# DIY Stand for 125g tank



## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

This will be my thread for building my DIY stand. I just purchased a 125g tank with no stand. So, I'll be watching craigslist for a good deal on a stand, but in the meantime I'm planning on building 1.

I'm looking for any tips or suggestions right now. Its easy to overbuild, the challenge is to build appropriately. My goals are simple, functional, and less expensive than buying a stand. I'm an engineer not an architect I need things to function and I don't care how pretty they look. I'm thinking a simple lumber frame skinned in plywood. Maybe add cabinet doors to the front (must be pre-made ready-to-install). I can add trim if I can buy it at home depot. Nothing fancy - I have functional construction skills, not artistic construction skills nor tools. If I try for fancy it will look bad, if I try for industrial it will look perfect.

The tank is a 6' 125g tank just to give you the rough dimensions. It has corner overflows with drains and returns through holes in the bottom of the tank in both back corners so those should be accomadated by the stand. The bottom shelf will need to hold the sump either a standard 55g tank or something else TBD. Another option would be to construct the stand so that the sump is built right into the stand out of plywood - like building a plywood tank without the glass front. Would just need enough room to reach in for maintenance. However, this will add a level of complexity and cost that I'm not sure I want to go to right now.

I have 2 ideas in my head right now. 1 for a basic stand with a bottom shelf to hold a sump, and 1 with a built-in sump. As soon as I get them down on paper, I'll post them here for critique. In the meantime, any suggestions or considerations I should have in mind?


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

If you are going to use off the shelf cabinet doors, I would suggest picking out which ones you want and then designing the stand around them. It's much easier than building your stand and then hoping you can find something off the shelf that will work for you and fit on the stand.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Good idea thanks for the tip. Alternatively, anything besides cabinet doors I could use that wouldn't look horendous? I'm thinking plywood doors aren't going to work too well...


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

They would work just fine, depending on the grade of plywood. You can buy veneer edgetape that can be applied with an iron at any Lowes or Home Depot. Apply it, trim it, sand, stain and seal. If you want something a little fancier than just flat doors, you can buy moulding relatively cheap, and apply it to the front of your door like a picture frame. It will give the illusion of raised panel doors without the expense of buying them.

That being said, I think by the time you purchase the plywood, edgetape, and moulding it would not be much more expensive to buy the doors pre-made. I have a link somewhere of a company where that's all they do. I'll find it and send you a PM.


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## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

I was looking around at a local Habitat for Humanity and they had stacks and stacks of old cabinet doors for $1 each. Just a thought.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Some suggestions I might make. I am pretty close to your level on skills but I do have a bunch of tools. Tools do not make one a craftman, that's a matter of attitude, I'm afraid.  
That said, I can still turn out stands that friends admire. I've found just the basic 2X4 frame covered with plywood skin works well. Home Depot has a 3/4 plywood sheet in the 23-25 dollar range that suits me. There is a 1/4" one that works to cover a good solid frame, also. I paint my stands as I'm not interested in the precise cutting to do one without caulking. Paint hides caulk, stains do not. For doors Cleveland should be a good source of Craigslist free kitchen cabinets. Pick up a set, salvage the doors and junk the rest? Worked for me. A second idea on doors is carefully cutting the openings for the doors ie. straight and square. There is a molding that fits over the edges of 1/4 ply that makes them just enough bigger than the opening and hides the raw edge. I use corner moldings to hide the corners and top raw edges.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

We built a stand for a used 125G glass tank using plans from this site http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... ?t=1567110

Here are some pics of the finished stand









Door detail








Doors almost completely opened








Doors completely opened







The tank isn't filled yet as we are still working on the background. As long as you have basic woodworking skills, it's not difficult. We bought a Kregs Jig for doing pocket screws & were pleased with the results. Glad we got it done before the cold weather set in.

BTW, the basic stand is 2x4 construction but the top frame is 2x6 because I really hate the divider that limits opening size.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

You can build the stand out of 3/4 plywood. That is how I did mine. As Deeda mentioned, the Kregs pocket hole kit is great for these types of projects. Here is the link to the thread for mine.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... hlight=diy

I also used the wood left over to build another stand for my 20g shellie tank.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Great ideas all around. Deeda that is a great stand. are the Doors DIY as well? How well do the 2x6's take the load of a full 125g tank? If I wanted to design the stand to hold a sump in the bottom, would you recommend a couple 2x4's across the bottom with the plywood laid on top?

I love the idea of free/cheap cabinet doors. Craigslist here I come!


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

I think that the stand in the picture should have a center brace, at least on the back side of it to help with stress but that is just me, don't get me wrong though, that stand is amazing! I wish I would have thought of some doors like that, no problem getting to the sump with those doors. Genious! :thumb:


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The doors are also DIY. My boy fried came up with the hinge idea in case we decide to add a sump. It will also help if doing canisters. I hate struggling to get equipment out of the stand.

Using the plans I linked to above, there should not need to be a vertical center brace because the top rail is 2 x 6.

The top and bottom section both have horizontal 2 x 4's running from front to back. The bottom has 1/4" lauan on top of the front to back 2x4's. Caulked all the seams then painted a couple coats of semigloss enamel white I had left from house painting.

We leak tested the tank outside, sitting on the stand, for almost a week. No deflection or twisting of the stand was noticed.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Just wanted to update: I bought a stack of 2x4's and wood screws today to start piecing a frame together. I'm using all 2x4s, so I will have a center brace supporting the weight of the tank. (I do like the frameless look though - just decided not to take the risk since I'm only renting the house I'm living in).

