# DIY 55 gallon furniture quality tank stand step-by-step



## jcollette3

After browsing endless DIY articles out there and coming up wanting for a more contemporary design that incorporated the clean lines and functionality that I was after, I decided to build one that would incorporate everything that I want in the stand. Since this is a finished piece of furniture that will be displayed in my living room, it also has to be just that - a finished piece of furniture. And, of course, it should not break the bank.

Luckily, I have a home depot about a mile from my house - which is fortuitous since they have a nice panel cutting saw, and I drive a Mini Cooper - it will take 2"x4"x8's, but panel stock is limited to 2'x4'. This stand is built entirely of plywood - and make no mistake about it, it is overengineered. Plywood is much stronger than dimensional lumber - I built my first house, and let me tell you, if it had not been for microlam beams I would have had much smaller rooms than I did.

So, I sketched the design out on the back of a piece of scrap, unused Christmas wrapping paper and off to Home Dumpster I drove in the Mini. *Purchase #1:* 1 - 4'x8' oak plywood, 1 roll of red oak iron-on edge banding - total $58.00.

First, some formalities: I make no guarantees regarding the quality, construction, fit, finish, durability or sturdiness of this project if the right materials and construction techniques are not used; always follow manufacturer guidelines and safe operating instructions on your power tools.

*The Build*

I started the carcass off by cutting the 2 end panels and 2 interior partitions out of 2 pieces of 24"x46" oak ply. When you get your oak 4x8 ripped at HD, get 2 panels cut in 24"x46" and 2 panels cut in 24"x50". You need longer stock for the top and back. First cut 4 blanks - 2 @ 24"tx20"w, and 2 @24"tx19.25"w - the side panels will be rabbited to receive the back.

In the front edge of each of the 4 panels, a 2"tx3/4"d notch in needed at the top edge, and a 4"tx3/4"d notch at the bottom edge have to be cut out. This photo shows the layout.










After identical cutouts are made at the front edge of all 4 blanks, cut a 2"wx48"l strip from the ply, as well as a 4"wx48"l strip. Then, at the table saw, cut one of your 24"x50" panels down to 24"x47.25"w. Next, a rabbit must be milled on the inside back edge of the 2 end panels (slightly larger ones). This rabbit receives the back, and measures 3/8" deep by 3/4" wide. I set my table saw to 3/8 deep and make one pass at 3/4", then set it at 3/4 deep and make the second pass with the panel standing up to remove the material. I really have to get a dado blade set - lost the old one in moving. This picture shows the rabbit layout.










Make sure you have 2 opposite panel ends, and you cut the rabbit on the inside rear edge of ONLY the 2 larger outside panels.

Next, sand everything with 220 grit and a random orbital sander. It is much easier to sand the inside portions of the carcass before assembly than after. This pic shows all the carcass parts (shelves excluded) sanded and ready for assembly.










Now, some fun. I used a variety of sizes of drywall screws and yellow carpenters glue to assemble this phase of the stand. Be sure to wipe off excess glue with a wet paper towel before it sets - if you don't, the wood will not take stain evenly. Start with the outside panels - apply glue to the inside of the rabbit of one panel and slip the back blank into the rabbit. Secure with 2" drywall screws through the back. Repeat for the other outside panel.










Decide on a spacing for the center compartment. I am using mine for my two Fluvals, my external heater and a powerstrip, so mine is 16" wide. Decide on you spacing and attach the 2 interior partitions. I would keep them around this dimension as it provides maximal support. Once the partitions are in, attach the top and bottom strips with glue and screws. Keep the screw holes toward the top in the upper piece and toward the bottom in the lower one. These will get covered up by molding later, so don't sweat the screw holes.










At this stage I used a hole cutter to cut in the holes for my filter lines and an grounded plug head. Attach blocking as shown for the attachment of the top. I cut mine on a power miter saw at 45 degree angles. These are glued and screwed to the carcass about a 1/32" below the upper surface.

The top is your remaining blank. It should be cut to 21" wide and 50" long. If it is not exactly 50" long, no biggie, you overhangs will just be a bit shorter. Pre-sand this to 220 grit, and attach to the carcass through the corner blocking. The back of the top should be even with the back of the carcass, allowing a 1" overhang all the way around except for the back.










