richiero
New member
Know anyone that can replicate this?
Just the tank part of the stand and canopy and corner moldings - not the built-in aspect of it and the side door, etc.
My carpenter who did my kitchen
DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
My carpenter who did my kitchen
I think it depends on how wide your tank is. With a smaller tank a single door would probably be ok, but with a larger tank it would be pretty unwieldy. What I did above was put four doors under the tank, which I use to access the sump 99% of the time, but the whole front frame, doors and all is designed to be removable, so for those few times when I do need full access to the sump area I can just pull out the frame.
Yeah, a 4 foot wide door seems like it would be pretty awkward. You could also do two doors that open to the outside in a similar fashion to what I did here:
The frame in this section is not removable, but I plan to put a Q tank here, so I wanted as much access as I could get. This opening is only 30" wide, so 48" would still be wider and two wider doors might still be a bit unusual looking, but better than a single 48" door.
Personally, though, I would probably go for three or four doors and make the frame removable.
davocean
Active member
Know anyone that can replicate this?
Just the tank part of the stand and canopy and corner moldings - not the built-in aspect of it and the side door, etc.
This is not that difficult to build really from my point of view as a carpenter, but it could look even cleaner had they used hidden cup hinges.
That dental mould above can be fun sometimes, getting a perfect lineup and not having it fracture while cutting or shooting it on.
If you look at my pictures above I actually have the middle piece attached to one of the doors, so it just swings open with the door. That middle piece isn't really necessary at all... I did it that way so that it would match the rest of the unit, but you could simply have the two doors butt together with nothing between them (although it would probably be a bit more difficult to line them up that way). You could also screw the middle piece in and make it removable, but when I talk about the frame being removable I mean the whole frame that the doors attach to.
This picture was taken when I was painting and the doors aren't attached, but the whole piece can come with the doors still attached.
Do you actually want a door that swings? I would suggest a panel that you can take off and set aside when you need to get into the stand.
The only issue I see with that (especially with something that's 49" wide is the fact that it would be pretty inconvenient to take off. I dunno if I'm normal or not, but I usually open the door to check my sump at least once or twice a day... Making sure the skimmer is running properly and not full or checking the water level in the sump, etc. If I had to take off a 49" panel and set it aside every time I wanted to access my sump I think I would go nuts.
leviburns89
New member
I have a velcro front panel. It's amazingly effective.
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I had one question that I haven't been able to find answered anywhere. How are the top and bottom frames secured to the legs? Are they only secured to the screw strips or are they secured to the uprights? I am almost done with a 48" for my 75G, and was about to order some 4-5 inch screws to screw down into the legs, but none of the posted pictures seem to have them attached that way.
- Winflakes
- Winflakes
leviburns89
New member
I've been wondering the same thing. Unless you toenail screws in, it goes against every building code I've ever used.
I build all Frames in accordance with building code. All boards laid flat, use ×2 the depth, and .5 the width in screws.
So a 2x4 laid flat will need 2, 3" screws at every joint.
Here is a pic of my stand, built to structural code.
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rickztahone
New member
You can always make a slide panel door. You just have to have clearance on the side as opposed to the front of the tank.
davocean
Active member
If it's a door that is being opened and closed on a regular basis I would do a double door but I myself always use quick release cup hinges, 2 snaps and the door is off and out of my way, they are also soft closing, give a touch and they close on their own w/out slamming
the easiest would probably be a french cleat
where the "wall" is the stand and the "bookcase" is the panel. you would just mount the "wall" part on the top rail of the stand and then the panel would drop on. there are many other ways depending on what kind of design you are looking for.
With the above being said, I agree with Brett. I frequently walk by and just open the doors of my stand to quickly check everything out.
If it were my stand i would make smaller doors. 2, 24.5" doors would be better than 1, 49" door... but i would probably split it into 3...
I am getting a 150 G glass tank that I plan to setup as a peninsula tank with a ghost over flow. I was going to use Rocket Engineers design to build my stand with a few modifications.
Tank dimensions 60”X24”24”
Sump area: 75G (48”) sump and 18” wide ATO container
I would like the ghost over flow to be hidden in a cabinet and was planning to build the stand to be 72” long.
Stand dimensions:
72”X25”35”
Use 2X6 for the top frame
Use 2X4 for the legs and the screw strips
Use 2X4 for the uprights on the top frame @ 20” 40” and 60” positions
Use 60”X25” plywood to sit between the tank and the stand, to distribute the weight
Use 2X4 on the bottom frame to support plywood and seal it to be water tight.
I was planning to have legs at the 60” position where the tank ends, between the top and bottom 72” rails with screw strips.
Questions:
I was going to have the uprights (@ 20”,40”,60”) on the top frame to sit flush with the top so that they can give support to the plywood base – Is this a good idea?
Should I have legs at the 60” position to support the upright? If yes, can I use the screw strips to act as legs and have them sit on top of the 2X4 that is on the bottom frame? I was trying to avoid partitioning the sump area, by adding additional legs.
Use Kreg Jig and pocket screws to secure the legs to the top and bottom frame along with attaching them to the screw strips, is this okay?
I was going to build the bottom frame using 2X6 and seal it so that it can act like a wall in the event of an accident. Is this okay or should I go back to 2X4?
Should I use 72”X25” plywood instead of 60”X25” for the top frame with a hole cut out for the return and drain?
What thickness of plywood would you recommend?
Is this a good plan? Any concerns?
The tank will be sitting in the basement and I want to make sure that my modifications will not weaken the stand. Thank you for your help!!
Tank dimensions 60”X24”24”
Sump area: 75G (48”) sump and 18” wide ATO container
I would like the ghost over flow to be hidden in a cabinet and was planning to build the stand to be 72” long.
Stand dimensions:
72”X25”35”
Use 2X6 for the top frame
Use 2X4 for the legs and the screw strips
Use 2X4 for the uprights on the top frame @ 20” 40” and 60” positions
Use 60”X25” plywood to sit between the tank and the stand, to distribute the weight
Use 2X4 on the bottom frame to support plywood and seal it to be water tight.
I was planning to have legs at the 60” position where the tank ends, between the top and bottom 72” rails with screw strips.
Questions:
I was going to have the uprights (@ 20”,40”,60”) on the top frame to sit flush with the top so that they can give support to the plywood base – Is this a good idea?
Should I have legs at the 60” position to support the upright? If yes, can I use the screw strips to act as legs and have them sit on top of the 2X4 that is on the bottom frame? I was trying to avoid partitioning the sump area, by adding additional legs.
Use Kreg Jig and pocket screws to secure the legs to the top and bottom frame along with attaching them to the screw strips, is this okay?
I was going to build the bottom frame using 2X6 and seal it so that it can act like a wall in the event of an accident. Is this okay or should I go back to 2X4?
Should I use 72”X25” plywood instead of 60”X25” for the top frame with a hole cut out for the return and drain?
What thickness of plywood would you recommend?
Is this a good plan? Any concerns?
The tank will be sitting in the basement and I want to make sure that my modifications will not weaken the stand. Thank you for your help!!
I have a velcro front panel. It's amazingly effective.
old shot
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What material did you use for the panel? I was planning to use magnetic strips that you find at HD or Lowes, did you try doing that? I was concerned about its strength, we have it on the shower door and it seems to hold really well.
leviburns89
New member
The panel itself is 3/8 plywood, with 1×1 poplar trim. It uses 2" of velcro in top and bottom corners.
I just pull the whole panel off, lean it up against a wall. And can easily put it back whilst sitting in my viewing chair
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