Haven't figured out doors yet, but I will before I skin the frame. I'll post pics of the progress when I start.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Alright, back again for some help this time.

I'm wondering how tall I should make the stand. At a minimum, I need to accomodate a 55g tank on the bottom shelf as my sump. a 55g tank is 21" tall, and after accounting for the width of 2x4's and a comfortable space to allow me to reach into the sump, that puts the bottom of the main tank (125g)/top of the stand at around 36", at a minimum.

1 idea for my sump has me using 5g buckets as my media baskets, sitting down inside the 55g sump. If I wanted to be able to remove the buckets without draining the sump and sliding it out of the stand, I'd need at least ~12" of space above the top of the sump tank, raising the top of the stand to a height of ~42".

These stand heights would put the top of my display tank at 56" at the low end, and 62" at the high end.

Am I in the ballpark of acceptable/safe/aesthetically pleasing? I don't want to build it only to find I don't like the looks or it feels tippy.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I don't think the issue is going to be the height of the stand. The problem is going to be doing maintenance on the tank. The 125G tank I posted above is at 54" from the floor. The 220H I have is 58" from the floor & I need a step ladder to work on it.

If you want to stop by to look at the 125G stand or compare the two tanks, PM me.


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

Unless you are short, design your display at around 58 - 62 inches to the top rim. If your display is 29 - 30" set the top at 62" AFF.

You want at minimum 28" under the cabinets framing supports to be able to at the least do maintenance and fit your plumbing. More is better under there. Design for 24" high doors and if you use three 21" wide doors you can put one verticle support at 48" off center to accomadate two doors and still be able to slide a decent size sump under there. Let your stiles and rails be sufficient to allow for differing door sizes that you can purchase pre made.

Plan before doing any cutting. Many have built excellent cabinets only to be found regretting not being able to plumb the sump because of two inches here or there and doing routine maintenance on the sump becomes a nightmare.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Well, I did some eyeballing with a tape measure. I'm pretty tall - my armpit is around 60" - so I shouldn't have much trouble doing maintenance in the display tank. However, I'm not sure visually I would like having the tank so high. If the bottom of the tank were ~40", that is only a couple inches shorter than the TOP of my 55g I have set up right now, and I'm worried I wouldn't even be able to see into the tank very well sitting in my couch which is directly across from where the tank will go.

Any ideas?


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

34" - 36" is sort of an industry standard for cabinet height. Work from the bottom up. Build your base frame with 2 x 4 or 2 x 3 stock and use 1/2" or thicker ply for a floor. 2 x 4 is more than adequate for the side framing and skin with 1/2" to 3/4" finished one side ACX ply.

Consider the height of the sump you propose to use and allow at the least 8" clearance above the tank rim to the bottom of the display. You can frame the top of the stand with 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 perimeter but the horizontal supports need not be installed on edge. These supports can be installed on "flat" and will allow more room for horizontal plumbing. Every inch counts under there.

Breeder tanks make good sumps due to lack of height and generous volume. Even with these considerations you will be cramped for plumbing room but should be able to perform routine maintenance on the sump. Then decide if you need to go to 36" - 38" cabinet height. 40" might be proportionally too high. Craftsmen style cabinets are simple and offer easy trim options.

I wish I had kept pics from cabinets I have made in the past but if I have learned anything it was the need for more headroom and my dislike for working on my knees when maintaining the sump.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks for the excellent advice.

I'm anxious to get started, but I really need to just take an evening and design the whole thing in solidworks before I'm going to be comfortable starting to build anything. I'll do it tonight and post pics here for critique.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Alright, here is what I'm planning. Let me know what you think.









^^^Overview of stand construction









^^^Support posts - notched at corners to allow for easy flush construction









^^^Exploded view of corner support post to show notch









^^^Stand with tank and sump









^^^front view showing main dimensions









^^^side view - the sump will slide in through the side.

Later on, I plan on roughly modeling my couch to throw in there for scale. What do you think? look like a solid stand? I haven't decided what I'm doing for doors and skinning yet. I'm thinking about leaving the whole stand open, and just covering the 2x4's with some very thin non-structural ply for looks and adding trim around all the openings. Even if I don't, between needing door access on the sides and fronts, and leaving the back open, any plywood skin is not going to be adding much to the structure, only looks, so the frame will be doing all the work supporting the tanks. The only thing I still have to check is to make sure my drain and return holes in the bottom of my tank will not be blocked by the frame in any way in the corners.


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

Guys,

I have posted a few times before about this subject. You DO NOT need to use 2x4 lumber for and aquarium stand. Especially one as small as a 125 gallon tank.

All that is necessary in 3/4" lumber for the face frame, and 3/4" plywood for the sides. I have built hundreds of 4' to 8' stands, and have use the above list lumber for every one of them.

If you like the open look without a center support, use 3/4" x 3" lumber for the horizontal member top and bottom, and 3/4" x 2-1/2" for the vertical members. To make it simple, build identical "face frames" for the front and back, and put the plywood sides between them.

It kills me to see people building these massive stands that just aren't necessary. And makes me crazy to see most people on this site telling others that they *have* to use the 2x4 (or larger) construction. *IT ISN'T NECESSARY*!!!