Up to this point, this project has taken approximately 3 hours (excluding writing this up), and cost a total of $58.00. Tune in tomorrow evening for parte dos.[/img]


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## kornphlake

jcollette3 said:


> This stand is built entirely of plywood - and make no mistake about it, it is overengineered.


Finally someone who actually understands what this means, it was overengineered, not just thrown together to be as strong as possible. Nice write up, I'm designing a wall unit my 55g will go into, I'm taking a different approach than you as far as construction. I'm anxious to see how you finish and trim the stand, I'm still looking for ideas.


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## jcollette3

*Parte Dos.*

So... I began todays build by venturing forth to Home dumpster once again in search of a few additional sundries. Today's tab - $38.00, but I spent $18 bucks on a large container of tung oil which I will use for additional projects, along with ~10 bucks on finish and another 10 on the piece of oak.

I purchased an 8 foot length of 3"w oak to make my moldings from. You could use readily available moldings of any type that you want, but I want a nice clean modern look, so I am going with a flat beveled design. This is the piece of lumber raw sitting on my table saw...










What I did is rip the piece in half at a 13 degree angle. This gives two pieces of stock with the following profile...










I then trimmed one edge of this piece of stock to 4 inches wide for the bottom trim. I then fit this piece to the carcass, mitering the corners to hide my less carpenterish construction techniques (carpenters scoff at drywall screws). I milled a strip of oak ply to fill the gap while leaving about a quarter inch gap at the bottom for a shadow line - to make the piece appear to float on the floor - a lightening technique. A pic in progress... I then cut the other piece to 2" wide to cover the top areas.










Now, get out your iron. You will recall that last trip to HD I purchased some edge banding. This is where you use it. On every raw plywood edge, a piece of red oak banding must be cut and applied via iron to the ply. I use scissors to cut the banding, making one edge as perpendicular to the the edge that it is applied against as possible. This is the stuff to look for...










...and here is a shot of my hands in action... Who says that men can't do the ironing?










All of the banding took about 45 minutes. Do not hesitate to crank up the temperature setting on your iron - if you use too cool a setting you will be there for days. This is where we sit right now. I am still not sure exactly what I am going to do for a door. I have another piece in the living room that I used frosted glass in the door panels for, so I may do something like that with this one. Will let you know tomorrow.

*Total $$$ spent thus far $96.* I worked for about another 4 hours today, for a total of 7 hours. Tune in tomorrow for parte tres.


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## jcollette3

*Parte Tres*

I completely forgot to post a picture of the project as it stood last night with all of the moldings on and nail head holes filled in with putty, so here it was as of last night. I use a stainable wood filler made by elmer's - it is lightweight and dries in about 10 minutes.










This afternoon, I started by sanding the entire case by hand with a foam backed 320 grit sanding pad. After this I went over the entire carcass with a very slightly damp clean cloth to remove as much dust as possible, and then I began the finishing process.

The finish that I am going with is a 2 part one: a base coat of oil stain (Minwax English Chestnut), and a multiple application of tung oil as a top coat. I chose the color to try and get as close as possible to the wooden base on my Ekorness chair which is a stain color called teak. The chestnut may be a bit redder, but the color is close enough for me, and I don't like pale oak anywhere but on the floor. Do one small area at a time, and wipe off the excess. I tried to leave the stain on for no more than 10 minutes on any one area before removing it. Don't overlap areas that you have already stained and wiped and areas that you are currently staining, the overlap will be darker than either area and may look odd. I really liked the color with just one coat, so that's all she's getting.










Here is a photo of the stained cabinet.










I let the stain dry for about 8 hours, which is the recommended drying time. I then did the first application of tung oil. This is one of the easiest, fool-proof and best looking finishes that you can put on a piece of furniture. When you go to a gallery and look at high-quality artisan-produced furniture that uses exceptional expensive wood species, this is the finish that you will find on these pieces.

The process is simple. You brush the tung oil on fairly liberally for the first coat. Let it work into the food for about 15 minutes, and then wipe off the excess with paper towels. Get as much of the excess oil off the surface as you can - you'll go through quite a few paper towels. That's it. Oh, the stuff doesn't smell all that pleasant, you'll either need good ventilation, or a good canister respirator. This is where I am as of 20 minutes ago - 1 coat of tung applied.










