In a previous post, I gave a detailed review of my new Aquatic Gardens 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquarium. Here I'd like to share how I built the stand for this oddly-dimensioned aquarium.
The bookshelf aquarium is 23.75" long, 7.5" deep, and 9" high (12" high with hood attached). It's basically the same proportions as a 20 gallon long tank, but quite a bit smaller. The dimensions are definitely unique, and that posed a real challenge to finding an appropriate stand.
I looked at various stands available at pet stores, and they just seemed too expensive for a small aquarium. The best one was a 24" oak stand at PetCo for $39. That's just under the price of the entire aquarium kit, and this stand has an open back with only one shelf way low, at the bottom. This aquarium was going in my study, so I wanted something more stylish and functional, yet strong enough to hold 60 lbs.
An ordinary bookshelf was ideal, but I didn't feel they were strong enough. So I modified and strengthened an ordinary bookshelf instead.
I purchased a Sauder 30" inch two-shelf bookcase kit (Kit #752) at Menards for the low, low price of $13. I already have two of these, and they're great for books, so I knew their construction. I also purchase some small brass angle brackets and particle board screws.
This bookshelf wobbles only slightly under pressure when normally constructed with the back tacked on. But it's 30" long, so I knew it would eventually bow under the weight of an aquarium. So my idea was just to turn the horizontal center shelf 90 degrees, into a vertical stabilizer. So before I left Menards, I had them cut the middle shelf into two pieces at 23.75" and 2.5". This worked out perfectly as there was no wood left over--just one cut!
The Sauder kit uses "hidden" attachments, where you stick a wood screw into a plastic housing, then pound the plastic housing into a rounded cutout in the top and bottom panels. Then you insert a screwdriver into the flush plastic housing to attach the screws. The result is that you can't really see what's holding it together, unless you look at the upper shelf from below. The middle shelf simply sits on pegs at the desired height. It doesn't even have small cutouts for the pegs, which was always a disadvantage as a bookshelf. But it was a good thing for creating an aquarium stand.
I assembled the flush plastic housings normally. However, I added a brack bracket near each cutout, which gave me a total of eight strong brackets holding the outer assembly together, along with the wood screws that came with the kit. As you can see, I had a blowout on one of the plastic housings when I had to hammer the shelf to make it flush. But the angle brackets made up for the loss of strength at that point.
Next, I temporarily slid the middle shelf into place vertically, where it would eventually serve as the vertical stabilizer, and measured carefully to get it centered. I marked its position with a colored pencil on the back side of the particle board.
After marking its final location, I removed the vertical stabilizer (middle shelf) and attached angle brackets on both sides of one end, staggering them on either side so the screws wouldn't interfere with each other. I only did this on one end (the top), because I would attach the bottom using 1" particle board screws from below. I didn't want angle brackets on the bottom so I could use the two cavities as storage without obstruction.
With the stand upside down, I inserted the 1" particle board screws along the center line, just enough to keep them in place. Next I added a few screws to the angle brackets at the bottom, keeping them loose. When the end with the angle brackets were held in place, I aligned the other end one last time, then screwed the 1" screws in tight. I measured once again just to make sure it was really centered, then tightened the angle brackets that held the vertical stabilizer. These brackets were on the the bottom (floor) because the stand was upside down. This made tightening all the screws much easier.
At that point I needed to add the small remaining 2.5" piece beneath the bottom shelf, to extend the vertical stabilizer to the floor. This was the piece that remained after Menards cut the middle shelf at 23.75". I attached four angle brackets to the 2.5" piece, staggering them to avoid colliding screws, just as I'd done with the larger vertical stabilizer earlier.
However, I noticed that the 1" particle board screws were not flush with the wood, so the 2.5" piece was too high when I set it on top. In other words, if I'd uprighted the stand, the center 2.5" piece would have been higher, so the thing would rock quite a bit to the left and right.
So I removed the 1" particle board screws one at a time, used my trusty Swiss Army Knife to gauge a recess for the head, and inserted brand new screws that were now flush with the wood.
