# DIY stand & canopy 220gal tank



## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

Tools used.

Circular saw.
Compound miter saw.
cordless drill.
jigsaw
palm sander.
level.
counter sink bits.
punch
hammer

I did the main frame with 2x4's used 14 total. main frame was glued and screwed together. some people have asked ,well how do you level your frame in a garage as they all drain towards the road. its quite easy. level your floor. and if every cut on your stand is right on and all is square then when you go to level your stand it should be off just as much as your floor. so when it is time to move it into your house it will be right on. perfectly level.

i did put in a floor and a top, just for myself, it is not needed but if you plan to use a sump i would at least install a floor, i did the deck as well just in case i decided to go with a acrylic tank in the future it was already there. (these two pieces of ply are NOT glued down. in case of water damage) i can remove and replace with ease. also don't forget to decide on what filtration you are going to use as you will want to be able to get it in your stand . so sections of the stand may have to be off from front to back. as mine are wider in the front then they are on the back. allowing for the doors to open wider for a sump.

once you have your frame done it is time to decide what type of wood do you want to wrap it in. pine will work just fine if your on a budget. but i really like to work with Oak. cuts really nice and is a brute.

remember measure twice cut once! if using oak it becomes a costly mistake if you don't cut correctly

don't worry about which needs to be on first or what side will over lap, front or sides, because if you are using trim as i did , it will cover up your corners. and all of your outside screw holes. again every screw was counter sunk. ( all the wrap oak and trim was glued as well)

i did the main front first and just squared it off with the frame, then the sides over lap the front. again don't worry about seeing the edge of the sides as the trim will cover it. all the wrap ply was screwed and counter sunk.

Don't forget your doors. i bought prefab oak doors from Menard's. you can use when you cut out for the doors if you would like to save. that is up to you.

once all of the stand is wrapped in your choice of wood. it is time to pic your trim. (I predrill and nail trim, no screws) don't cut all at once , do one at a time. i started with the base board first. then did the top trim that over laps the trim of the tank. " you ask how do i know how much to leave hang off of the top of the stand" measure your trim on the bottom of your tank. in my case i had 2" of trim to cover off of the tank. so i got 3" trim. 1" on the stand and 2" over lapping the tank. "what about the gap? ( a BIG reason i leave this gap is with larger tanks is, when you go to move your tank onto your stand with you and your buddies someone is going to bust your trim. it never fails with a big glass tank. so with a 3/4" gap to play with all the way around mishaps are reduced greatly.

once your top trim and baseboard trim is on start on the corners. i do the ends first and butt it up with the front so that when you tack down the front trim it will cover the seem from the side trim. (don't forget when picking out base and top trim that your side trim is NOT thicker or it will over lap)

take your time. the stand isn't going anywhere. but if you speed through it your wallet will empty fast.

once you have on all of your trim it is time to counter sink your trim nails. i used a punch, just a couple light taps to get the head of the trim nail below the surface of the trim. buy a good wood filler putty. fill them in! everything! you will have to sand this off later after it drys.

pick a stain. again take your time. apply with a brush wipe off with a cotton cloth.

Main frame


















Floor and top installed (Again you do not need to put either of these on but a floor is nice if you plan to use a sump and i put the deck on incase i upgrade to a acrylic tank)


















holes cut out for the reef boxes










Some pics of this process were lost i apologize (wrapped in ply and getting the doors on.


































Trim.


























Staining


























Canopy, i did lose some pics of this as well but i will take some more as i will be doing some last min changes to it. such as fans etc

There is no frame to the canopy and one does not need it.


































finished, but i will still be installing fans in the canopy when time permits.


































and its all together less the water


























Gap fillers for around the top lip of the stand


















Sump Pro clear aquatics 300










I will be shutting it down, to hard plumb everything and install a external pump

with some water and my sons fish seeding it


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## mitch71h (Aug 19, 2007)

Absolutely beautiful! I love the addition of doors on the canopy. With the ones you see in the stores, you have to reach over, needing a step ladder just to feed and impossible to clean.


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## Ricardo755 (Jan 3, 2006)

Beautiful work. Well thought out. Obviously this wasn't the first time you used a saw and hammer. I think one of the things that makes our hobby so interesting is how different people come to it from different angles. Some are interested in the fish and everything else is secondary. Others enjoy the DIY challenge and draw satisfaction in knowing they did it themselves. Some people seem to be into the set up and the equipment and how it all works. You have shown us that there is beauty in the craftsmanship of a set up. Thanks.


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

Ricardo755 said:


> Beautiful work. Well thought out. Obviously this wasn't the first time you used a saw and hammer. I think one of the things that makes our hobby so interesting is how different people come to it from different angles. Some are interested in the fish and everything else is secondary. Others enjoy the DIY challenge and draw satisfaction in knowing they did it themselves. Some people seem to be into the set up and the equipment and how it all works. You have shown us that there is beauty in the craftsmanship of a set up. Thanks.