I am going to put on probably at least another 3 coats. You can apply another coat about every four hours, so it will be a few days until it is finished. For the remaining coats, I will just dampen a rag with the tung, and apply it to the stand. The excess will be immediately removed. Between coats I will buff with 4/0 steel wool, and tack cloth. When the finish is finished, I will go glass shopping. Each of the 2 end 'bays' will get a frosted glass shelf, and the door for the center compartment is also going to be frosted glass. Home dumpster has stereo-cabinet type glass hinges as well as the magnetic latches. It will probably be about another $30 for glass and $10 or so for hardware.

*The total cost for this cabinet will be $136.* I spent about 2 hours on the prep and finish today for a total of about 9 hours. I anticipate about another 2 hours before it is completely finished. If you have any questions regarding this build, or have any carpentry questions in general, you can pm me. This was a pretty straight forward and enjoyable project to build, is easily strong enough to support an elephant, and will look great with my eclectic mix of contemporary and antique furniture in the living room. I'll post another photo when it is upstairs and completely done.


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## cholile

awesome. just awesome. threads like this with a clear, thorough yet not unnecessarily verbose, explanation, coupled with the right pictures to illustrate help people like me who would otherwise never even try something like this at least give it a shot.


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## jcollette3

Go for it. The only really necessary tools are a table saw, a miter saw (power or hand), a drill and a sander (which you could also do by hand). I always like purpose building something myself if the piece is either too expensive, or not exactly what I want.


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## bulldogg7

IT'll never work, where's the wood on wood? The 4X4's the 20X60's???
Total cost, $130! you coulda built it for $50 in 2X4's!!!
:lol: Sorry just kidding. I love it.
I'll bet if you placed it beside these 2X wood on wood, triple braced, tomato garden/bean vine reinforced stands you'd beat them in a crash test! Bought time someone demonstrated plywood! Both are good designs but you hear nothing of screws stressing when it's full perimeter support!

Only one complaint, it would look better with a tank :thumb: 
I love it!
Can't wait to see the doors.


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## jcollette3

I should do the strength calculations sometime just to show everyone the benefits of plywood construction. I bet this stand would easily support more than half a ton.


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## bulldogg7

I want to see it with a car on it!
It would hold. Half a ton? Don't be so modest  
Would love to hear some results! It looks like it easily could hold about 4 55's stacked up.


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## jcollette3

Wait until you see the radius curved-top oak light that I'm working on! No diy on that one though - camera ran out of batteries half way through. I will do a short add-on to the end of this post with some images and a bit of how-to-type-stuff though.


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## Charlutz

How does the tung oil compare with a polyurethane finish? I've always used poly, but looking for other finishes. Well done! :thumb:



bulldogg7 said:


> IT'll never work, where's the wood on wood?


:-? This design is wood on wood. Note the notches in the vertical panels to support the rails.


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## bulldogg7

I was joking when I said it wouldn't work, sorry.
Isn't tung oil what gunstocks are finished with?


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## kornphlake

Charlutz said:


> How does the tung oil compare with a polyurethane finish? I've always used poly, but looking for other finishes. Well done! :thumb:
> 
> 
> 
> bulldogg7 said:
> 
> 
> 
> IT'll never work, where's the wood on wood?
> 
> 
> 
> :-? This design is wood on wood. Note the notches in the vertical panels to support the rails.
Click to expand...

Actually it's not really wood on wood like most people use in 2x4 construction, it's plywood on edge. There aren't any fasteners between the bottom of the tank and the floor, unlike a 2x4 stand with wood on wood there isn't really a joint at all between the tank and the floor, no fasteners are needed. Appropriately braced as it is here plywood on edge is sufficiently strong to hold any tank.


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## P &amp; B Customs

VERY nice work!

Looks very professional! 

Like that table saw too..what brand is that?


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## jcollette3

P & B Customs said:


> VERY nice work!
> 
> Looks very professional!
> 
> Like that table saw too..what brand is that?


