Stand beside the stand. Making more room!

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Ok nothing to see here yet but I wanted to get some options and advice. Hopefully some photos too!

I have no where else to put my sump and equipment except under my stand. Which virtually leaves me no room for anything else. Because of this I clean filter socks, sump, skimmer a lot less because it's to hard to get stuff in and out. I am thinking about adding something beside the stand to house the skimmer/sump.

Got any ideas or real world experience? Ideas for what I can use, how to set it up, etc..

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Bump - too early?

 

[sexycorals]

A have built a stand on the side of a tank for a couple customers. No pic but it was skin like the furniture in the or hoy and they also double as a dressor or something.

 

[pgravis]

What about putting it next to the tank and making it into an enclosed bench or something? make the top removable so you can access everything from above, a couple ventilation fans in back and water proof everything inside

 

[tyler1503]

How about nothing under the stand and have the sump on show directly next to the tank?
The only limit on height is the ceiling!
Plus you wouldn't need a crazy return pump because you'd have next to no head loss. You can clearly see everything and because it's out on show it would make you keep it clean!

 

[Waters]

I assume behind the wall isn't an option? I ended up just going through the wall to the room behind the tank so that everything is hidden.

 

[Xingu]

For my new 180 build, I am planning on having 30 gallon cubes on either side. One for a frag tank and the other as a refugium.

You could maybe do something similar and arrange it so that the stands align and you could have the additional space below for your equipment.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Thanks for the input so far!! Anybody with photos?

 

[Trex]

Did something like this about 10 years ago -- the stand for my 75 was "indented" and didn't allow much room for a proper sump underneath it -- ended up making a side stand for the sump. Wasn't the best looking, but did the job. Would like to think that I could make a better looking one now, if I had to.

When I first finished it,

After I moved --- still about 7-9 years ago,

With the shade up;

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Thanks for that! Any issues you run in to?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I think I am going to mod a bench seat like this one to house the sump. Thoughts?

Plan would be to modify the inside flooring, cut out the back for air movement and pipes, etc..

 

[zoechance]

Bump!

 

[jaesong]

That'd be cool, but I think the creep and moisture would wreck the seat. You might want to look for something that's built for the outdoors and can stand the test of time.

 

[Trex]

Thanks for that! Any issues you run in to?

Not that I recall --- stopped using it 3 years ago when I moved and picked up a new tank stand that could fit a sump.

I might have made it shorter -- stored a 5 gallon container for Kalk dripping on top of it, which made it difficult to refill at times, otherwise it worked great.

 

[HiddenUser]

I think the only viable solution here is this -- Bigger tank + Bigger stand = more room for things?

 

[mainereefer]

I would have a small flood table next to it to grow mangroves, sump under that. it would look cool to have the vegitation growing like a plant on a stand next to the tank

 

[jerseypete]

i built a small stand for my auto top off, controller, and dosing pumps. Tried to make it look like the stand i bought.

 

[jerseypete]

Some day ill have a frag tank on that with a small sump underneath and build another on for everything else

 

[AZDesertRat]

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...7-do-you-have-workstation-near-your-reef.html

 

[nova65ss]

I had same problem with my cube so I just added on to what I had with the same material and added some granite we had when we redid the kitchen. Turned out ok still need to make the door I have been lazy and don't have the right saw to make it happen.