# DYI Aquarium Stand/Cabinet



## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

I thought that some of the people who enjoy working with their hands may enjoy seeing this project of mine. It's a stand for a 29 gal that I designed and started working on over my Christmas holidays. These images are the concept that I came up with one morning, with a 4" deep drawer across the front and two doors for storage underneath. There is also a 1" layer of styrofoam set in the top to help spread the weight evenly across the bottom of the tank. I've got most of the unit built now, I'm using maple cut-offs and scrap from work. (whether or not that speaks for my scrounging ability or our scrap rate is something I am still trying to figure out.



















Tonight I hope to build and install the drawer and doors, and get it finished (I'm just doing a clear coat) tomorrow. Pics once finished.

-Tom


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## oscars4me (Feb 22, 2009)

opcorn:


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Finished the drawer last night, depending on how work goes today I may be able to work on the doors.

Hmm. Just realized I don't know how to spell DIY. Pretty sloppy.....


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

No problem on the spelling, here. I fully understand that DIY can sometimes be DYI.

(Do yourself in)


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Doors are done, turned out even better than I thought they would. This is looking pretty good if I say so myself. I know, this is worthless without pictures. I'll try to get some tomorrow.

Has anyone here built a stand with an electrical receptacle inside? I'm thinking of picking up a GFI receptacle and hooking that up so that my electrical is all on one protected circuit. Could keep the area behind the tank a bit cleaner.

-Tom


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Finishing was done this morning, putting it back together at lunch and then some pics. I promise.


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Done. Just need to cut a piece of foam for the top, and she's ready to roll. I wish the plywood and the rest of the wood could have matched a little better, but I'm happy. On to the next project...

-Tom


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

Tom, that looks great! I think the differance between the plywoond and hardwood looks good. Gives it a bit of depth.

Can't wait to see the finished project


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

Very nice :thumb: wish I had the skills :roll:


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Just a quick note to anyone designing or building a stand, especially for a larger tank than mine. When I constructed my doors I made the gap as small as possible while still letting the doors open freely. However, now that my tank is filled the stand has moved a little bit to evenly distribute the weight. The doors now rub a slight bit, I'm assuming because the sides of the unit bowed a touch. I can tell the the doors themselves are not holding weight because they are not getting stuck, and they are already working in to be free again.

I would recommend either leaving a slight gap between your doors, or putting in a center brace and separating them by a bit more.

Things you don't always but should think of before starting....


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## Maxima308 (Jun 6, 2009)

The wood will also expand and cause this issue just by the moisture in the air. The gap between the doors can actually be a noticeable difference depending on the season.

Great stand by the way!  :thumb: I like how you have a lip on the top i'll keep that in mind if i ever find the time to build a new one myself... Can I borrow your shop? LOL :lol:


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Thanks. The lip drops the tank down just enough so that the plastic frame is flush with the top of the lip. Keep the layer of styro hidden unless you look directly down. I am pleased with how it turned out.

Shop's not mine, it's from my father's company, which I also work for. Good tools remove a lot of the hassle from keeping things straight and square. Gives you a lot of respect for the people who did this type of work before power tools.


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

Tom,

A thought for the next one you build.... To keep the doors from rubbing, use euro-hinges (the ones you can not see when the doors are closed). The only differance is that you have to drill 2- 35mm (1-3/8") holes in each door. The euro hinges have adjustments left-right, up-down, in-out to account for alignment issues and wood movment.

The other plus with them is that you don't see them!

Do you have any photos of the stand with the tank on it and set up? We would love to see them.


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

*redblufffishguy*,

I had wanted to use Euro hinges, we have jigs and dedicated machines for them. But, I was having trouble fitting the ones we have into our design, and didn't want to bother with searching for the style I needed. I saw these hinges at the Home Depot, and they matched the look I was going for. Ah well, just need to look ahead for that next time.

I'll grab some pics once I get some plants and a backround in, otherwise it will still look incomplete.

-Tom


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## Tom S (Dec 28, 2009)

Well, a couple of months later and here it is all cycled and stocked. I've got it set up as a South American tank with some feeder shrimp, 3 corys, a group of cardinal tetras, and one Apistogramma baenschi female. I had a male also, but it died under strange circumstances and will be replaced next week hopefully.










Unfortunately in the photo the stand looks a little crooked. I think that is just my awesome photo skills, since the stand is square in real life.


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

Looks fantastic!


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## ron_s (Mar 4, 2010)

wow, that looks amazing :thumb:


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## lestatak (Feb 3, 2007)

nice job mofo


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## FishFlake (Mar 7, 2010)

TomS,

Nicely done. I'm currently designing my own, but I like your design better. Will steal a few details from yours (a true compliment for sure).

Flake


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