Another Custom Stand Construction Thread- 120 Gal.

[Twin Reefs]

Update

Update

Just wanted to see what you thought so far. I still need to put on the crown moulding part and the very top trim piece. I'm wondering if that top trim piece is going to be hard to cut. Do I router the edges? Hmmm...tough part of the build since it will be seen easily and touched often.

 

[marino420td]

Looks great.

 

[bmkj02]

Im working so slow on this. Dont know if it is because I am lazy or just want it done right but here goes what I have so far. I just pre stained it last night. Ready for stain today. Thanks again for your post. Without it I dont think it would have came out so nice. When done I will post again.

 

[Twin Reefs]

Im working so slow on this. Dont know if it is because I am lazy or just want it done right but here goes what I have so far. I just pre stained it last night. Ready for stain today. Thanks again for your post. Without it I dont think it would have came out so nice. When done I will post again.

Looking good. What size tank is that for? Looks like for a nice big tank!!

Mine is going slow too. But for me, it's cause I have so much on my plate....work and family.

Here is an update on mine. Still needs the top trim piece, doors and stain.

 

[bmkj02]

A 250g is going on that bad boy.

 

[Twin Reefs]

A 250g is going on that bad boy.

Nice. I wish I had the room for that.

Have you made a canopy for it?

 

[bmkj02]

Nice. I wish I had the room for that.

Have you made a canopy for it?

No and I might not either since the fixture is a hanging one that will house 2x400w MH and 1x250w MH plus 4 CF Bulbs. Too hot for a canopy. The tank before had just 2x400w and 4 T5 in a canopy and it was so hot in there even with two big fans and it was loud. This way I can keep the water cooler and better evaporation.

 

[Twin Reefs]

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Meldrath]

Tagging along, going to make a 20g version of this stand when I get a chance. Absolutely incredible!

 

[MstgKillr]

Im working so slow on this. Dont know if it is because I am lazy or just want it done right but here goes what I have so far. I just pre stained it last night. Ready for stain today. Thanks again for your post. Without it I dont think it would have came out so nice. When done I will post again.

Your stand is coming out great! What are the dimensions of the 250? How wide did you make the pillars?

 

[bmkj02]

Your stand is coming out great! What are the dimensions of the 250? How wide did you make the pillars?

Off the top of my head I dont recall the exact but I know the tank is 8ft long and 2ft wide. Height I dont remember. Im not home right now.

The pillar are almost 8" wide

 

[bmkj02]

More pictures

 

[MstgKillr]

:blown:

More pictures

That's really turning out great! Do you have any progress pictures from the begining? Any updates?

Where in Florida are you located?

 

[BuggINTN]

Dimensions

Dimensions

I began building the canopy for the tank tonight. I did not get very far. Just the front face frame and the column face frames tonight. All made from solid maple using pocket screws.

Marino.....
I know everyone is probably sick of all of the discussion on your tank build but
"pea brain girl" here wants to start a weekend project (so hubby has to come back and finish it ) to redesign our existing 120 canopy. How did you decide on the dimensions of your openings for your side and front doors and columns? It looks like the top rail of the canopy is wider than the bottom? This was by design I am sure - was it a better fit for the trim? For the frame did you use furring strips or ??? (you may have already said and I missed it) One thing I will praise your engineering skills on - you have a very eye appealing "balance" on the canopy and stand. What I mean is you see so many stands/canopies that are all doors or all wood with no balancing between objects or too much space on the ends or doors too close to the edge, you did a very nice job in creating a fine piece of furniture dubbed as a aquarium or vice versa if you'd rather. Do you feel you made your canopy tall enough to provide the adequate distance between the lights and water surface or would you have changed it? Your craftsmanship makes me jealous as many others have already admitted to. (I like to design, hubby likes to build). I wish I would have seen it before I rebuilt my existing one twenty stand. (I have a rebuilt 120g spare tank taking up space, if I had a spot to put it I'd build a new stand to sit it on - that will be in my next life ). One of the other things that I like about your canopy is you have doors to opening to the tank for manual feeding but also raising the hood for maintenance. Anything details would be great. Thanks!

 

[marino420td]

Thanks for the kinds words. I really wanted this to look more like a piece of furniture more than an aquarium stand. On you questions about the canopy, if you look at the pictures below, you will get a better understanding of why the bottom rail is thinner than the top rail. This allows for the canopy to overhand the tank trim and hide the trim. While keeping the appearance in balance.

It wasn't easy to balance the look of the canopy with the stand. Due to weight, I couldn't build the canopy as bulky as the stand. But I think it turned out and looks ok.

As for height, I wouldn't change anything since I use MH lights in large reflectors. In today's world if I was going with LED's, I might not build the canopy quite to tall.

I also wouldn't bother with the flip front canopy. It is honestly too heavy to utilize and I never flip it up for access.

Hope this helps. Good luck and post progress pics.

Here are some detailed pics showing how the tank trim will be hidden

 

[Venom0vv0]

Hi,
I just purchased a used 120 acrylic tank. I was pondering on what I'd like to do for a stand. Your stand is just the ticket. The decorative molding I think I'll lean towards an Asian theme but yours looks terrific. Thanks for the ideas. Remarkable job. v/r Paul

 

[Venom0vv0]

Hi,
I just purchased a used 120 acrylic tank. I was pondering on what I'd like to do for a stand. Your stand is just the ticket. The decorative molding I think I'll lean towards an Asian theme but yours looks terrific. Thanks for the ideas. Remarkable job. v/r Paul

 

[marino420td]

Thanks Paul. Good luck on your build.

 

[AJ460]

that is great looking I have been thinking of trying to build one myself but for a 150 gallon but I am not a wood worker and that's a lot of water if I screw up

 

[dsm1]

Some pics (300dd build)

Some pics (300dd build)

These are bad pics taken with a cheap phone. I will take quality pics soon...

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