Thanks. It is a Rigid with a cast iron top. It'll cut a panel up to something like 40" wide. Very accurate and extremely parallel rip fence as well. I highly recommend buying one so you can build your own furniture! Here is a link to Home Dumpster's page on this fabulous table saw...
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100007962

As far as all of this talk of 'wood on wood' and 'fastener sheer'... these concepts are unimportant as long as you 1) either brace or set important bearing partitions into rabbits/dados; and 2) use a good high quality wood glue. I use titebond waterproof carpenters glue and gorilla glue. The gorilla glue is an expanding polyurathane glue that is just about impossible to break. I am fairly confident tath you could build a stand with *NO* fasteners at all using gorilla glue. wood surfaces bonded with this stuff never break along the bond, but somewhere else along the wood. Can't recommend the stuff enough.

Tung oil is definitely not as hard as poly, but is just as waterproof. The upside to a tung finish is that whenever your furniture needs a touch up, you just put a bit of tung on a lint free rag and buff it in. Try that with poly.


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## P &amp; B Customs

Thanks will follow that link..

:lol: Just curious though, not a fan of Hom Depot?


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## Charlutz

kornphlake said:


> Actually it's not really wood on wood like most people use in 2x4 construction, it's plywood on edge. There aren't any fasteners between the bottom of the tank and the floor, unlike a 2x4 stand with wood on wood there isn't really a joint at all between the tank and the floor, no fasteners are needed. Appropriately braced as it is here plywood on edge is sufficiently strong to hold any tank.


To me, "wood on wood" means simply that -- use the wood to bear the load, not the fasteners. That is exactly what this stand is. The principle is valid. Plywood is stronger on edge because of the layers, or so I've read. It's the principle behind the design of McDaphnia's stand in the forum library. The "fastener" in this stand is glue, used merely to hold everything in place, just the way I've recommended many times in a 2x4 construction.

To be very clear, I am not knocking this stand or knocking plywood construction. I applaud it. My point is merely that the wood on wood principle is sound and is the same for 2x4 framing or in a plywood "exo-skeleton."


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## kornphlake

I guess you're correct in the context stated, the wood bears the load, referencing the notch in the plywood where the horizontal piece is attatched is what threw me off. The horizontal piece is essentially non-load bearing (look at the size of that piece, it's too small in comparison to the rest of the stand to be structural.)

I think we can all agree the OP has built a piece of furniture rather than something to wag around the internet saying mine is better than yours.


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## Stickzula

> I am fairly confident tath you could build a stand with NO fasteners at all using gorilla glue. wood surfaces bonded with this stuff never break along the bond, but somewhere else along the wood. Can't recommend the stuff enough.


 :thumb: I couldn't agree more! Even plain Elmers carpenters glue will hold a joint to the point that the wood around the joint will break before the glued joint.

Very nice design by the way. I am assuming that if I wanted to do b-i-r-c-h or maple instead of oak, that the plywood would be the same strength? The only difference should be the outer ply right?


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## kornphlake

The difference in strength from oak to maple to b*i*r*c*h should be negligable. Keep in mind that, depending on the grade, the core may be fir or another softwood with a hardwood venier. Still 3/4" plywood, well braced, should be plenty strong enough for any tank stand.


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## jcollette3

Stickzula said:


> Very nice design by the way. I am assuming that if I wanted to do b-i-r-c-h or maple instead of oak, that the plywood would be the same strength? The only difference should be the outer ply right?
Click to expand...

Thanks. Birch, maple, poplar or mahogany - as long a it's cabinet grade ply, the interior plies should all be poplar or fir, both of which are hardwoods. If you want the pentultimate in strength, marine grade 3/4" ply can be found at many specialty wood outlets. It'll probably be quite pricey though, the stuff uses mahogany all the way through.

In my design, the top rail and bottom rails have absolutely no function whatsoever with the exception of maintaining spacing between the 4 bearing panels and to prevent shear. The 5 bearing panels (5th being the full length back panel) distribute the load wayyyyy more than adequately. Every mating surface is glued, many are dadoed or rabbited as well. And then screwed, yes - with the more than adequate drywall screw, which do 2 things: hold the joints firmly together until the glue sets (act as clamps in effect); and add some strength to the joints. Bear in mind, glued joints will almost always fail somewhere other than the glue line. Another thing to remember when talking about glued and screwed joints - the screws essentially bear no load when the glue has set. There is no shear acting on them, except the longitudinal strain parallel to the screw itself caused by one end of the screw being a larger diameter than the other (head). Yes, if you don't glue your joints, there will be mechanical shear on your fasteners. But, if you properly construct your casework with a good quality waterproof glue, there should not be.


