thats it!!!!!!!!

[nycsicktank]

im making a stand for my 75 gallon. METAL STAND SUCKS!!!!! i hate the look of it and i cant fit my future skimmer!

who knew im ended up making a stand? :confused::confused:

i like woodright's stand except im going to make a cover.

any warning steps when i make stands?
what kind of nails do i use?

[Ace25]

any warning steps when i make stands?
what kind of nails do i use?

Ya, build it strong. Woodright is a professional woodworker, most of us are not. Build a nice 2x4 frame and then frame it. I dunno really, that is just the sturdiest way.. not the prettiest.

As far as the nails.. they are the ones with phillips heads on them.. oh ya.. they are called screws.. lol ;)

[nycsicktank]

:werd: thanks for making me feel stupid again!

[nycsicktank]

how am i going to cut the woods with a handsaw.....................!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ace25]

Well, I guess that would be possible for the 2x4's.. I wouldn't recommend it for the sheeting part though. Most of the time you can pay a little extra and have places like Osh and Home Depot cut the wood to size for you.

I think you need to draw up a plan or look at plans online and link to one. Just trying to picture a stand in my head has to be completely different than what you picture.

[Grins]

Do you have any experience with woodworking? My son has cabinetmaking experience thankfully or I'd not have gone the DIY route.

[kcress]

Why don't you just alter your metal stand. Any wood stand is going to suck up a whole bunch more 'under-space'.

I'm not seeing how going wood would improve skimmer fitting.

If you don't like the look, skin it with wood. You can do all this without moving your tank...

Got a picture?

[Ace25]

Luckly for me, my neighbor frames houses for a living and I watched him build his stand. Then I made some modifications and then had his boss build me a better stand because my neighbor lags on finishing projects. His stand still, after 5 years, does not have doors stained/mounted and his canopy is just scraps put together real fast as a "test fitting" for the light. He is the type that starts real fast but when the project becomes functional he never does the finishing details.

My stand cost about $150 in lumber/supplies like screws and hinges. I traded out his time/services to build the stand for my time in computer services, networking his house for him so it was a good trade. I spent a week staining and polyurethaning my stand after I got it to make sure it was really nice looking and waterproof.

One thing I always regret is I wanted to put some type of plastic liner on the bottom under the sump in case of overflow/spills. Well, I got impatient at the last minute and did not do that last detail and have had a few "oops" moments were water spilled and there is a little water damage from a time my tank back flowed 1/2 way onto my hardwood floor during a power outtage. I had recently replaced my return tubes and neglected to drill holes to prevent a back syphon.

[scootrnerd]

As far as the nails.. they are the ones with phillips heads on them.. oh ya.. they are called screws.. lol ;)
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Amphiprion]

Why don't you just alter your metal stand. Any wood stand is going to suck up a whole bunch more 'under-space'.

I'm not seeing how going wood would improve skimmer fitting.

If you don't like the look, skin it with wood. You can do all this without moving your tank...

Got a picture?

That depends upon the size of the skimmer. It may be too tall for his current stand. As far as sucking up more space, that also depends upon the design of each one. Both can be made to give a bit more space, though the "freedom" of an open metal stand may make it seem different (though even that is negated if it is fenced in with wood covers).

[wantvws]

Perfecto makes a pretty decent wood stand...that's what I have. It's definitely not the pinnacle of woodworking achievement, but for $300....and that's for a 7'x2' stand. I imagine a stand for a 55 would be a bit cheaper. It is also very open underneath (the entire thing is made out of 1x4s....scary but it works...). There are pics in my build thread if you're interested.
Robbie

[The Zigman]

I built the stand & canopy for my 125.. without any 2x4's or any framework, it is entirely made from 3/4 inch oak plywood and real 1x4 oak. I knew I should have taken some pix... Next time I will..

[Sploke]

Perfecto makes a pretty decent wood stand...that's what I have. It's definitely not the pinnacle of woodworking achievement, but for $300....and that's for a 7'x2' stand. I imagine a stand for a 55 would be a bit cheaper. It is also very open underneath (the entire thing is made out of 1x4s....scary but it works...). There are pics in my build thread if you're interested.
Robbie


I have the one for my 55, same design, just smaller. It was 150 bucks new, and I feel like I got ripped off, but hey you pay for convenience, and I didn't have the time to build my own at that point. The only thing I didn't like was that I had to take out the vertical center brace in the back and put it on the outside of the stand, because with it on the inside, it wasn't wide enough for a 20L sump.

[Umbra_Vipera]

I thought I'd just throw this out there, but you might check somewhere like craigslist.org for used setups. You might be able to get a used stand to do what you want plus maybe the bonus of another tank! :headbang2: That's what I ended up doing and got a second 75 gallon tank for the cost of new stand by itself from a chain store. You may have to do some refinishing (staining or painting) but it might save a few headaches if your not carpenter (which I definitely am not).

[The Zigman]

Ya, build it strong. Woodright is a professional woodworker, most of us are not. Build a nice 2x4 frame and then frame it. I dunno really, that is just the sturdiest way.. not the prettiest.

As far as the nails.. they are the ones with phillips heads on them.. oh ya.. they are called screws.. lol ;)

Mine was nailed together with a pneumatic finish nailer and 2" nails.. However, all of the seams and joints were also glued with yellow wood glue.

it is super strong. holding up the 125 for months..