Thanks guys!! very much!! both of you! i posted this to share with my fellow fish buddies. i still have more things i will be doing to this DIY , i will update it as i go along as well but so far its pretty much done. :thumb:


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## mitch71h (Aug 19, 2007)

Believe me, the thanks all belongs to you! God! I can't wait to get out of this apartment, I hate not having a workshop. We will be back in the market for a house in the spring, your project makes me even more impatient. You are a bad man for that! LOL :wink:


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## PASWED (Sep 29, 2007)

I am starting my own stand project today hope it looks as good as yours this will be my first i have been reading like a mad person on this site to get information so i don;t make a mess of this any helpful tips would be thankful on this matter


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

PASWED said:


> I am starting my own stand project today hope it looks as good as yours this will be my first i have been reading like a mad person on this site to get information so i don;t make a mess of this any helpful tips would be thankful on this matter


Thanks again guys!

all i can say is take your time, plan ahead and measure 3 times cut once :lol:  my plans changed as i went along so just keep in mind that if you do decide to change something you give yourself a back out route incase your unhappy. :thumb:


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## Timeless R1 (Oct 14, 2005)

Joe- I just want to say thanks! Your design was totally inspiring! I decided to follow your plans almost to the "t". The one big diffrence though was my tank is a 110X so the stand was only 4 feet long. Since this tank and stand are going to be in the living room, the wife would only allow this if the stand was furniture quality. So instead of using pine or oak, i am wrapping my in cherry. Well let me tell you...i am measuring 4 times and cutting once! I'm about 1/2 way done with it. Currently i'm waiting on the corner cherry strips (these are very hard to find in 1/4" X 3" ) This stand ended up being my little tinkering project for the evenings. I'm also hard wiring gang boxes and timer switches (for the lights) right into the stand. I'm trying to live up to the origianl..thanks again!!


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

Timeless R1 said:


> Joe- I just want to say thanks! Your design was totally inspiring! I decided to follow your plans almost to the "t". The one big diffrence though was my tank is a 110X so the stand was only 4 feet long. Since this tank and stand are going to be in the living room, the wife would only allow this if the stand was furniture quality. So instead of using pine or oak, i am wrapping my in cherry. Well let me tell you...i am measuring 4 times and cutting once! I'm about 1/2 way done with it. Currently i'm waiting on the corner cherry strips (these are very hard to find in 1/4" X 3" ) This stand ended up being my little tinkering project for the evenings. I'm also hard wiring gang boxes and timer switches (for the lights) right into the stand. I'm trying to live up to the origianl..thanks again!!


Wow thanks man!!! please be sure to share pics of yours!! i almost went with cherry as well but decided to go with oak. i love working with it. cuts nice and is solid and easy to stain.

i still need to install my fans into my canopy but i am waiting for the new lighst to arive first and do it all at once.

i am starting on a new DIY fishtank headboard for my son soon as well. the tank will be completely enclosed in the stand besides the front glass and it will house a 55gal tank for a full bed.

il be sure to start a new DIY thread for that.

be sure to share pics of yours! and good luck!

Joe


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

Update of the tank


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Very nice, especially the driftwood pieces. :drooling: Where did you get them from and what are the tank occupants?


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

D-007 said:


> Very nice, especially the driftwood pieces. :drooling: Where did you get them from and what are the tank occupants?


www.tedsfishroom.com is where i get all my driftwood from


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## TheeMon (May 11, 2004)

you have a 220gal tank with neon tetras in it? omg lol pm me


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

no that's not the only thing in the tank they are the dither for the G Altifron Rio Xingu . there are 13 Altifrons, in the tank F1's 2-3" in size. also a few Plecos swimming about,


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## TheeMon (May 11, 2004)

how many neons do you have? do they breed? whats a G Altifron Rio Xingu? ... i really wanna know about the neons breeding


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

TheeMon said:


> how many neons do you have? do they breed? whats a G Altifron Rio Xingu? ... i really wanna know about the neons breeding


Not many left now just about 5 

G. Altifron Rio Xingu ... here is there profile http://cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2335

will be adding some G. Tapajos Orange heads back into the mix shortly as well.


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## Ironmahn (Mar 17, 2008)

How high did you make your stand?


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Joe, you used 2x4's for the stand, what did you use for the canopy?


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

Sweet stand! In the near future I'll have to build one for my 55 thats in storage.


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## Joefish (Jan 1, 2003)

The stand is 36" tall, and add 3/4" to that,

the canopy is just Oak ply framing nothing more. you dont need 2x4's for a canopy, you can see in the pic where the canopy is resting ontop of the tank wile it was on the floor, that is all the frame there needs to be, i just used a thin balsa wood to cover the top.


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