Fish tank stand build

[SFish]

Wrapping a stand is a pain! I've never done any wood work before.

 

[SFish]

Side that I stained. I'll clear coat it this wed.

 

[SFish]

One side done

:deadhorse1:

 

[Big_Boss_77]

Wow... that's pretty, how's that wrap gonna hold up to water though? I've had bad luck with similar products peeling due to moisture.

 

[SFish]

I'm hoping ok. Did u clear coat your stuff?

 

[billdogg]

Looks good, but before you get too carried away - your stand is not really safe the way it is built. You have the entire weight of the aquarium resting on the screws you used t attach the top frame to the uprights. You REALLY need to add uprights between the top and bottom frames so that the load is carried all the way to the bottom by the wood.

 

[fishgate]

Typically on something like this you would attach all of the veneer and then stain it all at once. That allows you to putty the screw holes and clean up your joints and such. Also 2nd the comment about stand construction.

 

[SFish]

U can't see it in the pic but there is one 2x4 on the inside and 2 2x4's on the out side Jamed In between the top and the bottom of each corner. On top of that there are heavy duty brackets on each corner top and bottom. You can see in the pic I also put 2x4's going width wise on the top and bottom. I also have the inside leg trap between 2 2x4's. I put 4 or 500Lbs on top of this thing as a test and it didn't even move.

 

[kgtipton87]

Made stand out of 2x4s bright white protective enamel on the inside. I will hopefully have wrapped in Oak veneer and oak plywood top by the end of this weekend.

This will be for my 75 gal with 40 gal sump. Should be able to hold a bigger tank if I decide to upgrade down the line.

 

[SFish]

Nice

Mine is pressure treated wood on the inside. I suck at wood working. I wish I would have had someone to help. Maybe I'll try that stuff on the inside of my wrap.

 

[kgtipton87]

Nice

Mine is pressure treated wood on the inside. I suck at wood working. I wish I would have had someone to help. Maybe I'll try that stuff on the inside of my wrap.

Yea that will help it resist water. I meant to say that I built it out of 2x6s and the front support is a 2x4. I originally wasn't going to have any front support but the way my doors are going to be I thought I might as well have one there just in case. I also plan to put some of the enamel on the inside of the doors and walls.

 

[SFish]

I'm going to just have the whole front come off so no doors for me. I had to over size the stand a little to get my 20gal sump plus 7gal DSB tank and my 4gal ATO inside.

 

[SFish]

U can't see it in the pic but there is one 2x4 on the inside and 2 2x4's on the out side Jamed In between the top and the bottom of each corner. On top of that there are heavy duty brackets on each corner top and bottom. You can see in the pic I also put 2x4's going width wise on the top and bottom. I also have the inside leg trap between 2 2x4's. I put 4 or 500Lbs on top of this thing as a test and it didn't even move.

Here's a pic

 

[SFish]

And another

 

[Big_Boss_77]

Yeah, that'll hold nicely. And as for you prior question, the stuff I bought was supposedly pretreated, don't trust it if it said that.

 

[kgtipton87]

The pieces of lumber he used look treated to me. You can see that they have a green tint to them.

 

[billdogg]

Hate to bring this up, but treated wood is just about the worst choice possible for building a stand. Not only does it tend to be rather wet, and so prone to warping/splitting as it dries, it is usually treated with copper. You will have to allow it to dry well so that it can be sealed properly. Not doing so could allow an avenue for contaminates to get into your tank by way of splashes/drips, etc.

 

[SFish]

The pieces of lumber he used look treated to me. You can see that they have a green tint to them.

Yes they do. I thought it was mold at first. Good eye.

 

[SFish]

Hate to bring this up, but treated wood is just about the worst choice possible for building a stand. Not only does it tend to be rather wet, and so prone to warping/splitting as it dries, it is usually treated with copper. You will have to allow it to dry well so that it can be sealed properly. Not doing so could allow an avenue for contaminates to get into your tank by way of splashes/drips, etc.

When I first got the wood it was wet but now it's dry. I've been working on this for a while. Haven't had any problems so far but thanks.

 

[RocketEngineer]

When I first got the wood it was wet but now it's dry. I've been working on this for a while. Haven't had any problems so far but thanks.

You haven't seen any problems because only the surface has dried. Give it a year and then see what they look like.

The copper poisoning of the tank is nothing to scoff at. While we appreciate how much work it would be, replacing the treated boards with kiln dried lumber will prevent issues down the road. Having to replace inverts because you got wood shavings in sump seems like an avoidable waste of money. JMO.