# DIY Stand for a 220



## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

This is my DIY in photos of the aluminum stand that was built by my built by my Dad, elder brother, and me for my Marineland 220 Xhigh aquarium.

Part 1 - It's made of 2" square aluminum that it cost about $250. The dimensions are 72.5" x 24" x 24". I drew up the plans with my father's assistance. I did all the prep work. My brother did all the welding.

I then ground down all the welds. Then prepared the frame for paint with 0000 steel wool and acetone. I then applied 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of semi-gloss black.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Part 2: I used some pine boards my dad had left over from when his house was built for the doors. However, I needed to get the polyurethane off. So I burned and sanded the boards and accidently used the Shou Sugi Ban method. I had no idea it existed until I started burning the wood with a blow torch. My dad then assembled the doors.

My father then drilled and tapped all the holes for the 6 piano hinges and the door magnets. We attached the doors and coated them in tung oil inside and out.

We plan on making a canopy in the same method once I'm done refurbishing the aquarium.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Part 3: As for the tank, I had to make new overflow weirs as they had been removed by the previous owner and were not complete.

Now, I'm polishing the tank and getting ready to set it up in the next few weeks. It took about 10 hours of polishing with an orbital to get that scratch out of the front.

View attachment 20210404_145308.jpg


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Great job on the new stand, I love the in process pics and the final result!

Those were some wicked scratches in the tank, again nice job getting them cleaned up.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Whew.... feeling some serious _'MAN ENVY'_ on that workshop/garage thing you got going there.  
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Really love the darkened/weathered effect you produced with the re-purposed pine boards. And, working in all that nice black metal as a visual element to the stand, is artsy and really makes that beautiful wood pop.
It's super cool!
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I do question your use of clear plastic for the overflows. Those will look pretty trick and nice initially, yes. But eventually, continued algae and water calcification buildup on those things will probably cause you some problems. That's why black acrylic is usually utilized for those sump overflows....
But, that is a really fantastic start to what looks like will someday be - a truly KILLER AQUARIUM.
Nice work!


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Auballagh said:


> Whew.... feeling some serious _'MAN ENVY'_ on that workshop/garage thing you got going there.
> -
> Really love the darkened/weathered effect you produced with the re-purposed pine boards. And, working in all that nice black metal as a visual element to the stand, is artsy and really makes that beautiful wood pop.
> It's super cool!
> ...


Thanks. Much appreciated. The shop is not mine, it's my dad's. He's been a union electrician and engineer for 40 years. As for the weirs, black acrylic was not available to be at the time so I used what I could find. I did use Plasti-Dip to paint them black both inside and out. You can see them in the photos after the pic of the clear weir.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Hmmmmm....


karpomatic1 said:


> I did use Plasti-Dip to paint them black both inside and out. You can see them in the photos after the pic of the clear weir.


And yes - you did! A more careful look of your pics shows that you were totally prepared to deal with that problem. Nice work!  
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I've got some questions!
1) What is that nice looking creature shown in your avatar? It looks a bit like a Uaru or maybe a Chocolate Cichlid. But well....
2) What are you planning to set this tank up with? New World? African? (Please, NOT an aquatic 'turtle tank' or something!). Share your plans!
3) Are you gonna post up more pics of the build? For instance,. I'm mighty interested to see how you set up that sump for those overflows.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Auballagh said:


> Hmmmmm....
> 
> 
> karpomatic1 said:
> ...


I can answer these easily enough.
1 - It is indeed a Uaru. I have 5 or 6 in my 125 at the moment.
2 - This 220 will be replacing my current 125 setup. I don't have room in my house for 2 large tanks. I currently have mainly New World cichlids with African Synodontis cats mixed in. Check out my Instagram @karpomatic1 for some videos. 
3 - The reason I wanted this size tank is that it fits where my 125 goes without taking up much more room. I can also reuse my lights and the custom sump that I built last year. The one thing I'll be attempting in this tank is a spray bar that extends all the way across the back and will get water from both ends. everything is made from 1" PVC.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Yesterday was the big day. Started at 550am and got done around 430pm. swapped out my 125 for a 220 on my DIY aluminum stand. It's the next day and I'm still exhausted.

I took mostly video. I'll post more photos soon. Check out the videos on my Instagram. http://www.instagram.com/karpomatic1


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Here are some additional photos.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Nice clean job on the sump plumbing, is that a drain pan below the sump?

Tank looking great too and I do love the stand finish!


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Deeda said:


> Nice clean job on the sump plumbing, is that a drain pan below the sump?
> 
> Tank looking great too and I do love the stand finish!


Thanks! I tried not to over complicate the plumbing. Yes, there's an aluminum pan that the sump is sitting in... just in case.

The finish is Tung Oil. Two coats.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

I didn't realize that I never posted these photos. The sides of the stand are doors as well so I can get in from all angles.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Whew man.... that's _TIGHT_. :thumb: 
-
My fave are those Uaru's. That's a really nice group, and they all look well-kept and healthy. Your Tiger Oscar comes in as a close second. He looks great and his colors are nice and bright.
Beautiful job on the build!


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Auballagh said:


> Whew man.... that's _TIGHT_. :thumb:
> -
> My fave are those Uaru's. That's a really nice group, and they all look well-kept and healthy. Your Tiger Oscar comes in as a close second. He looks great and his colors are nice and bright.
> Beautiful job on the build!


Thanks! Much appreciated. I guess you checked out my Instagram by your comments. I feed them frozen shrimp and beef heart once a week. It's helped them on size.


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## lazylathe (Nov 11, 2021)

karpomatic1 said:


> Thanks! Much appreciated. I guess you checked out my Instagram by your comments. I feed them frozen shrimp and beef heart once a week. It's helped them on size.


Great builds!
Just a note, your IG link appears to not be working correctly.
I did find you by searching your username though!


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

lazylathe said:


> Great builds!
> Just a note, your IG link appears to not be working correctly.
> I did find you by searching your username though!


Hmm... I just tried the like and it appears to be working.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

karpomatic1 said:


> Hmm... I just tried the like and it appears to be working.


I assumed you meant link in your signature to your Instagram and I just clicked on it and it is set to private.


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## karpomatic1 (Oct 4, 2017)

Deeda said:


> I assumed you meant link in your signature to your Instagram and I just clicked on it and it is set to private.


Oh, I forgot it was private. It's fixed now.


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## gouramis79 (Jan 6, 2022)

Awesome job. A solid project.


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