Mission Impossible: 90AGA

[Demeter]

I finally decided to get serious about building my stand and reef. I found a local vendor and sent him my idea for the steel stand. He didn't think that was a problem, so I decided to have it built. I never notied that the AG stands are made using nails and glue, but they must be pretty sturdy to handle the tank, water, LR, DSB, etc. My setup figures to be around 1400lbs, so steel was the way to go. The steel is 1"x2"x1/8". The outside dimensions of the tank are 48.5"x18" and the stand is 36" tall.

The steel frame originally cost $325. That was for labor and painting. I'm sure it only took a couple hours to weld together. I added the tabs later, which added another $25.

All together is was $350 and they delivered it to my front door. I'm working on framing the stand and canopy and making the doors. Next sanding and painting. I'll post more pics as this progresses...

 

[SkinyChinaMan]

wowowow! that stand will hold anything!!! nice fram job..i wish i can DIY

 

[Reef-lite]

Don't you think it's overkill for a 90G? You would have been fine with 2x4s and saved yourself $300. It's a beautiful frame tho'. Too bad it'll be hidden by the wood skin (assuming you are putting on a skin).

 

[yessongs]

very nice stand, i can see its square tubing is it aluminum? it looks very light the aquarium would make it very top heavy you might have to tie it into the wall. did you have it made with leg leveling glides www.guden.com/cgi-bin/inframe.pl?display.asp?name=gli&GTSE=GOTO&GTKW=levelers some have rubber on the bottom so they wont slide, i have used them on stands i made in the past they work great.(at least 9 glides)
IMO i have used 5/4" stock on 4 stands and it is quite capable of supporting a 1400lb aquarium i think 2x4s are overkill.
show some pics after you skin it

 

[Demeter]

Here's a closeup of right side panel. I cut the boards 1/2" too short to cover the bottom of the tank. Hopefully, I can cover that up molding.

This one has three side attached. I used pressure treated plywood on the top and bottom. I thought that would be better than regular 1/2" plywood.

You can see the hole I drilled for the bulkhead and return in this photo, but that was a little tough to do.

Next are the doors, bottom and cap.

Reef - I thought about going with regular 2x4's for the stand, but I didn't have the tools at the time to finish the stand. Anyway, I felt that if I could afford steel, I'd rather have the stability and durability of steel over wood.

Skiny - I didn't think that I could do it either. I've made plenty of trips to HD to get it right. They know me by name at HD!

 

[Demeter]

Sorry about that last pic, you actually can't see the hole for the bulkhead and return. So here it is...

 

[yessongs]

Demeter can you please tell me if it is aluminum?
i find this very interesting, but out of curiosity how come you did not use furniture grade plywood?, also is it a personal preference having the wood grain run horizontal instead of vertical?

 

[Demeter]

The stand is steel not aluminum. When I designed the stand, we discussed using aluminum, but the guy at the iron works shop thought it wouldn't be sturdy enough to support the weight. I liked the grain going horizontal on the sides. I'll have the front going vertical.

 

[jan_dman]

Just curious about your sump since you have front & back steel support it will be limited...very solid and nice looking

 

[yessongs]

the steel works well weight wise.
very nice design, keep the pics coming!

 

[wedfr]

WOW that thing can hold my house up.

I also noticed the support in teh middle, You may want to think about getting it cut out on teh front side of the stand, Trust me you dont need that support in there with a steel frame liek that. HAve you ever seen teh steel stands All-glass sells? not even close to that rigid and no suports, and doesnt sag

Beatiful job though.

Are you covering that plywood with anything??? Thats a great looking steel stand to cover up with regular plywood

 

[Demeter]

Here's the bottom of the tank covered and ready to be sanded. Can you noticed the gaps in the seams? I can't figure out how to cover those up. If I use wood putty, won't that eventually crack and fall out due to the condensation coming from the sump?

I made a mistake when having the plywood cut for the sides. It's front is cut with the grain, the side go across the grain. Oh well, what's on more trip to HD? Here are the doors for the bottom of the stand.

wedfr - I'm using 3/4" sanded plywood for the frame. I'm going to stain it cherry. I think it will go good with the rest of the furniture in the house. I planned to add a small shelf about 24" front the bottom and secure it using the center support.

jan - I plan one using a LF1-125. I should about 4-5" in the front or back to move the sump if needed.

BTW - Here's the tank...

I have the cap glued and ready to go. I'll post the construction pictures later today.

 

[yessongs]

Demeter, im glad your are going to change the plywood, you can get cherry plywood 1/2" for around $50 at a lumber yard, that stuff your using is not good for the look you want. HD does not have cherry ply here in NY.
as for the seams it looks like the stand is 48" wide use 1 piece then cut out the door openings, if it is too short you can use corner guard molding to cover the ply and any gap.
if you cant use one piece of ply cut the the strips with a 22.5 degree bevel like when mitering baseboard molding it will hide the gap. wood filler looks like $hit when you stain it.
if you use the cherry ply you wont have to stain it, if not HD has birch ply at least use that, the ply you have now is not ment to be stained, or for any finished work.all the thought you put into the stand should be the same for the plywood, that is what you will see.
rember the stand should have the grain vertical, and the canopy horizontal.

good luck

 

[wiliiam]

I agree totaly you won't be happy w/ the finished product if you go w/ building grade plywood. spend the extra few $'s and get the right stuff

 

[Demeter]

I decided to cover the plywood instead of removing the entire shell. I'm using 1/4" birch which should stain nicely. I choose to have the grain for the cap and stand going vertical. Here are some pics of the cap and stand.

There is a little overlap on the door frames.

This is finally ready to be stained.

 

[wedfr]

i like the birch a lot, you mind letting us know how much and where you go tit?

 

[yessongs]

That look's great! birch is a much better choice:thumbsup: keep the pics coming.

 

[wiliiam]

1/4" birch 4x8 sheet 19.95 at HD. Looks much better, you're doing a great job on your project, keep the pictures coming

 

[GACDIVER]

I agree that the steel is a bit over kill but it looks great either way. My dad built the stand for my 75 out of 3/4 plywood. He also built a truss system out of 3/4" and 2x4s to support the tank with out a center brace so you deffinatally could park your car on top of that!!! That birch will stain really nice.

Keep this pics rolling.

Peace,

sean

 

[Demeter]

1/4" Birch at HD for $19.95 a sheet. They have 2'x4' cut sections at HD are thicker than the 4'x8' sheet and cost about $8. I stained the stand tonight. I'll post the pictures later.

I also made a bottom tray that is waterproof, just in case. It can hold 9.5 gallons if my calculations are correct.