DevonCichlid Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Well I've just completed my second DIY Aquarium Stand and decided to post it. I was itching to build another stand although I wasn't sure what I wanted to commit to. I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of articles and decided to go with a 5ft stand to sit beside my other DIY 4ft stand in the basement. I am kind of itching to build a multi aquarium stand as well for smaller tanks but ultimately decided to take on this project. I kind of dropped the ball on taking pictures of my progress on this stand from the start. I didn't really think of doing it to start but am definitely pleased with the (nearly) finished product and figured I'd share the results. The picture below is from my phone so not great but is after the first application of varathane. I will be putting on another coat tonight which should be good enough and then tomorrow I'll be able to flip the doors and put the first coat on the backside so I'm looking at probably Tuesday or Wednesday this week and it will have the hinges and doors installed and ready for action. The dimensions of the stand without the doors and panels is 60" long by 20" deep and 26.5" High. As far as my skills go woodworking wise I would define myself as a rough beginner. I find woodworking really relaxing and get a good sense of accomplishment when I'm done so I'll probably keep working on the craft to get better at it. I have a table saw, mitre saw, jigsaw, skill saw but very little experience with all of them. I skipped out on my table saw for the long cuts as I didn't have any help or the proper setup to get the full piece of plywood through without any issues so I opted for the skill saw and just took my time. The openings for the doors on the front I just used my jigsaw, it turned out ok but I can see a few spots where I must have been reaching for another beer. I notched out 4x4s for the corners to put the 2x4 runners across and then glued the joints and screwed them in with 2-1/2" screws. The middle supports are 17" from the edges and just 2x4s. I did use metal braces on those joints originally although they really didn't need it but I had some laying around so decided to use them. I ran out of plywood or I likely would have put panels on the outsides as well but I think it looks fine this way too. There are two applications of stain (dark walnut) and will be two applications of semi-gloss varathane. The total cost of the project will be $117.05 not including the obvious things like saw blades, tools, etc. that I already have. It really didn't take a lot of time either once I had my plan in place. Anyways, this post is all over the place but gets the basic information out there. Anyone that has experience building multi-aquarium stands should hit me up with some ideas too. I'll probably be looking to use multiple 20-30G tanks (haven't decided yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 For a multi tank stand I used basically the same design as you used but my dimensions were 84" x 24" x 36" it holds three 20 gallons (24" x 12" x 16") but in the future when MTS takes hold again I can turn the tanks sideways to accommodate six tanks and still have lots of storage space underneath.At 36" tall it is a comfortable height for viewing and maintenance but to each their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 ... and then tomorrow I'll be able to flip the doors and put the first coat on the backside so I'm looking at probably Tuesday or Wednesday this week and it will have the hinges and doors installed and ready for action. ... The openings for the doors on the front I just used my jigsaw, Real wood, simply assembled and simply finished. I like it! Baseboards will keep your stand away from the wall far enough to just run your electrical cords up the back of the stand. It looks like 2 doors on the right side of your photo. Are they for the two ends or are they for two of the three front openings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonCichlid Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 There are 3 doors for the front openings, just one of them didn't make the picture. It was either do the three openings or just the two end panels with the leftover plywood. I chose the doors to hide my subpar jigsaw skills The spot I have picked out for the multiple tank stand is only 62" wide so I'll be likely going the 62" long x 55" high. I should be able to get 6 - 20G tanks on there with 3 tiers to it. The bottom two tanks will be just off the floor but I'm restricted to 80" of total height in that specific spot. I'm just working on notches and dimensions right now, should cost somewhere around $160.00 with either paint or stain/varathane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koot Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Looks really good. Had a similar made stand, without the stain, that I used for many years. Doors are the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realevil1 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) old post bump what is the rough cost to build a stand like this? Edited February 19, 2014 by Realevil1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 old post bump what is the rough cost to build a stand like this? 12) 2x4's x $2.50 = $30.00 1) 4x8 3/4" plywood = $50.00 1) box 2.5" screws = $ 20.00 1) bottle wood glue = $5.00 1) box of beer = $24.00 (optional) :beer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.