DIY 20 gallon stand canopy combo

[calvin415]

A buddy of mine asked me to build an inexpensive stand/canopy combo for his 20 gallon that he's planning on using as a nano reef. The stand can hold a 10 gallon tank for a sump, and there is enough height for me to also add a large auto top off reservoir allowing the tank to litterally go for weeks on it's own (at least that is what is planned). The canopy is hinged to the back and allows it to swing freely out of the way to work on the tank. The structure connecting the two allow the unit to be placed against a wall and easily hides all his plumbing since he will need to drill the tank for filtraion. Here's a link to some pics, sorry they aren't great, I was in a hurry, but I'll take some better close ups once it's done. Trim and finishing work is all that's left.

http://www.tankblogger.com/ViewAlbum.aspx?TID=12

 

[djrecklessk]

Nice looking stand with built in on canopy. How tall is the actually stand itself and the height of the canopy and the actually tank itself? The stand looks to be at least 36" tall. With that amount of space below wouldn't it be better to put a larger sump instead of the 10 gallon? i.e. 20 gal tall sump. That would help to stablize the environment. Also what type of lights are you going to use for this setup? I'm currently working my 20 gal nano with a 18 gal sump.

 

[calvin415]

The entire setup is 72" (6ft) tall. The canopy is 12" the tank is 16 3/4" leaving the stand at 43 1/4" tall. I can't go any larger than a 10 gallon sump without going custom because of the foot print. The tank which sits on top of the canopy is a 20H so I can't fit a 20H in a smaller foot print (structure takes up space). The lighting he has planned is a 250W SE 14K MH.

 

[djrecklessk]

Can't wait to see the setup in action. Keep us posted with some updated pics when you get the chance. Great job on the stand. I wished I was that handy.

 

[calvin415]

Thanks! Here's a link to the person I'm building it for's blog... It's actually a 20 gallon even though the blog says 29 right now (I let him know it's a 20 gallon so it should be changed soon). He'll be posting pics of the transfer once he starts getting it setup, in the mean time, I'll post more pics of the stand/canopy once I get it finished, which will hopefully be tonight...

http://www.tankblogger.com/ViewTanks.aspx?TankID=10

 

[calvin415]

Pic's are updated with tonight's progress...