But even then, the 2.5" piece was not cut perfectly even, so one end was about 1/4" higher than the other. It needed to be exactly 2.5" all the way across. Problem is, I didn't have a saw or sandpaper, or even a file, to trim the piece (I left most of my tools in storage when I moved). After a a little thought, I opened my trusty Swiss Army Knife and decided to whittle some. It took a while, because particle board is not easy to whittle, but eventually I managed to get it down to an even 2.5" all the way across. Then I used the angle brackets to attach the 2.5" piece to extend the vertical stabilizer below the bottom shelf (this is all upside down in the photos because I had the stand upside down).
One thing I did forget was to have Menards cut the 2.5" piece's length down a bit, because the decorative front panel at the bottom reduces the bookshelf's depth by half an inch at the bottom. So I attached the 2.5" piece anyway, and let it extend out 2.5" on the backside, figuring that would provide a nice guide to keep the stand far enough from the wall to fit the power filter behind the aquarium.
At this point, the stand was essentially done. I tested the strength, and although it could wobble slightly under high pressure, it was clearly much stronger than it was without the angle brackets. More important, when I compressed the stand on top the vertical stabilizer was strong. From the standpoint of dead weight on top, this stand was solid as a rock.
The slight potential for wobbling was remedied when I tacked the thin wood panel onto the back, using tacks every 4 inches or so. When it was all finished, this stand was as solid in every dimension as any $100+ aquarium stand I've seen at pet stores. But the total cost was $20!
I put the stand in place behind the desk in my study, and put the Aquatic Gardens 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquarium on top. The aquarium has a round plastic dot in the center, so it was easy to line this up with the vertical stabilizer on the stand. It was a perfect fit when centered, with about 3 inches of wood showing all around the aquarium. I checked the level and it was very close, but I shimmed the bookshelf slightly to make it even better. When the aquarium was level I added water, and checked the level again. It was fine.
I guess you could easily add doors and hinges to the two tall cabinets that the vertical stabilizer creates, if you wanted to. I'm going to use one side to hold 8.5 x 11" paper (perfect fit!), and use the other side for a Rubbermaid office supply caddy with drawers. So without adding much more weight, this stand also serves as an office organizer.
Overall, I'm glad I fought off the urge to spend more money on a "professional" stand, and looked for a creative solution instead. Of course, I was very lucky those awesome bookshelves are available so cheap at Menards right now!
By the way, the construction supervisor in the background of some photos was my guinea pig, Sammy.
The bookshelf aquarium is 23.75" long, 7.5" deep, and 9" high (12" high with hood attached). It's basically the same proportions as a 20 gallon long tank, but quite a bit smaller. The dimensions are definitely unique, and that posed a real challenge to finding an appropriate stand.
I looked at various stands available at pet stores, and they just seemed too expensive for a small aquarium. The best one was a 24" oak stand at PetCo for $39. That's just under the price of the entire aquarium kit, and this stand has an open back with only one shelf way low, at the bottom. This aquarium was going in my study, so I wanted something more stylish and functional, yet strong enough to hold 60 lbs.
An ordinary bookshelf was ideal, but I didn't feel they were strong enough. So I modified and strengthened an ordinary bookshelf instead.
I purchased a Sauder 30" inch two-shelf bookcase kit (Kit #752) at Menards for the low, low price of $13. I already have two of these, and they're great for books, so I knew their construction. I also purchase some small brass angle brackets and particle board screws.
This bookshelf wobbles only slightly under pressure when normally constructed with the back tacked on. But it's 30" long, so I knew it would eventually bow under the weight of an aquarium. So my idea was just to turn the horizontal center shelf 90 degrees, into a vertical stabilizer. So before I left Menards, I had them cut the middle shelf into two pieces at 23.75" and 2.5". This worked out perfectly as there was no wood left over--just one cut!
The Sauder kit uses "hidden" attachments, where you stick a wood screw into a plastic housing, then pound the plastic housing into a rounded cutout in the top and bottom panels. Then you insert a screwdriver into the flush plastic housing to attach the screws. The result is that you can't really see what's holding it together, unless you look at the upper shelf from below. The middle shelf simply sits on pegs at the desired height. It doesn't even have small cutouts for the pegs, which was always a disadvantage as a bookshelf. But it was a good thing for creating an aquarium stand.
I assembled the flush plastic housings normally. However, I added a brack bracket near each cutout, which gave me a total of eight strong brackets holding the outer assembly together, along with the wood screws that came with the kit. As you can see, I had a blowout on one of the plastic housings when I had to hammer the shelf to make it flush. But the angle brackets made up for the loss of strength at that point.