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## jcollette3

*Lighting - DIY-ish*

Finally got around to getting some batteries for the camera. Unfortunately, alot went into the light carcass that was missed because of this, but I'll try and fill in a bit with text.

So I wanted a curved radius design for my lighting setup, and I like wood very much, but I don't like the boxy look of most 'canopies', no matter how many moldings are slapped on that box. I really like modern, so this will be a modern radius top oak light fixture. I am unsure at this point if the fixture will hang on wires, or be on some sort of support Amano-style. For my material I used 1/4" oak plywood, as this will be relatively easy to bend.

I started by sizing two oak ply pannels to 48"x24" with the grain running in the long dimension. I examined the grain carefully to see which of the 2 panels would make the better top. I then cut a series of curfs about 1/2" apart on the underside of the upper panel and the upper side of the lower panel. I then soaked these in my shower under the hottest water it would spit out for about 5 minutes and brought them back down to my lair. On the floor I laid out a 4"x4"x8 that I had laying around and put the center of the plywood over the 4x4. I weighted the edges with the myriad of paint cans I have laying around my basement and let them dry for a couple of days. I made sure to lay them out finished side up for the top and finish side down for the lower panel. No pics, sorry. 

I then made a nice radius pattern out of mdf that I traced the profile of my lazy susan onto - it is exactly the radius I was after. I then made 3 plywood radius 'forms' that will be glued to the interior of the plywood to add support. So, here is the outline of the carcass assembly procedure. First I used drywall screws to attach the 3 internal forms to to a piece of 3/4" plywood through the bottom (need to be able to remove these later) to make a jig of sorts. These should be spaced to roughly 1.5" short of finish dimensions. I spaced mine at 40" apart with one directly in the center. Next, I applied a good coat of gorilla glue to the top of each support, and placed the finish side of the bottom ply panel onto the 'jig'. This panel gets screwed with 3/4 wood screws onto the supports at every other curf starting in the middle and working outward. The upper panel is then liberally glued to the lower panel curf side down, and clamped with a myriad of clamps onto the jig assembly. Allow the whole assembly to dry 24 hours. This is what the rough carcass looked like when I removed it from the jig and trimmed the edges. The holes in the sides were from blocking used during clamping - they are trimmed later.










A detail of the curfing used to achieve this radius.










I then trimmed of the 2 sides so that the ply was exactly even with the outside ends. I made 2 finish end panels (short sides) with a matching radius of 3/4" oak ply, but made these 3/8" taller than the side panels so they would stand proud slightly, as well as 2 side skirt panels (long sides that is) of 3/4" oak ply 2" wide and 48" long. These were rabbited to go around the internal supports of the carcass as well as the radius top. These were attached with alot of glue, many clamps, and very few fasteners. A trim piece of solid oak was applied along the unfinished edge of the plywood skirts to hide all unfinished edges, and iron-on banding applied around all unfinished plywood edges that were exposed. This is the result thus far.










Detail showing radius.










The holes in the sides are for ventilation. I will probably end up installing a fan on this fixture. Unsure of exactly what electrical system I am going to go with, but right now I am leaning toward compact fluorescent bulbs - they are cheap, bright, last a LOOOONNNGGG time, the wiring is very simple, a myriad of color temperatures are available - including actinic, and ballasts will not be required in my limited space.

The stain color of the radius portion will be a match with my stand - er - furniture as someone commented (would you put 2x4 construction in your living room?) The sides and skirts will be stained ebony and the whole thing will get a few coats of satin spar varnish - high humidity this time. As for the support, I am currently trying to engineer some kind of really trick bracket system that will allow the fixture to 'float' over the tank while remaining nearly invisible. This system will also allow the light to rotate up and back for access. A few details to iron out there yet, but there will be pics this time I promise!


