<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9692465#post9692465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rhodan
Marino,
I'll be honest and only skimmed through your awesome stand thread so if this question is already answered please be kind 
....Your design is top notch and like others I will probably copy a lot of your designs...I was wondering if there was anything you regretted or would have designed differently?
Matt, that is a great question. I am really happy with the design and functionability (is that a word?) of the stand. Since all of my equipment is in another room, I did not have to worry about equipment placement under the stand. About the only thing I would change in the design is the flip up front. The front is very heavy and I have not found any hardware that I would trust to hold it up while my head and arm are under it. Plus the tank sits right under the dropped ceiling section that covers my HVAC ductwork and there is not enough room to raise it completely.
Other things I would do differently but aren't necessarily design changes are:
- Construct a light rack that is adjustable so I could raise or lower the lights.
- Taken a little more time and patience and finished the inside of the stand with the same stain as the outside.
- Taken a little more time and patience and sanded a little better. Especially the trim pieces. They come pre-sanded but you know how that is.
- Spray on the polyurethane. I used spray cans on the canopy and it looks great. I brushed on the stand and it looks good, but not as good as the spray. I should have invested in a spray gun.
Some of the features incorporated in my stand that I absolutely love and recommend to everyone:
- Doors on all sides, stand and canopy. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to access the stand and tank from the front and both sides.
- Flip up front (if properly designed) is nice when needing to get large items in and out of the tank.
- Ledge around the tank. I find myself resting my arms and chin on this and staring into the tank all the time. Maybe I'm just weird but I look into the tank a lot
- 36" height. I don't have to get on the floor to see into the tank. And I still have a very nice view when sitting on my sofa.
- Power panel inside the stand. This is especially nice since my pumps are in another room. This way, I don't have to go into the equipment room to turn off the pumps when feeding. I can do it from this panel.
Thanks to everyone that has followed this thread. It is very flattering to receive so many compliments and questions. But the stand and canopy were only a small portion of the work. To see the entire setup, including my sump, skimmer, power panel, refugium, auto top off, etc., click on my red house. The tank has had water in it since July 2006 and is starting to look nice.