Having said all that, don't take my word for it, even though I have been building aquarium stands professionally for more than 10 years, go to the all-glass, Aquaeon web site and pull up the photos of the stands they sell. You will notice that there are several of them that are built with ONLY the corners of the stand touching the floor. And some of those do not have center supports. Better yet, here is a photo of a 72" stand:










You can see that it is clearly made from 3/4" lumber, and has no center support going to the floor. It isnt rocket science to see that the weight is distributed acrossed the stand and down the legs directly to the floor.

Sorry to rant, but good advice educates people new to the hobby, advice that is incorrect or not accurate, or not necessary, discourages them!!


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i find that the 1x's are all a lot more expensive than 2x4's, nicer quality definitely, but more expensive.

my biggest issue is finding the best way to "shell" mine, i'd love to use 1/4" plywood, but cutting it is difficult for me. and since you can't mount doors to it, you have to make sure there is a thicker piece of wood around the edges


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

wow... :?

ok first of all, that is a very nice stand redblufffishguy, but I unfortunately do not have the time, money, skills, or patience to construct a stand of that quality.

Secondly, nobody told me that I NEEDED to use 2x4's, nor have I instructed anyone that 2x4s were necessary. i have CHOSE to use 2x4's because they are cheap, easy to work with, and more than strong enough. I have a skill saw and a power drill. I am an amateur, not a cabinet maker. I have NOT been making aquarium stands for 10+ years.

Thirdly, what are the negatives against using 2x4's? Weight? I'm placing a 250lb tank on top of it, I don't think it then makes a difference if I have to move around a 250lb stand as well. Surely not cost - the 2x4's in my pics above are less than $25 of material. i can't consider "overbuilt" a negative when there is no good incentive for me to build it any other way. Add in to the mix that I'm only renting the house I'm living in and the tank is meant to be in the living room, overbuilt starts to seem like a positive. An accident would be disastrous, and I'm an amateur builder, so I need to build to a higher safety margin.

Finally, this was not me creating a how-to thread in order to educate new people to the hobby, this was me creating a thread in order to journal my progress and ask for help and advice when I need it, as I myself am relatively new to the hobby. If you would like to educate me on why my 2x4 frame is "bad", and why another construction method is "better", I'm all ears. I would love to have the advice of someone with 10+ years experience building aquarium stands. But turning my thread into a rant about overbuilt DIY aquarium stands doesn't really help me much and does discourage me...

Structure aside, what I really wanted to know was whether or not it looked like I was giving myself enough room for working in the sump, and whether the height of the stand and main display tank looked good and aesthetically pleasing. However, I think I'm going to be changing it up again anyways because while I was at home depot today, I saw they had 54g rubbermaid containers and I think I'm going to use one of those for my sump instead of my 55g tank. That way I can relocate my 55g tank to another room and put some fish in. Also, I'll be able to set everything up outside and test for leaks and power failure conditions and make sure everything is working before setting it up in the house. It just makes everything a lot more convenient. Only thing is the container is 21-22" wide, so the stand will need to be wider to accommodate. On the plus side, that means it could probably be a few inches shorter as well.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

If I want to incorporate the 54g rubbermaid sump into the stand (a must if I want to use the rubbermaid as a sump), then the tand is going to need to be wider than the display tank. The tank is 18" wide, and I calculate the stand will need to be ~28" wide to hold the sump. On the plus side, if I ever upgrade to a 6'x2' tank, I wouldn't need to build a new stand 

I'm thinking about leaving the 10" as a "shelf" in front of the tank as a veiwing set for my cats, as well as a place for my wife to decorate :roll:. But I don't want it to look bad, or make the tank look small or anything like that either, so... thoughts?


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## PauloSilva (Apr 17, 2006)

Rhinox,

I've been following your thread closely as I plan on building a stand in the next few weeks for my 125.

I was planning on building my stand 25" wide because I too would maybe upgrade to a 220 in the future. I don't think it will look stupid at all. I also need the space because my tank isn't drilled so if I go the sump method I need a syphon overflow or if not I still need room for other equipment. My only thing is I plan to put some styrofoam under the tank but I don't want it to be noticeable. If I was building the stand to size than I would just trim around and you wouldn't see it. What is your plan for this?

Btw, I think your design will work well.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Well, in your case since you only need the room behind the tank, you can still use trim/molding across the front and sides to hide the styro.

In my case, Plan A is to just be very careful while building the stand and construct the top flat enough that styro isn't needed. If Plan B "styro" is required, and I still want to leave a shelf in front of the stand, I'll probably use a corner strip of trim/molding up against the tank on the top surface to hide the styro and segregate the shelf section of the top from the rest. Otherwise, i'll just leave the space in the back and put molding around the front and sides.

Another concern I have: I was thinking that I could save 3.5" in height by not building a bottom shelf and just letting my rubbermaid sump sit directly on the floor. I also know those rubbermaid containers tend to bow outward, so I'm planning on building my stand so that the center posts are right up against the sump and prevent it from bowing. Depending on the force exerted by the bowing of the sump, that could tend to bow the stand outward, and since if I didn't build a floor I wouldn't have any front to back connecting struts, I'm worried that the stand could start to bow outward at the bottom center of the frame and cause problems (much like an aquarium without a center brace, only upside down ). Should I be worried enough about it to consider building a bottom shelf? I could at least use 2x4's flat instead of on end and still save a couple inches.


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## PauloSilva (Apr 17, 2006)

Thanks for your advice.

