how much did your DIY stand run you?

[Devaji]

48" x 36" x 24" for 65g tank:

~$110 in 3/4' oak veneered plywood for the entire box
~$15 in 1" x 3" to serve as partial framing (the plywood box itself provides the majority of the load bearing support)
~$100 in dimensional lumber for the top and the trim
~$75 for the hinges, screws and glue

So about $300 all in.

love this!! can you share how you did the doors?

 

[Devaji]

If I had to give numbers, some guesses:

$300 wood top
$120 2-part epoxy
$150 Old Marineland stand from a 265? (PSA Marinelands leak). (traded a tank, called it even)
$40 More 4x4’s and other support/trim pieces
$20 sandpaper
$20 underneath LeD lights
$25 Towel Bar. Best thing I ever did


If I had to do it over again? Custom steel square tubing weld job, same top.

dude that is so bad **** I would have such a hard time putting an aquarium on top of that. beautiful piece and work!

 

[Doctorgori]

Can I see what the inside looks like. I want to make something very similar with different color wood

Sure....

That haze is a water replant coating ....I caulked and sealed the helloutta it

 

[Devaji]

planning on building a stand for my 220. I would like to build something similar to the stands that red sea or water box uses. I like the sleek stands.

and here in lies the chalange I have the rs 750 still empty after almost one year had i known when buy a new house I would have 1) waited 2) gone WB 7226 peninsula.

so here i am finally have a perfect space for a peninsula tank so that stand will have to match the RS maybe not 100% but no more open stands with wires and crap everywhere.
that is why I am leaning towars the 5525 pen.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Dude. Love that live edge. Got a friend that's been wanting to build a stand and canopy with a live edge like that, I'm going to have to show him yours. Great job.

Oh, on the steel... yes. I've built MANY wooden stands over the years. I'm unlikely to ever build another wooden stand for any tank over 100 gallons. Just doesn't make sense. Steel is cheap, way strong, leave the bottom much more open, it's easy to finish... Sure, you can throw together a 2x4 stand cheaper, but you're talking about something that you're going to be looking at and living with for many years. Don't cheap out on the stand, you're the one that has to look at it

dude that is so bad **** I would have such a hard time putting an aquarium on top of that. beautiful piece and work!

Thanks! I made another one for behind the couch where the kids eat their breakfast in the morning

 

[JoshH]

I do love 100% plywood stands. I am just not so sure on my building skills to get it square and level. it would be for a 60x24x12 or 60x24x24 or 48x24x20

Finish grade Plywood shell, trimmed in routered laminated pine, painted and stained all in about $350 CDN for a 60" x 30" x 17" tank...

Oh and my construction is absolutely overkill if you look underneath the tank. Could have been much lighter with things but prefer to overdo everything...

Still have one last coat of paint on the stand and a little more caulking/touch up but you can see what I mean.

 

[ironman187]

75/90 gallon stands from Aqueon and the likes are made out of 1"x4", none of it is sistered, that includes the long sections. There are centrally located, vertical "braces", but they are stapled in place and are inset only about 3/8". There is one top cross piece which is stapled to the tops of the vertical pieces. The function of all these pieces is to keep the center of the long span from warping. There are other stands for simular tanks made entirely of particle board. Point being, if you copied their construction, it would cost you $50-$100 in material. I just got done building a custom stand for my 75G, materials were around $150, and it's beefier than factory stands.

 

[Devaji]

Finish grade Plywood shell, trimmed in routered laminated pine, painted and stained all in about $350 CDN for a 60" x 30" x 17" tank...

Oh and my construction is absolutely overkill if you look underneath the tank. Could have been much lighter with things but prefer to overdo everything...

Still have one last coat of paint on the stand and a little more caulking/touch up but you can see what I mean.

Heck yeah I love that! quite an upgrade form your last peninsula is that the IM 14 I see in back?

 

[JoshH]

Heck yeah I love that! quite an upgrade form your last peninsula is that the IM 14 I see in back?

It's actually a Nuvo 10, but close enough to the 14 lol! Currently it's an aptasia garden ;Sorry

But yes it's quite the jump in sizes lol

 

[malacoda]

love this!! can you share how you did the doors?

Since I have only basic tools -- miter saw, circular saw, router and drill -- I kept it simple.

The cabinet is made of 3/4" oak plywood. So I picked up a 2'x1' piece of 1/2" oak plywood and:

1. cut the doors out from it
2. drill spade bit to drill holes through it for euro-style blind-corner hinges
3. then glued on pieces of 3"x1/4" oak lumber to make the 'trim' on surface of the doors, which also covered the hinge holes

The great thing about the blind euro-style hinges is that they're clip-on, meaning that I can pop the doors off and on whenever I'm working in the cabinet.

 

[SeaJay]

2x4 stand clad in reclaimed barn wood with rusty barn roof door inserts. I’m less than $200 into this one. I’m going to build some side cabinets and fancy up the canopy a bit. Eventually...

 

[Nick30G]

My DIY 37g stand only cost me $150 which is a great deal and is most better then store bought stands!

 

[Jeeperz]

Any clue what dimension tube I would need if I were to build a stand out of aluminum for my reefer 350? I think steel might be too heavy as I've got no real help to move it, unless I build it in the living room with a spool gun or stick welder.

 

[Greybeard]

Any clue what dimension tube I would need if I were to build a stand out of aluminum for my reefer 350? I think steel might be too heavy as I've got no real help to move it, unless I build it in the living room with a spool gun or stick welder.

I don't know aluminum, but I don't think steel would be too heavy. 350 liters, right? That's like 90 gallons. No big deal. The stand I had made for my 140 gallon tank is 11 gauge, 1.5" square tube steel. 60" x 30" x 32". Weighs maybe 50 lbs. It could double as a stool for an elephant. Sure would be less expensive than aluminum.

 

[ca1ore]

Nothing quite like a diy stand. Big tank, so big stand mine is. Had all the necessary equipment. Materials around $400.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Since I have only basic tools -- miter saw, circular saw, router and drill -- I kept it simple.

Basic tools?!! Router is something I’d just ruin good wood with!!!

 

[JoshH]

Basic tools?!! Router is something I’d just ruin good wood with!!!

I would have thought basic tools consists of a hammer/drill, tape measure and circular saw lol

That is the rub with these DIY stands, you do need a fair amount of tools for some of them. I ended up using a Screw gun/drill, Table saw, compound miter saw, circular saw, Jigsaw, Brad nailer/compressor, orbital sander and router.

 

[Jeeperz]

I've never worked with square tube but I have built a few roll cages that are 1.5 and 1.75" .120 wall round tube. It will definitely be more than 50 lbs since it'll be roughly 30 feet of tube? Plus plywood to finish it.

 

[TheHarold]

Mine was definitely around $150, just because I wanted to use the best plywood available. But could be replicated for much less than that.

It’s 47x28x32 tall, with a raised sump so I could make sure that it doesn’t rot the wood floor.

Here is a link to the in-depth thread I made: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-1-sheet-laminated-plywood-stand.616231/page-3#post-6414726

 

[JoshH]

Mine was definitely under $150


Here is a link to the in-depth thread I made: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-1-sheet-laminated-plywood-stand.616231/page-3#post-6414726

Hideous! ;Hilarious ;Hilarious ;Hilarious ;Hilarious ;Hilarious