# 40G on top, 18G on bottom stand!



## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

So I decided I wanted my reading corner of my room back now and I started my stand project! I had a 37G (to be sold/ put in storage) in one corner and an 18G in the other and one day I thought "why don't I stack them"? So I've begun that project! I decided that I'd rather have a 40G Saulosi colony to look at every day rather than a 37G so I'm working on the 40G and the stand right now! Here's the stand progress so far:

Here are my legs, all cut out!









Got my legs all nailed together, they'll hold up these bad boys no problem!









Got my top frame on:









Added the 2x4 that will support the 18G shelf and got the bottom trimming on! I actually messed up the 1x3 there in the middle on the bottom and had to re cut another one. Then I somehow mixed up drill bits and drilled all the screw wrong for the bottom! This step took more than the rest of the stand so far :lol: 









More to come tomorrow! I'll be adding plywood to the back, sanding, and then painting it black!


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## chptunes (Jul 19, 2011)

Looks good so far.. I'm considering a new stand project... opcorn:


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

I'd go for it! This stand is only running me $20  May not be able to add more today, I've got to mow the lawn so it could be a tight squeeze!


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## calebjimz (Aug 10, 2009)

20$ so far! haha just wait until you have to add the main panels, paint, polyurethane, etc.. Its gonna add up :lol: but its certainly worth the satisfaction in the end


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

calebjimz said:


> 20$ so far! haha just wait until you have to add the main panels, paint, polyurethane, etc.. Its gonna add up :lol: but its certainly worth the satisfaction in the end


That's what my thought were, until I found 3 cans of polyurethane and 2 gallons of blank paint in the garage! I was feeling lucky so I went to home depot to check out the wood scrap pile. Found a white finished MDF board that's 1/2" thick and is almost exactly the dimensions I need! Only paid $2 for it! New and improved cost: $22!  I'll post pics later, right now I'm sanding down some of the boards!


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## chptunes (Jul 19, 2011)

Cool... (still watching)


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Not much to report today! I was a little too busy so all I got done was some sanding and added a couple of 2x4s










More to come tomorrow!


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Sorry haven't been able to work on for a couple days! I've actually got it completed now though  Here's what I did after the most recent picture: Just added a couple of 2x4s to make sure that the 18G doesn't fall through!










I added all the MDF board, and didn't like the look of it. So decided to stick with the framing and go from there! But then I realized something I should've realized a while ago - the only color in my room is natural wood (bed frame and nightstand)! So I decided I'd just leave it as it is! Here's the picture of what it looks like now: I added the 1x4s on top because I built the stand for a 40G, but unfortunately I couldn't find any 40Gs for sale around me! So it's got my 37g on it for the time being!










I'll post pics of complete setup later, I want to wait for the water to clear up a little bit!


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## Sand Man (Oct 12, 2006)

Looking forward to seeing it with the tanks. Did you polyurethane it?


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

I thought about it, but after bringing it into the room and comparing it to my night stand with a piece of wood that I plyurethane-ed I decided that it matched better without it! Thinking about installing some wiring to attach all the lights to a switch that I'll put on the side since I had to add a cross brace on account of the 37G having different dimensions than the 40G so the 18G light is a little harder to turn on than expected!


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## chptunes (Jul 19, 2011)

Looks good 'TKC'..


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

The 18G water is really clearing up now! I did a 20% water change today so that really helped, will post pics tomorrow


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

Wow, going with naked wood? I really like the look of this stand, btw. Very clean and attractive.

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Rick_Lindsey said:


> Wow, going with naked wood? I really like the look of this stand, btw. Very clean and attractive.
> 
> -Rick (the armchair aquarist)


Thank you! I thought it turned out quite nicely with the 1x4's going across the top vertically and the 2x4's across the bottom horizontally - gave it a better than expected contrast in my opinion!

Yes I know, naked wood isn't ideal :lol: But I thought that it wasn't the worst look I could have done and painting would have taken more time. I'm very impatient and I had several hours to spare so I decided to go with it as is and move it in! The water's almost all clear, I'll be posting pictures of the completed setup when I'm done working - at around 5


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Here are the pictures! The quality isn't the best and the water in the 18G isn't totally clear nor am I finished decorating it!

The straight on view:









A different view of it all, from across the room:









Nice close up of the 37G:









Getting almost clear on the 18G!:









The storage section, really helps keep things clean!:









Here's the 'wiring' I mentioned about doing earlier. I'm not wire-savvy so I just used one of those multiple jack things. I positioned it where it is because I can reach it from bed for easy on and off in the mornings/ nights!

















I thought I'd through in a picture of the cross brace I had to add since I would be putting on the 37G instead of the 40G:









The lid of the 18G barely stays open with the brace!









And now, my absolute favorite part! Because of the angle of the glass that the fish are looking through, you can sit on the bed or in the corner between the wall and the tank, and the fish can't see you! Therefore I see a lot more of my wee little Red Zebra fry  









And lets not forget the overall goal of this endeavor, to get my reading/ guitar playing corner back!









Reading back on this, I failed to take as many pictures as I'd hoped. I had meant this to be a thread that people making double decker stands could look at and get ideas and see that it is done, but I sort of missed that goal. Anybody feel free to ask questions about the stand construction and I'll answer to the best of my abilities!


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## chptunes (Jul 19, 2011)

Thanks for posting the results TKC.. I like it. If i build one, I'll post pics...


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

The King Crabb said:


> Yes I know, naked wood isn't ideal :lol: But I thought that it wasn't the worst look I could have done and painting would have taken more time.


Don't get me wrong, I actually like the look of most woods unstained... imho staining maple is a travesty, and even pine can be quite attractive in the buff. I was merely surprised you weren't sealing it, given the potential for moisture. Let us know how it holds up!

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Rick_Lindsey said:


> The King Crabb said:
> 
> 
> > I was merely surprised you weren't sealing it, given the potential for moisture. Let us know how it holds up!
> ...


I've never sealed any of my tanks before, and never had any problems! I've had a 55G on a DIY stand for over a year; and two makeshift (attached to unfinished walls in the basement) stands housing a 29G and 60G and so far no moisture problems :thumb:


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## Servc (Jul 26, 2011)

I really like this stand design. I think I'm going to copy it. Great post.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Servc said:


> I really like this stand design. I think I'm going to copy it. Great post.


Feel free to copy and use any ideas you like :thumb: Glad you enjoyed the posting, even though it needed more pictures :lol:


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

you might want to consider putting a timer on the lights.


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