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## jcollette3

*Lighting part deux*

So I added a couple pieces of molding to the bottom at a 15 degree rake to match the top when seen from the front and side. This was what it looked like this afternoon before I started in...










The roll of aluminum flashing was purchased from Home Dumpster (I really like the store, don't get the wrong impression) and was $8. Other materials: can of ebony stain $5; grounded 8' plug $8; 6 porcelain screw-in light bulb sockets $12.

The roll of flashing is a reflector in the rough - I formed it to my specifications at the table saw... the edge of the table saw that is!










Quite a simple way to make clean bends - clamp the flashing to the top of the table saw securely, bend, and use a block of scrap wood and a hammer to form the perfect 90 degree bends. Be careful if you ever decide to use this stuff, it is incredibly sharp and will cut you to shreds! Here is my finished reflector ready to go in.










...And here it is installed in the light. The reflector fits into a couple of notches in the front of the fixture, and only needs to be secured at the back.










The light sockets simply screw onto blocking that I had already installed for that purpose.










I am starting the finishing process now - I think wiring will be easier this way. The finish will be mostly ebony, with just the curved oak top in English chestnut. Holes on the ends will be covered with plastic grating. This is with the finished color on the radius top, and the first coat of ebony applied to the body. It may take an additional 2 coats of the ebony to get the color I am after. Until next time...


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## fishwolfe

nice top i really like it!i may try and copy it.you have skill for sure!


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## kornphlake

It's nice to see someone else using the spiral compacts, that's what I use on my 10g and they're way more than enough. With a 48" tank I'm curious why you didn't choose a more economical shoplight with T12 tubes though? Here you can get a cheap shoplight with electronic ballast for $9.00, a pair of tubes for $5, that's not much more than you paid for the sockets alone.


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## jcollette3

I like the idea of being able to mix color temperatures. With a 2 or 3 tube fluorescent setup, the color temperatures would become thoroughly mixed. With this setup, I can have a warm ~2000k on the far right, 6500k daylights in the center 4, and an actinic in the far left. I can then put the whole thing on a timer and get a morning, day, evening cycle. There will be 2 moonlights for night as well. Not sure if I'm going to get that involved yet or not, but I want the option. Also, spiral compact bulbs are dirt cheap, and they last f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Not to mention if a ballast burns out, you replace the bulb for $1.50.


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## kornphlake

You must have a better and cheaper selection of compact florescent bulbs than I do. It took me weeks to find 6500k bulbs for less than $8.50, finally I found some 5500k for $4.00 and jumped on them. I noticed a few days ago that Target has 6500k bulbs in a twin pack for about $7. I've never seen actintic or even bulbs higher than 6500k. It totally makes sense if you can get the selection of bulbs you want at that price though. :thumb:


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## jcollette3

The actinic bulbs will be the expensive ones. Corallife makes a 50/50 - it's only 10 watts (40 watt equiv). Even though its a 50/50, it should suffice for the intended purpose. Home depot has 6500k bulbs here for a decent price. What color are the 5500 - sort of a warm daylight-ish kind of thing?


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## P &amp; B Customs

The higher the Kelvin temp (K) in this case the 6500, the brighter/whiter the light will be.

5500K is considered Full Spectrum, covering both ends of the rainbow, even sufficient UV which a benefit to plants but can sometimes be harmful to animals in over-exposure.

10,000K bulbs are the best in my opinion; (BUT, depends on your set-up) they're not hard to find (just gotta know where to look) an aren't expensive considering. Now let's be clear 10000*K IS a Metal Halide bulb, but will provide you with long lasting SUPER bright and colorful light.. and is usually used in Salt Water systems, at least should be for the "real entusiaist" I HAVE used them b4 in deep fresh tanks...

But alas, as a great all around spectrum 5500 and 6500 are a great way to go and i'm lookin at the CFL's now for $3 a piece, cheaper if you buy them by the case. But in all honesty you do better getting the T5 flouro's. they are the best way to go for quality, quantity and price. I can get 6500K T5's for about $7-10 per bulb depends on certain aspects..granted they may be more expensive, but you need less of them, and then 95% of the time they last longer... and with that in mind are cheaper to run...


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## jcollette3

Dunno, ballasts are certainly not cheap... and I've had them burn out in 2 years. I have CF's in my house that I bought when they were still cutting edge at something like $8 each that are about 6 years old.