As for your problem, in my opinion, the rubber made bowing slightly is not going to put excessive force on your centre support. Those rubber made containers are tapered and typically the bowing would only occur in the top half of the container. This is going to exert minimal pressure on your stand.

I hope I understood your concern


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## ksk_che_che (Sep 26, 2007)

Ask any tank manufacture of 6ft+ tanks, they will tell you their tank should have support in the middle. Some wont even cover the warranty for broken tanks due to the fact that the stand did not have proper supports/bracing to meet the warranty standards. IMO center bracing is a must, all the weight can not be put just on the corners like that open style stand unless the stand is extremely over built (ex. 4x4 corner posts). Whether 2 center braces or just one directly in the middle, you should have them on tanks that long.

That stand shown in the picture most likely has 2 center braces, inbetween each of the 3 doors. They might even just be 1x2's but they are still bracing.
The feet have nothing to do with the internal stand structure, just that the tank and stand weight rests on those 4 feet.

The stand should be built to distribute the weight evenly. 
AND
Suggesting to build the stand so a future upgrade is possible is pure GENIUS! =D>

Do you think you would need to be hovering over your sump, or climbing around behind it?
Could you fit your body in the door hole and also in between the 8 or so inches of space above?

I am very concerned with the framing blocking the overflow and return lines on the designs I picked out for my build, as my tank will be drilled. Very important detail you pointed out.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

I figure its about time I actually got to do some work on this stand. Here are some progress pics:

Step One: All cuts on lumber completed









Step Two: Constructing the vertical supports









Step Three: Connecting the opposing vertical supports with cross-members to create 4 legs









Step Four: Preparing to connect the kickboards to the 4 legs (stand is upside down in this view)









However... I depleted my stash of wood screws 









Yeah, so far there is an entire pound of screws holding the legs of the frame together, which is about 130 screws according to the box. I need another 64 screws or half a box to finish putting the frame together.

Tomorrow I'm making another HD run. I'll get more screws, some plywood for the top and the inside shelf, and for the skinning, some molding/trim to make it look good, and some primer/paint. I might get to the point to start painting tomorrow. Maybe get the first coat of primer on it.

Couple questions:

What type of caulking/putty should I get in case I need to fill any gaps that won't be covered by molding?

I'm planning on using liquid nails to attach the plywood skinning with finishing nails to hold it in place until the glue sets. Sound like it will work?

Should I paint the inside of the stand or at least prime it? I don't really care about the looks of the inside, but I will have a sump down there. Although the back will be left open, I don't know if I need to worry about moisture or spills and whether paint/primer will provide any protection.

You might have noticed that the construction looks a little different than my previous computer generated models. well, i decided to leave the front open enough to be able to get the sump in through the front. For this reason, I went with 2x6's for the top main tank support. This allowed me to build the stand 22" wide (just wide enough for the sump) which is only about 3 inches wider than the tank itself. I felt it would be better looking if the tank fit the stand without a giant shelf, and I figured I didn't need to build the stand bigger to accommodate a future larger tank because I think the next time I upgrade it will be to a 8' tank 

Some thoughts on the build. Despite meticulously measuring and cutting, and picking out the straightest pieces of wood, I just couldn't get everything to come out perfectly square. Maybe my cuts still ended up amatuerish despite my best efforts (all cuts were made with a skill saw and a jig saw). My 4 legs that are completed each have a bit of warp or twist to them. I'm hoping it won't matter though as long as I can get the top flat and level. Maybe I'll even be able to force it into shape with the long pieces and/or the plywood skinning. Aside from that, its actually going together pretty well. I designed it so all the lumber just sort of locked together, and all the pieces could be clamped before screwing, and thats exactly what happening. Only part I haven't decided on yet is the door(s). I think I'm going to go with 1 removable panel rather than cabinet doors, but I still may change my mind. I'm still open for ideas. Haven't been able to locate any free/cheap cabinets I can scavenge doors from.

So... what do you think so far?


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

Maybe too late (if all your 2x4s are cut), but a tri square works great as a straight edge for cutting lumber. HD sells an orange plastic one for like 2-4 bucks. So far its looking good! =D>


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

if you have a table saw or mitre saw it's not an issue.

but when using a circular saw those are nice


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

yeah, all my boards were already cut in the first picture. I used a tri square to mark all my cuts, but I guess I didn't have a steady enough hand to follow them perfectly. I thought about clamping a board as a guide for all my cuts, but I figured it didn't matter if the 2x4's weren't absolutely perfect since they would be hidden under the skinning.

Just got back from HD. Got a new box of screws, and all the plywood I need for the stand and canopy. Also got some molding to attempt to make everything look nice. And wow, the plywood and molding just tripled the cost of the build. That stuff is really expensive.

Didn't buy paint yet. Wife decided I'm painting the stand black... :roll: I wanted cream with brown trim, or brown with cream trim. gotta keep the shareholders happy if you wanna continue to receive support, though, if you know what I mean.

Hope to have some pics up this evening of the completed stand ready for paint.


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

opcorn:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

what you do is clamp the square down to the board, then use it as a gide for the saw, the metal base of the saw rides along the square and stays straight


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

dacjr said:


> opcorn:


Yeah yeah I know I know.

Alright, so I didn't get as much accomplished today as I hoped, but I got as far as I was planning to when I started this weekend.

