FINISHED building stand

[GaryLCrouch]

So I finially finished building the stand with help from Anthony. We decided to use birch on the outside which came out perfect. The front door is held on with manets so it looks like a solid stand until you need to work on it. The side door is also detachable for easy acess. All that needs to be done is the paint which will be this weekend except for Sunday because i will be at WRESTLEMAINIA 29...dont judge me lol. Got the bulk heads and 700gph overflow for the tank in the other day as well from bulk reef supply. Picking up my sump ( 20 high ) from a member (89foxbody) this weekend hopfully and then having glass baffles made for it. I also have my NAC 3 from suicideissleep. All I need now is my tunze ATO and decide on the lights. eaither phonton 32 leds or ATI T-5, and some rock. Getting close :rollface::dance:

[GaryLCrouch]

cant decide if I want to paint it all black or paint the white molding black and lightly stain the wood??? leaning more towards all black.

[Chriskid]

im a sucker for natural wood look.... but im a painter, so ive been removing all paint from my house trim one by one.....lol i dont like paint on wood....but thats me, i poly everything:)

[emessier]

Looks really nice! Love the side access

[FishWrangler]

wow, nice job!

[ca1ore]

What is the prevailing wisdom these days about using some kind of hard foam layer between the tank and the stand? I note that custom aquarium companies like coast-to-coast and glasscages use a compressible layer, so presumably that is the way to go?

Stand looks terrific, BTW. Nice and over-engineered - just the way I always do them.

[GaryLCrouch]

What is the prevailing wisdom these days about using some kind of hard foam layer between the tank and the sand? I note that custom aquarium companies like coast-to-coast and glasscages use a compressible layer, so presumably that is the way to go?

Stand looks terrific, BTW. Nice an over-engineered - just the way I always do them.

LOL ya i figured it can hold about 3 of my tanks with no issue but I like to be safe. My friend thought of the magnet idea and it turned out to be great. the molding is glued to the wood door so it all comes off and slides right into place. They use the cuishon to try to get the tank level because if the stand is un level then it could cause water to push unevenly in the tank and cause the tank to crack. If the stand is even this should not be a issue.

[ejohnson]

Great stand! Having a removable door held in place with magnets is great! Way to think outside the box.

[BubbaBoBobBrain]

Definitely a good idea to have an access door like that. Looking forward to seeing it all stained or painted.

[shecter]

looks great so far. i would definitely go the nonpainted route. the last stand i build was just stained and it was gorgeous. much nicer than just black imo. :) great work guys

[jcbert]

Hey Gary where do you live? I'm about to start my stand and would like to check yours out!

[GaryLCrouch]

I live in North Haven CT. My stand has MUCH more support then needs to be lol, but I like to play it safe. The magnets I think were only $1.00. The most expensive thing was the birch which was about $20+ a sheet. and the molding which was another $20. I think with EVERYthing including molding,screws,birch,regular plywood for support under the top, magnets, paint/Stain came to about maybe $120 total.

Still got to silicone all the cracks and sand down the inside and paint the inside with some coats of kilz. Then decide to paint or stain.

[GaryLCrouch]

Actually very easy to build.

[slipknottin]

What is the prevailing wisdom these days about using some kind of hard foam layer between the tank and the stand?.

Any rimless tank should have a foam layer between the tank and stand.

Tanks with rims should not.

[jcbert]

I can build the physical stand no problem. Its the finishing end that I could use some guidance on.