Now here's how I look at this...

*current setup*

Lamp wire $6
6 lamp holders $12
6 bulbs $12 - 20 depending on color temp
2 switches $4

total $36. Total available wattage (conservatively) - 138 (23x6) = 2.51 W/gal. Cost per watt = $0.26.

*Hypothetical Fluo. tube*

Lamp wire $6
8 lamp holders (2 x 4 tubes) $16
2 HO 2 lamp T5 ballasts $92 This might be done by overdriving one ballast for cheaper.
4 cheapo 6500k T5 tubes $29

total $143. Total available wattage (36" tubes only available in 21w x 4) = 84 watts
= 1.5 w/gal. Cost per watt = $1.70.

Since my fixture will only be 42" long, 48" bulbs are out. You can probably find cheaper materials for the T5 setup, but cheapo ballasts = fast ballast replacement - (I know this from experience), and additional cost down the line. CF's have a built in ballast, a ballast goes it's $1.50 to replace it. Ballast mounting space would be at a premium in such a low-profile space, especially since it would have to be filled with 4 tubes. Fluo tubes are also notorious for changing color temp after about a year, especially the 6500 to 10k plant-friendly lamps. I'm not sure if CF's are prone to this as well - they may be, but if cost alone were my only deciding factor (which it is not) I would certainly prefer CF's - the cost per watt is no comparison, and the bulbs last forever - and I have a 12 hour photoperiod, so this is not a trivial thing for me.


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## jcollette3

*Lighting cont...*

Today I added 2 moonlights ala Walmart. They are blueish led nightlights - $4 for 4 of them. I just crimped some insulated female quick disconnects onto the end of the wiring and plugged them on. This will allow quick replacement of the nightlights if they burn out. They are also equipped with a photosensor, so they do not have to be on a switched circuit which is nice. The blocking in the picture will be painted black later to match. The hole is 3/4" and was drilled with a spade bit - couldn't find the forsner bit. The fit in the hole is absolutely perfect - friction alone holds the nightlight body in the hole, and is more than adequate. All electrical connections in the light have been given a coat of silicone, and the light has been grounded (reflectors grounded to the plug). Here is the LED setup.










The wiring has now been strapped down with plastic loop that screw into the wood body. With only 3 23 watt bulbs in this thing it is absolutely blinding with the reflector. This picture was taken with 2500k bulbs, so the tint is a bit on the warm side, but you get the idea.










Now I just have to finish the finish. I put 3 coats of ebony stain on everything but the radius top. Still a bit light for my taste. The next few coats are going to be a satin poly mixed with the ebony to darken it up a bit more. The holes in the ends are for the switches which have also already been wired, but have been removed (via quick disconnects) to allow finishing.










The brackets that will allow the light to 'float' are going to be made from 1/2" square tubular steel (1/8" thick walls) that will be mounted to the back of the tank stand via adjustable clamps and painted either silver or black. The light fixture will slot onto these, and will remove in seconds. I'll post a picture of the final finished project when I get the brackets welded up and painted in a few days.


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## MaineGuy

Did you install all 4 lights? i could only see 2
I have 2 in my 30 long at the ends and the middle doesnt get much of the light.

Looks Great. Wish I had the time to do it. 
Maybe one day...


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## jcollette3

No, only 2 lights are in. I wanted more of like a spot effect, that's why I kept them close, spacing them just far enough apart to straddle the center brace.


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## Neogenesis

I just tuned into this thread and all have to say is WOW!!!! I'm impressed with your workmanship and design. I'm just finishing up the stand I built and the hood will come soon after. I can't wait till you get yours all finished up so we can all see how it looks and performs on your tank.

Neo


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## jcollette3

*The saga continues!*

I just finished the brackets - well sort of - they are not painted yet, but I mounted them to the tank with a blocking system mounted to the back side of the tank stand. There is a slot in the facing side of the blocks that is 1/16" shy of the thickness of the bracket. When the screws are tightened, friction locks the bracket in place. Not sure how I like this system yet, but it is workable. There is a slight forward deflection in the brackets, so I may have to shim the top of the blocking to compensate. Here is what the mounting blocks look like.