Connecting the frame together took about 4 hours. I took my time, using my square and level and tape measure and made sure I got it all together as square and level as possible. Turns out it didn't matter that my cuts weren't perfect and the legs were a bit warped because when I put it all together, it all straightened right out. The top came out very flat and almost perfectly level. Here's the pic of the completed frame:









After a dinner break, I started on the plywood. I managed to cut the top and bottom piece before running out of daylight (thankfully had that extra hour today from the DST time change). I set them into place but I haven't nailed them down yet. Actually, i might use screws for these pieces because they are a bit warped. I set the sump in place to see how it fit (just how I expected it too), but I didn't want to put the tank on top until I have that top piece attached. Here's the pic:









Can't do any work tomorrow, but maybe i'll be able to get some work done tuesday through friday evening. If not, definately next weekend.


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## ksk_che_che (Sep 26, 2007)

Heh 8 ft tank, nice :thumb:

I would paint the inside, at least the bottom panel. if water leaks you have some form of protection.
Also to fill the gaps, nail hole filler would work since your going to paint over it.
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...ode+matchall&recN=118524&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

I would have added more ties on the top, and at least one below the sump but thats just me.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

nah, its a 6' tank. standard 125. The sump/opening is 42" wide. The sump has 4 feet near the corners that are real close to the inside ties on the bottom, so I don't think another tie on the bottom in the middle would be doing much. It feels pretty sturdy and overbuilt as is. Not sure any more lumber would add much more in the way of strength or stability.

Thanks for the tip on the nail hole filler. I might use liquid nails and screws on the plywood, and then take out the screws and fill the holes.


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## edemirci1 (Mar 15, 2010)

good idea


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## ksk_che_che (Sep 26, 2007)

No I meant your future tank, not this one.


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

Looks great!


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

edemirci1 said:


> good idea





dacjr said:


> Looks great!


thanks!



ksk_che_che said:


> No I meant your future tank, not this one.


 Oh haha. yeah


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

> I would paint the inside, at least the bottom panel. if water leaks you have some form of protection.


I was actually thinking about getting some of the square adhesive lenolium tiles and putting them down on the bottom shelf for this very purpose. They're very easy to work with. I did the kitchen floor in my parents house a few years back. And if I remember, they're extremely cheap as well.


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

The only bad thing about the peel n stick tiles is that water can find its way underneath and they lose their adhesion. Not a bad idea though. Very clean looking and easy to DIY. What have you planned for doors?


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## FishyOne (Jan 21, 2010)

Your stand looks great. I'm in the process of building one for my project 220g. I'm going to paint the inside of mine white, something resistant to water, and the white color should help reflect light a little better so I can see what I am doing when working underneath.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

dacjr said:


> The only bad thing about the peel n stick tiles is that water can find its way underneath and they lose their adhesion. Not a bad idea though. Very clean looking and easy to DIY. What have you planned for doors?


Well, I'm not intending for there to be regular standing water on the tiles. If there is, that would be a problem. My parents kitchen floor tiles have held up for, oh I guess its been 5 years now, with occasional spills and regular walking around on the tiles, and not a single tile has started to peel up. So, I don't think I'm too worried about the tiles peeling up. If they do, I guess thats a couple bucks down the drain and I'll try something else.

Don't have a concrete plan for doors yet. Thinking about doing one removeable panel the size of the opening and holding it in place with magnets. Also thinking about maybe making closet style folding doors. I'm also contemplating just leaving it open for now and not worrying about doors until/unless the wife insists on them for looks. We'll see. I know I can set up the tank without doors, so they'll probably be my absolute last priority.



FishyOne said:


> Your stand looks great. I'm in the process of building one for my project 220g. I'm going to paint the inside of mine white, something resistant to water, and the white color should help reflect light a little better so I can see what I am doing when working underneath.


Thats a great idea. Thanks for the tip. Are primers typically resistant to water? If so, I'll just do the whole tank inside and out with white primer, and then paint the outside whatever color I want.


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## dacjr (Feb 12, 2010)

I like the panel with magnets idea. I used to trim houses for a living, and I built panels like that to conceal plumbing around those roman style tubs. Very slick and IMO much nicer then doors.


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## Savage25xtreme (May 6, 2009)

food for thought. the beam deflection on a 125g 6 foot tank with a 2x6 frame with no support in the middle is .130". this is assuming the tank gives no support of its own. which of course it does. when I designed my stand for an 8 foot 240g to get 0.140" of deflection or less with no support in the middle I had to go with 2 2x8" in the front and 1 in the back with supports.

I think its personal preference. going with the design with 2x's the tank has to give little or no support to the structure. I think this will make it last in the long run, who knows. maybe I'm just a ME that likes to way over design things.

To me the best stands are the ones with a tank on top full or water and fish  keep up the good work.


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

If you can get a 125 gallon to deflect an 1/8" of an inch over 6' of 2x6, I would love to know how.

A 6 foot 125g is 72 x 18. that equates to 9 square feet. Weight of water is 1043.125 pounds. Add 200 pounds for glass, gravel and decor. Total weight: 1250.00 pounds (roughly).

divide the 1250.00 pounds by the 9 square feet (1296 square inches), and you get 138.888 pounds per square foot (0.9653 pounds per square inch).So for every foot of 2x6 all the way around the tank, which is 15 linear feet (180 linear inches), you have an equal and constant downward force. As long as the tank is flat and level, and the top of the stand is flat and level you can be pretty sure the 3/4" wide frame of the aquarium will distirbute the equal amount of load.

