Equipment Tray
Lots of thought to the equipment layout in the stand, especially managing the cords. I wanted the cords to be out of sight, but not so difficult to unplug and remove equipment for maintenance or replacement. In my last tank, I had cords organized bundled neatly with plastic ties, mounted on the side walls or ceiling of the stand. It looked nice until I had to unexpectatly remove one piece of equipment. this ended by cutting every tie to find and remove one cord.
This plan has what I call an equipment tray that sits above the sump and just below the top. The stand is slightly taller for this. The tray width is narrow, with space between it and the back panel for plumbing; and the front doors for mounting controls. This also promotes air flow. The tray has doors are for mounting controllers for Apex and Ecotech . The back is lined up with the equipment holes. All wires can sit loosely in the tray. This is easier to see than describe:
Equipment tray with access from front and rear.
Since the stand is taller and made of plywood, the equipment tray provides added side to side lateral bracing.
Front doors of the equipment tray open. The tray does not extend all the way to the back panel, leaving room for plumbing. There is a vertical lip on the back of the tray to mount the Apex Energy bar. The top holes in the stand's back panel match the tray height for easy access.