The brackets mounted and adjusted for height. I may lower the height just a bit, not sure yet.










And an overall shot. The bracket fronts still need to be sized, hence the front part projecting past the edge of the fixture. The finish also looks a bit shiny still - I think I will have to give the entire thing a spray with either satin or matte poly - maybe one more coat of black stain/poly combo on the front and sides first though.










I'm pretty happy with this so far, although there are a few things I would have done differently. It is a bit heavy - I would probably go with half inch ply if I were to do it again, and maybe a bit less molding. Although the bottom molding really does add a certain sophistication to the design that was missing before its addition. Thanks everyone for the kind words. When it is completely complete, I will post pics in my biotope journal in the tank setups section - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=160908 Still awaiting the arrival of my background... UGH!


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## kornphlake

You can find electronic ballasts for dirt cheap if you know where to look. Check this thread from the local fish club:
http://www.gpas.org/e107_plugins/forum/ ... c.php?6166

I assumed that you'd gone full length on your canopy since you have a 48" tank 48" tubes would work well. I understand what you're trying to accomplish though now that I see the overall picture. Still I think you could have come out a few dollars cheaper using a cannibalized shop light, it's really a toss up though depending on how long a ballast or bulb lasts.

Like I mentioned I used screw in compacts for the hood on my 10g, I'm growing Rotala Rotundfoila about an inch and a half a day.


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## jcollette3

For awhile I was considering power compact fluorescents - something like 2 65's and maybe a 40watt as well - I want to be around 2.5wpg for the plants. But, again, with the furniture-like curved top design, there is not alot of room for stuff like those pesky ballasts. I had the whole thing lit up today with all 6 bulbs, and man - that thing is bright! Now, where the **** is my background!!! I just tracked the DHL man, and it's somewhere in Rhode Island - shouldn't be for too long though - it is Rhode Island. Now, if DHL only delivered on the weekends.... :x


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## CSchmidt

Great job with the stand and canopy.

Chris.


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## mepeterser2451

i did the same thing. very solid stands


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## love fish

just want to say very nice work..... built one almost the same for my 55g and the pet store where i was getting my fish from even offered me to build more and he would sell them for me... alot of work... wish i took pictures to show but i nolonger have it...looks good :thumb:


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## jcollette3

Thanks. What sort of markup was the LFS willing to give you? I've been thinking about this possibility for awhile myself, as most of the stands that my 2 LFS's carry are junk.


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## Dewdrop

Looks awesome :thumb: I like the black trim on the hood that matches the trim on the tank. The wood and black together looks kinda oriental to me. Very cool. You did a great job.


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## love fish

he was going to sell it for 450.00 plus tax, with him getting 25% and with it only costing me 70-80 dollars for the material. i would have made about 300.00 dollar profit. If your interested in doing that then it would be a good idea.... Good luck on what ever you decide


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## jcollette3

Thanks for the info. :thumb:


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## love fish

your welcome.....


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## F8LBITEva

your setup looks excellent and theres no doubt your good with your hands. :thumb:


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## jcollette3

It's odd - I've always been able to take one look at something and intuitively know how it's put together. I can come up with a mental blueprint in a few minutes, complete with a cognitive 'cut list'. But when it comes to math - forget it. I need a calculator to figure out how old I am! Weird.

Thanks for all the compliments guys. Look for an update in my biotope journal soon - fish will be going in tonight. Hey - check out my ads if you live in/around MA - free 50 gal tank to the first person to show up in my driveway!


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## exasperatus2002

I like it, I like it alot.


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## mthigpen_02

Love the stand and might be able to make that with my limited wood working skills but the rounded top is way out of my league.


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## Mainefishguy

I wanted to bump this thread because I think it is a great build that we never got to see finished. I am also planning a new stand build for my 75g and really like the all plywood aspect. Hopefully the author is still kicking around and can give an update


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## SerpentSlick

Why can't I see any of these pics?


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## Steve C

SerpentSlick said:


> Why can't I see any of these pics?


The thread is 10 years old. The OP was hosting his pictures on Photobucket and they have since changed their user agreement and unless you pay for an account with them now the pictures don't work, so it's not just you it's everyone that can no longer see their pics.


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