So, knowing that the tank bottom only touches the stand where the frame is attached, it is safe to say you are dispearsing the weight in square inches of stand top. That calculates to 6.6667 pounds for every inch of contacted 2x6 or 80.00 pounds for every foot.

Correct me if I am wrong, but an 80 pound kid can stand anywhere on a 2x6 board and the deflection will be next to zero.

I posted before that I regularly use 3/4" lumber on my stands and never more than 4-4.5" wide. I have had several customer ask for no center support, and they hold the load just fine.

Anyway.... your stand is looking GREAT!!!!! I can not wait to see photos of the finished project!!!

RBFG


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Actually, I just ran the numbers, and given 2 simply supported 2x6s and the weight of a 125g tank evenly distributed along the length of the 2x6's, I get a max deflection of 0.117" at the midpoint of the stand. Of course, the tank doesn't follow the curvature of the bend. In fact, I think its a safe assumption to say that the tank does not bow downward at all (the bottom pane of glass might deflect downwards, but the side panes that form the 3/4" wide frame the tank rests on does not bow downwards. Therefore, although the stand wants to deflect downward under a constant distributed load, as soon as the stand starts to deflect downwards, the load is no longer evenly distributed - it moves to the ends of the tank right over top of the legs. And thus, the stand will never really deflect at all. It becomes a non-linear problem that can no longer really be solved using simple beam theory.

In reality, I think the distribution of the weight of the tank depends on the stiffness of the long boards. The less stiff the support is, the more it becomes a situation where the tank is only supported at the ends. The stiffer the board is, the more the weight of the tank will be evenly distributed along the length of the stand. But even if you used 1x2's in the wrong orientation to tie the legs together, the stand will not deflect at all because the weight of the tank will be distributed in a column loading manner right down through the corner support posts. I'm using empirical evidence to say that a 2x6 is more than stiff enough to provide enough support along a 6' 125g tank - others have used 2x6's or less successfully. I also have extra support posts 15" in from each end, so my 2x6's are only spanning 42" instead of 72". That means I probably could have gotten away with even using 2x4's, but I went with 2x6's anyways. So I know I've got more than enough support.

So you're both right. And thank you both for the support (pun entirely intended  ). I have the top and bottom pieces of plywood screwed down. I've so far managed to do a little bit each night this week so far. Tomorrow after work I'm hoping to cut the plywood for the sides and front of the stand, and nail it into place with finishing nails and liquid nails. Friday I may be able to get the trim cut and in place, and that means this weekend I can hopefully prime and paint. It'd be really cool to get the entire stand built in 9 days. keepin my fingers crossed.


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## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

Stand is looking great so far! So I just wanted to add that the peel and stick tiles are great. I have used them in all three of my DIY stands and they look really nice for like a $1.25 a piece. You just can't beat em for a clean finished look.


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## Savage25xtreme (May 6, 2009)

redblufffishguy said:


> I posted before that I regularly use 3/4" lumber on my stands and never more than 4-4.5" wide. I have had several customer ask for no center support, and they hold the load just fine.
> 
> Anyway.... your stand is looking GREAT!!!!! I can not wait to see photos of the finished project!!!
> 
> RBFG


from and engineering stand point you have to assume the front beam is a simply supported structure i.e. supported only on the ends with a distributed load across it. it works out to about 15 pounds per inch on an 240g assuming the load is split between the front and back, which it isn't, the side support it as well. from there its a very simple calculation.

Ymax = (5wl^4)/(384*E*I)

where w is the total load divided by the total inches of support
where l is the length of the span
E is the modulus of Elasticity of the wood (I used 1.3 x10^6 psi)
and I=(bh^3)/12
where b is the width of a 2 by (1.5")
and h is the height of the 2 by (5.5" for a 2x6 and 7.25" for a 2x8)

the major flaw with it is assuming that the 1/2" plate glass that is 24 inches high in the support direction, adds NO support which is INSANE.

maybe some day me making a design that requires no tank support will come in handy if a kid throws something into that front glass, who knows, like I said. Maybe I'm just and ME that wanted to over design a tank stand


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Hey savage I got a couple questions maybe you can help me with. I'm an ME as well, but you seem to have this wood stuff down, where as I'd actually have to go through the double integrations each time 

Turns out my 2x6's that initially looked straight to my naked eye are a bit warped. All four corners of my stand are at the same height from the floor (37 1/16" - actually, 1 corner might be ~37 1/32"). However, on the front (or the back, haven't decided yet), the middle of the stand is bowed upward by 1/16", and on the other side, the middle is bowed upward by 1/8".

My 2x6's are 6' long and are supported at the ends, as well as 15" in from each end. My first thought is that this bowing isn't necessarily a bad thing because under load, the weight of the tank will be concentrated towards the middle of the 2x6 allowing it to deflect downwards, and as it deflects downwards, the tank weight will distribute along the entire length of the tank, rather than concentrating towards the ends. Sound about right?