Next, I temporarily slid the middle shelf into place vertically, where it would eventually serve as the vertical stabilizer, and measured carefully to get it centered. I marked its position with a colored pencil on the back side of the particle board.
After marking its final location, I removed the vertical stabilizer (middle shelf) and attached angle brackets on both sides of one end, staggering them on either side so the screws wouldn't interfere with each other. I only did this on one end (the top), because I would attach the bottom using 1" particle board screws from below. I didn't want angle brackets on the bottom so I could use the two cavities as storage without obstruction.
With the stand upside down, I inserted the 1" particle board screws along the center line, just enough to keep them in place. Next I added a few screws to the angle brackets at the bottom, keeping them loose. When the end with the angle brackets were held in place, I aligned the other end one last time, then screwed the 1" screws in tight. I measured once again just to make sure it was really centered, then tightened the angle brackets that held the vertical stabilizer. These brackets were on the the bottom (floor) because the stand was upside down. This made tightening all the screws much easier.
At that point I needed to add the small remaining 2.5" piece beneath the bottom shelf, to extend the vertical stabilizer to the floor. This was the piece that remained after Menards cut the middle shelf at 23.75". I attached four angle brackets to the 2.5" piece, staggering them to avoid colliding screws, just as I'd done with the larger vertical stabilizer earlier.
However, I noticed that the 1" particle board screws were not flush with the wood, so the 2.5" piece was too high when I set it on top. In other words, if I'd uprighted the stand, the center 2.5" piece would have been higher, so the thing would rock quite a bit to the left and right.
So I removed the 1" particle board screws one at a time, used my trusty Swiss Army Knife to gauge a recess for the head, and inserted brand new screws that were now flush with the wood.
But even then, the 2.5" piece was not cut perfectly even, so one end was about 1/4" higher than the other. It needed to be exactly 2.5" all the way across. Problem is, I didn't have a saw or sandpaper, or even a file, to trim the piece (I left most of my tools in storage when I moved). After a a little thought, I opened my trusty Swiss Army Knife and decided to whittle some. It took a while, because particle board is not easy to whittle, but eventually I managed to get it down to an even 2.5" all the way across. Then I used the angle brackets to attach the 2.5" piece to extend the vertical stabilizer below the bottom shelf (this is all upside down in the photos because I had the stand upside down).
One thing I did forget was to have Menards cut the 2.5" piece's length down a bit, because the decorative front panel at the bottom reduces the bookshelf's depth by half an inch at the bottom. So I attached the 2.5" piece anyway, and let it extend out 2.5" on the backside, figuring that would provide a nice guide to keep the stand far enough from the wall to fit the power filter behind the aquarium.
At this point, the stand was essentially done. I tested the strength, and although it could wobble slightly under high pressure, it was clearly much stronger than it was without the angle brackets. More important, when I compressed the stand on top the vertical stabilizer was strong. From the standpoint of dead weight on top, this stand was solid as a rock.
The slight potential for wobbling was remedied when I tacked the thin wood panel onto the back, using tacks every 4 inches or so. When it was all finished, this stand was as solid in every dimension as any $100+ aquarium stand I've seen at pet stores. But the total cost was $20!
I put the stand in place behind the desk in my study, and put the Aquatic Gardens 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquarium on top. The aquarium has a round plastic dot in the center, so it was easy to line this up with the vertical stabilizer on the stand. It was a perfect fit when centered, with about 3 inches of wood showing all around the aquarium. I checked the level and it was very close, but I shimmed the bookshelf slightly to make it even better. When the aquarium was level I added water, and checked the level again. It was fine.
I guess you could easily add doors and hinges to the two tall cabinets that the vertical stabilizer creates, if you wanted to. I'm going to use one side to hold 8.5 x 11" paper (perfect fit!), and use the other side for a Rubbermaid office supply caddy with drawers. So without adding much more weight, this stand also serves as an office organizer.
Overall, I'm glad I fought off the urge to spend more money on a "professional" stand, and looked for a creative solution instead. Of course, I was very lucky those awesome bookshelves are available so cheap at Menards right now!
By the way, the construction supervisor in the background of some photos was my guinea pig, Sammy.
I hope you don't mind, I'm going to make myown tomorrow 
