aztbs
Active member
07/25 - 07/29/07
I am going to get the build stuff out of the way before I start putting up more detailed livestock pics/info. It took forever to start working on the finishwork, but it was really nice having such easy access to the tank while it was young.
We had a big party coming up at the house and I was terrified of little children playing in the sump, or giving the fish their soda pop, so it put us in gear to finally work on the cabinets/wood skin for the metal stand. We aren't professional cabinet makers by any means.
We decided to go with oak because it is all over our house and it is readily available and not as expensive as some of the prettier hardwoods.
We started by putting the ledge around the bottom of the tank. This is the only part of the wood that is actually 'permanently" attached to the stand. Everything else comes off with some wingnuts.
This ledge is screwed and glued in to the sheet of plywood that the tank is sitting on. (screwing in to that is nerve wracking, I tell you)
The next piece is fitting the plywood sheet to the front of the tank.
Then finishing that piece. It gets 2 coats of Kilz primer for the inside and 2 coats of stain + 2 coats of lacquer on the front. This takes FOREVER. :lol:
And staining the ledge. You can see in this picture that the ledge sits just on top of the plastic trim along the bottom of the tank and the wood sits flush up against the glass. I lost 1.5in of the tank behind the wood, but it was all sand and it looks more finished.
I am going to get the build stuff out of the way before I start putting up more detailed livestock pics/info. It took forever to start working on the finishwork, but it was really nice having such easy access to the tank while it was young.
We had a big party coming up at the house and I was terrified of little children playing in the sump, or giving the fish their soda pop, so it put us in gear to finally work on the cabinets/wood skin for the metal stand. We aren't professional cabinet makers by any means.
We decided to go with oak because it is all over our house and it is readily available and not as expensive as some of the prettier hardwoods.
We started by putting the ledge around the bottom of the tank. This is the only part of the wood that is actually 'permanently" attached to the stand. Everything else comes off with some wingnuts.
This ledge is screwed and glued in to the sheet of plywood that the tank is sitting on. (screwing in to that is nerve wracking, I tell you)
The next piece is fitting the plywood sheet to the front of the tank.
Then finishing that piece. It gets 2 coats of Kilz primer for the inside and 2 coats of stain + 2 coats of lacquer on the front. This takes FOREVER. :lol:
And staining the ledge. You can see in this picture that the ledge sits just on top of the plastic trim along the bottom of the tank and the wood sits flush up against the glass. I lost 1.5in of the tank behind the wood, but it was all sand and it looks more finished.