Second question, with the above in mind, my stand is wider than my tank by a few inches to accommodate the sump. The ends of the tank rest directly on the short 2x's, but the long ends are actually just inside the 2x6's. I assumed that wouldn't be a problem if the top surface was flat because the weight of the tank would be more or less evenly distributed or if anything out towards the end of the tank were all the vertical support is. However, since the top of my stand is bowed upward, right in the middle the plywood is going to be under an awfully lot of shear from the weight of the tank pushing on the plywood, and the plywood pushing on the long 2x6's trying to bend it. I'm using 1/2" sanded BC pine plywood, looks like 4 ply. Say for safety margin, the tank fully loaded will be no more than 2000lbs, meaning the shear force on the plywood at the front and back will be about 1000lbs. Do you think the plywood can take that type of shear? If you remember, someone made the comment about not having enough cross braces, and that I don't have 1 directly in the middle. I guess if the plywood is iffy, I can cut a 2x4 and fit it into place right in the middle to take the shear off the plywood and into some fasteners, which according to the box of screws I've been using, 4 screws on each side should be more than enough. What do you think?

Final question to everyone: All the above being said, I still want to use foam under the tank to attempt to avoid stress concentrations on the stand as well as on the tank/glass. How think and what type of foam do you think I should use? I want to figure this out now so I can hide it with trim.

Also as a side note, I think I'm going to find some black cotton fabric (think: bedsheet) and wrap around the foam real tight to camouflage it, rather than try to paint it or something else to hide it from looking down from the top.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I think a rigid foam base on top of a solid top is only recommended for acrylic tanks because they are completely flat on the bottom.

A standard glass tank usually has a recessed bottom so the tank is normally supported along the frame edges. I don't know that rigid foam would be a necessity for this style tank.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Deeda said:


> I think a rigid foam base on top of a solid top is only recommended for acrylic tanks because they are completely flat on the bottom.
> 
> A standard glass tank usually has a recessed bottom so the tank is normally supported along the frame edges. I don't know that rigid foam would be a necessity for this style tank.


Normally I would agree with you, but as I explained, the top of my stand didn't end up entirely flat, so the edges of the tank will not sit flat and there will be stress concentrations at the high spots (in the middle of the stand). So, I think I need foam to evenly distribute the weight, the question is what kind and how thick?

While at home depot today spend more money on this project , I happened across some foam in the flooring section. It was a 4-pack of interlocking anti-fatigue foam matting. It looked about a half inch thick. I was wondering if it would be enough to distribute the weight away from the high spots on my stand? It would be black and very clean looking, rather than white, pink, or blue foam. what do you think?

Oh, and so far today, I've got all the plywood attached to the frame. I also added another 2x6 cross support right in the middle of the stand to alleviate the plywood shear concern I mentioned in my last post. I'm just about ready to start cutting trim and nailing it up and place, and I want to get a coat of primer on the stand tonight, but I need to work out the foam thickness I need before I can nail on the top piece of trim and cut the corner molding to length, so I'm really hoping someone can help me out.


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## Savage25xtreme (May 6, 2009)

if you have an 1/8" warping or less I would say that is excellent, although most would recommend to have it bow down instead of up, from what I have read. I went with the smooshiest foam i could find at home depot which was blue 1/4 thick stuff, i did 2 layers.

I would be seriously worried about the plywood in shear. especially because 1/2 ply isnt even rated for use as a floor. (normally 3/4 ply) some 2 by bracing would be cheap insurance there... wood glue is also your friend in the framework. :thumb:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

you want an upward bow so that the weight evens the board


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

Got any photos of the progress?


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i want to see some details on that sump as well


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## Scorpio (Sep 27, 2003)

opcorn:


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Looks like I'm overdue for an update. I've been getting little bits done here and there, but to be honest they've been riding me like a rented mule for the last couple weeks at works, so things haven't been progressing as quickly as I would have liked. I've also been fighting a bad cold for at least a week now which is really draining energy and motivation.

Good news is that as of last night, the stand is ready for painting. All the plywood and all the trim is nailed in place. 4 of the peel and stick tiles are in place because they affected the trim around the front opening. I need to paint, and I need to cut and stick on 10 more tiles, and then I can call the major stand construction completed. I really think I can finish by the end of the weekend.

Couple things I really should do before I start painting - 1, get some wood puddy and fill in some of the small gaps in my trim at the corners, and 2, figure out where I how big I need to cut a few holes in the top plywood where my drain and sump return lines will go. The gaps aren't very big and probably won't be noticeable from a distance especially once painted, but I know they're there and they bug me 

The paint I will be using is first an oil based white primer and sealer which I will paint the entire stand front back inside and out. This should provide moisture resistance. The outside will be painted with rustoleum oil based enamel black paint. Can says its meant for metal only, but the guy at home depot insists it will work, and I figure since it is oil based it will also provide moisture resistance. I also intend to use this paint to paint the back of my tank, since it is oil based an hopefully moisture resistant. I've heard recently of problems when using water based latex paints on the back of tanks and the paint peeling off when it gets wet.

You can expect a pic update after I get the first coat of primer on, hopefully either tonight or tomorrow.

Oh, and I keep forgetting... THEN I still have to build the canopy.


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## phorty (Oct 30, 2009)

Scorpio said:


> opcorn:


Me, too.


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## Scorpio (Sep 27, 2003)

pic bro....pics...


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

So, I just finished priming the stand. Yeah, its midnight. Too late for pics tonight tho. After I got started, I remembered how much I actually hate painting . I feel like maybe I should do one more coat of primer on the outside, but naaaahhh, its good enough . I'll make up for it with extra coats of black paint if I need to. And priming the inside was a royal PITA. If I were starting now, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the inside. Or, I would have primed the frame before putting the plywood on, and then primed the plywood before screwing it on. It kinda sucked to have to get down on the floor, cram myself underneath the stand, and try to get into all the little nooks and crannies. See, I have this little OCD problem. I couldn't let myself miss even one little corner once I started. And I couldn't just stop and decided I could leave the inside half finished once I started. My OCD demands symmetry.

