# DIY stand for 75/90



## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

Started building the stand for my future 75 or 90 gallon, haven't really decided which yet, just depends on what deals i can find, but i think i might have done soemthing crazy...

the stand is 42 inches tall, is that crazy? my goal was to make it tall enough so that you don't have to bend over to stare at the tank, is it too high? how odd with it look with twice the stand hight as tank hight?

i'll post pics once i get some more done, right now it's a basic frame, need to cut the vertical supports tomorrow


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

I have a 39 inch stand for my 75 gallon tank and I think it is perfect. Allows me to see in it, but be able to work on it sans ladder. I would think a 90g would get hard to work on with dimensions like that. 75 will be fine.


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## oscars4me (Feb 22, 2009)

Your going to need a step stool to reach the bottom of the tank. Doing gravel vacs can be an adventure as well. I have a 90 on a standard height stand around 39" I think and it ain't easy. :lol:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

yeah i mean it puts the tank around shoulder level, and i own a small ladder already, but i like the idea ofit being up towards eye level


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

here are some pics of the project so far


















the project is on hold until i can find some doors to fit the huge 35.5" x 19" openings, the front panneling will depends on how big the doors end up being


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

The openings for the doors are non-standard, so you are going to have to DIY them or pay through the proverbial nose.

Also for safety since the stand tall and less stable, I would lag bolt into the wall through the top rail into wood studs or a block wall.


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## oscars4me (Feb 22, 2009)

Lookin good so far. I do agree it could be a little tipsy.


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

A simple wall anchor can make it tip proof.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

under_control said:


> A simple wall anchor can make it tip proof.


I would not trust a wall anchor into drywall for this. They are often rated to about thirty pounds and a filled tank is much heavier than that and if tipping or rocking, has leverage on it's side. Lag bolts into the studwork are not going to have those issues. When you move the tank, there are simply a few small holes left in the drywall, easy to patch. You have to push the molly or toggle anchors into the wall and the hole they make in the drywall to get the "washer" side in can be bigger than the mark left by a lag.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

it's pretty stable and will be on hardwood, i can't see why it would just tip over, esecially with a lot of weight on it


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

if you are looking for non-standard door, there are companies online that build doors to your specs. I use a company called "Dutchman Doors". Their prices are reasonable, and they are very reliable.

just a thought.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

cjacob316 said:


> it's pretty stable and will be on hardwood, i can't see why it would just tip over, esecially with a lot of weight on it


 I can see three.... guests, kids, dogs. Also I was working in the fish room one day back when I had about 150 tanks and the aisles were narrow. I tripped on something and as I fell, instinctively reached out to grab something. Soon as my hand grabbed a stand, my brain ordered it to let go. Better to just hit the concrete than have a triple tier stand of tanks land on top of me next.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

thanks, yeah i plan to check out some cabinets warehouses around here, they sell cheap doors, and i know cabinets come at heights over 30 inches


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I have a 90 gallon in a 36" stand with a tall canopy...even with a ladder I can't even come close to touching the bottom! The top of the canopy is about 71" IIRC.

IMO, the tall stands look a lot nicer, but they do make it harder to do maintenance and other tasks inside the tank. If you don't mind working from a ladder, go with the 90. Otherwise, go 75, because you're gonna be WAAAY up in the air.

Pic of the previously mentioned 90 gallon:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

nice wine bottle on the floor, gorgeous stand as well, if i set it up and feel like it needs to be anchored then i might, but if it's sturdy i don't see a need, it's going to just fall over some day, and there is nothing around here to cause it to fall, and i don't know if i could knock down a tank if i tried


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

i've made a diy stand that is 40" talls for a 75 gallon, i think you checked it out on the local club site, but from my experience i didn't anchor it to the wall, but used "L" bracket and screwed it to the legs and used tapcon concrete anchors into the slab underneath. It held in place with no problems for the couple years it was up.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

yeah i thought that stand looked super tall


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