Dolphis]

My first tank was a second-hand tank, intended more freshwater than a marine setup.
It came with a stand that was designed by the manufacturer to go along with it.
However, since it’s made of MDF, I didn’t trust it, especially with how harsh saltwater can be.
Decided to make my own stand for it, using the idea from a nice fellow on YouTube, Fishman
It looked a lot nicer than the average 2x4 build and the inside was very spacious, which is always welcomed, plus the design and build were very simple.
Working on it a few hours at a time after work, It took me half the year to complete the entire setup - Drilling holes on the tank, building the stand, making the sump from a 40gB and running the plumbing.
I’m not that great at carpentry and the polyurethane has begun to tinge a bit, but I’m happy with it and looking back, quite proud of it.

I later on found a different guy on YT that had a different design for a stand that was quite interesting and I really wanted to try it, unfortunately, our other tanks after this one, came with their appropriate stands and kept them as is.