Aaaanyways, I need to do this thing with the wife and inlaws down in pittsburgh tomorrow, so I might not get to put a coat of black paint on tomorrow. Probably won't get back til after 6, and sunday is tank maintenance day, so thats at least an hour and a half once I get back. I figure by the time I get done with that, I likely won't be up for starting to paint. Although, I suppose if I'm ambitious, I can get up tomorrow morning and get a coat of paint on before we leave - don't have to be out the door until 10.

Alright, just thought I'd post this little update. Hopefully I'll get some pics up tomorrow after I get back from pittsburgh.


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## danielle l. (Apr 14, 2008)

opcorn: when you are finished please update us on the sump. I am preparing to start the same project... thanks so much this e extremely entertaining and very helpful! :thumb: ......... more pics. more pics... =D>


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Long overdue update, but here are some pics. Later on, I guess I'll make a thread for my sump since you guys have been asking about it, but its really nothing too special - just a large rubbermaid container with holes in the lid and a couple 5g buckets with holes in the bottom to hold the media and do the filtering. I'll get more into it later. By rights i should be cycling it by now, but I'm only 1 guy, and my mind decided I should build the stand first.

Lets see, where was I. Here is me attaching the plywood to the frame. I used liquid nails and finishing nails on the front and sides. (the top and bottom were just attached with the wood screws). The finishing nails aren't your typical finishing nails, they're tempered finishing nails meant for hardwood. I like them because they're nearly impossible to bend, and they hold very firmly. The canopy on my 55g tank that I built a while back is only held together with these exact finishing nails (and nothing else), and although I was told it might not be enough to hold it together long term, they're still doing a great job there, and I move the canopy around a lot every week while doing maintenance. Combined with the liquid nails (which I got the super strength variety), these panels aren't going anywhere.









Skipped a few steps here, but here are all the trim pieces in place, and 4 of the peel and stick tiles in place. I had to put the tiles in because they effected the trim around the opening. Except for a couple small gaps at the corners of the top pieces of trim, I was extremely happy with how the trim turned out. Good thing too for the price I paid for it :x . I just used my liquid nails and a Popsicle stick to fill in the gaps. Good enough for me. 









Now I'm just showing off my beautiful, well behaved puppy 8) Between her and the cats, I've had plenty of, *ahem*, help, as you can see :lol: 









Alright, alright, back to work. Here is the tank all primed. As I already ranted, this was my least favorite part. As I said, I'd either do it differently next time, or not prime the inside at all. The primer coat isn't *perfect* on the inside, but who's gonna see it anyways? Should be enough for the moisture resistance I was intending it for anyways.









And now for the black paint. Did the top and front first coat on sunday morning before heading off to pittsburgh. Did both sides first coat just tonight. Wanted to and had time to do a second coat on the front tonight, but the room I'm painting in is not well lighted so I have to do it before the sun goes down, and I ran out of my natural light. Painting the black was not as bad as priming. The paint goes on nicely over the primer, and I don't have to climb inside the tank to do it. Still need a second coat to smooth it out and fill in a couple spots where the primer is showing through, but the second coat should be the last. Maybe thursday, or friday at the latest to finish it. No work this friday  vacation day.









Enjoy the update! probably the last photo update in here for a while.


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## inkedskin (Feb 28, 2007)

painting and priming the inside is a really good idea, because with a sump down there its going to be humid and moist. when i built my stand i just caulked the edges of the wood joints so no water could seep down in and cause problems that i couldnt see until too late, and then slapped on two quick coats of waterproof paint from hd. same with any exposed screw holes. its a small job and considering the need for peace of mind when doing a diy stand, it does the trick.


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## inkedskin (Feb 28, 2007)

oh, and in the future use wood glue for any gluing if possible. liquid nails can come apart later, whereas wood glue will seep into the wood fibers and create a bond physically stronger than the wood itself.


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## Scorpio (Sep 27, 2003)

Nice cabinet. And the pup is a nice looking one too.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

> oh, and in the future use wood glue for any gluing if possible. liquid nails can come apart later, whereas wood glue will seep into the wood fibers and create a bond physically stronger than the wood itself.


I did you the heavy duty liquid nails. Nevertheless, I'm not sure wood glue OR liquid nails was needed at all. I think the mechanical fasteners would have held up just fine on their own.



> Nice cabinet. And the pup is a nice looking one too.


Thanks and thanks! The cabinet is basically 99.9% finished right now. Today, I stripped all the masking tape off, finished tiling the inside, and cut the foam for the top. Only thing left to do is cut the holes in the stand and foam for the drain and return, and wrap my pink foam in a black bedsheet so its no longer pink 

The pup is a 2yo shepherd mix rescue. Pulled her and her 3 litter mates out of a hole in the ground in the park when they were 6 weeks old. Her brothers and sister found good homes too! I had to keep her though because she's the only one who came out of the hole willingly - she climbed out, walked over to me, and licked my leg. Felt like it was meant to be.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

P.S. why is my thread broken now 

The site won't load page 5...

If I hit preview, I can see the page 5 posts, but then it won't go to my post.


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## aaronjunited (Sep 29, 2009)

anymore updates Rhino?


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