55g stand build ( yes another stand build lol )

Isaacs55 · 01/04/2015, 02:57 AM

Ok Reef Central DIYers!!
So this will be my first saltwater aquarium ever !!! I'm super excited to start this build. But first, I had to start with buying my tank of course...nothing special it's an all glass aquarium masters 55 gallon only the bottom is tempered so I will be drilling the back

Anyway, enough about the tank because this thread is about my stand that I built and just want to share with everyone the process and how I built mine just incase anyone is curious to build one themselves. So the dimensions for my stand is:
49" 1/2 x 13" 3/4 x 34"
I'm not finished with the stand yet because I wanted some opinions from you guys on how I should do the doors. I want the stand to look modern in case that helps. Alright so here are a few pictures!!

Oh and let me just say that this is my first time building a stand...or anything for that matter. And I am not by any means a woodworker or carpenter lol just an artist lol

So here is the skeleton of the stand..
I used 8 feet long 2x4s approximately 8, and 2 1/2 inch screws.

Isaacs55 · 01/04/2015, 03:05 AM

Here's a few pictures of the stand with the tank on top

Isaacs55 · 01/04/2015, 03:21 AM

Here's some after I wrapped it with 1/4 inch maple plywood.
Oh and I had a question about the top of my stand...as you can see in one of the pictures that I used mdf board for the top of the stand so the tank can sit level. The reason I used this was because I had a long piece laying around so I cut it to size and used it lol my question is? Is this OK for the stand being that everything else is 2x4s and plywood? I'm afraid it'll mess with the integrity of the stand in some way? It's a half inch mdf board...my guess is that it'll just add weight to the overall stand?
Anyway here's some pictures

Here's where you can see the mdf board..

Isaacs55 · 01/04/2015, 03:38 AM

Finished putting the trim on, painted and now I'm stuck on the doors lol

And so this is where I'm stuck at for door ideas lol
In this picture I baught some half inch hardwood for the doors so it could somewhat look modern? I haven't put them on yet cuz I might return them...not sure what to go with...

billdogg · 01/04/2015, 08:04 AM

That looks really good, especially for a first timer!

The issue you will have with the MDF is that if (when) it gets wet, it falls apart. I would strongly suggest replacing it with a piece of plywood, and even then, I would give it several coats of sealer/primer and a good topcoat or two with latex enamel paint.

For your doors, you could easily fasten them to the stand by putting a strip of wood on the inside at the bottom where they can rest on the frame of the stand and then use rare earth magnets or even velcro on the top to hold them up. Tat would make them very easy to remove and still give you the sleek modern look you are after.

hth

Isaacs55 · 01/04/2015, 08:31 AM

Oh I see the issue there, thank you for your reply! So I will definitely be taking that off and replacing it with a half inch plywood! Add some paint and primer in one, and possibly some polyurethane to it as well. Also going to polyurethane the whole stand when I'm finished. Great door ideas I'm going to go over your suggestions and finger it out...although I came across another obstacle with the doors that I should've posted earlier that my wife mentioned is that the doors need to accommodate a hyper almost 2 year old boy. I need to figure out a way to keep the doors child proof.

billdogg · 01/04/2015, 09:26 AM

If you use rare earth magnets, you can get them in strengths that will make it difficult for an adult to get them off, much less your child! Especially if you stick with flat door panels (no handles) they will be difficult for him to get off.

Of course, you could just cover them with some metal screening and hook it up to some (low) current? (YES, JUST KIDDING!!!)

fbdave · 01/04/2015, 10:19 AM

Looks Great!

CanReefer · 01/04/2015, 12:09 PM

Turned out very nicely. The timber frame was probably unnecessarily strong, but too strong is never a bad thing.

Isaacs55 · 01/05/2015, 11:32 PM

Thanks fbdave! Canreefer, it definitely is strong and unnecessarily heavy but I wanted it that way because I wasn't going to be able to get the look I wanted unless I used 2x4s unfortunately lol the Rare earth magnets are a great idea I just Google them cuz I didn't know anything about them but I may go with that option...only I'm having difficulty trying to figure out how I would put them on and where...?

billdogg · 01/06/2015, 07:13 AM

Counter sink the magnets in the stand, and then epoxy large flat washers to the doors. The easiest way to countersink them will be with a forstner bit. A bit of epoxy In the hole and you are foot to go. I did it that way for the side panels on my 150 (18" x 72") and if anything they are a bit too hard to remove.

Anthony Reefer · 01/07/2015, 01:20 PM

What size and grade did you use for the rare earth magnets billdogg?

The stand looks geat I am drawing the plans for my stand now, it is for a 40b. I also have a question, is a 36" stand too tall for a 40b?

acidlittle · 01/07/2015, 02:21 PM

Anthony Reefer I'm in your boat too just got a 40br, after doing some measuring I'm going to have my stand be about 31" tall, I'm not tall and I figure i'll look at it the most so I should have it at a comfortable height for me! Plus I love top down viewing! Shoot me a PM man if you want to bounce ideas off eachother!

to the OP, stand looks good, definitely don't use MDF board for aquariums that stuff will rot out. I like the idea of magnets

Isaacs55 · 01/08/2015, 12:11 AM

Thanks I appreciate it! After a long time and thought I'm actually going to have to take my stand apart and trim it down to a 40B tank stand, due to the fact that my landlord had told me I'm not going to be able to keep a 55 gallon due to weight issue's. It's an older home and the support underneath the house is a little sketchy for a 55g. He's actually a good friend of mine which i totally respect. It's mainly because his previous tenant had a water bed and destroyed the floor so he had to replace everything but didn't upgrade the supports.
S
So unfortunately I will be making it into a 40B stand which he said is fine. I won't have much to trim which isn't bad.
As far as the height of the stand for a 40B. I'm going to keep my height of the stand I have now, so I'll lose about 3" which is actually perfect! I thought my stand with my 55g was too too high sitting at 34" plus 20".
Here's a picture of the tank and stand when 8 put the 55 in my house.

Honestly I think a 40B will look much better here anyways. The 55 just looks too big for the spot I want it.
So I'll post pictures eventually of my 40B build once I have time to take it all apart and rebuild it.

Isaacs55 · 01/08/2015, 12:16 AM

Anthony Reefer, just an idea from my picture I think for you if u want it to be high and eye level I think 36" would be perfect for you if you like the height for my 55 gallon stand in my living room.

Anthony Reefer · 01/08/2015, 01:06 AM

I was just worried about it looking goofy because it is a rather small tank. I think it will be fine the more I think about it. It is just tall because I want to use a 29g as the sump and hang a BRS Deluxe Reactor (13" tall) on the back and have it above the sump. The main down side is I will have to use a stool to get in the tank (hopefully not that often!) as I am 5'6" with short arms!

Your stand looks great and has given me the inspiration to get ready to buy the supplies for my stand build this weekend.

My dad is a carpenter so he is really excited, but he wants doors and I want a whole seamless magnetic front out of plywood what do you think? Doors are probably more convient, but the seamless face is more asthedically pleasing.

Isaacs55 · 01/08/2015, 01:33 AM

Thanks man! I mainly got my inspiration from watching all the stand builds on YouTube and just kinda put all the info and different types of designs into my stand. The most important thing though when you build your stand is make sure it's leveled and keep leveling it as you continue your stand until your finished. This really isn't stressed enough and it's number one importance.

As for the doors, man there's so many different types of door ideas out there, but it just depends on what your looking for. I wanted the modern look, so I didn't want anything showing on the stand like all the hinges and screws and nails.

I don't think any tank would look goofy after its up and running.

Anthony Reefer · 01/08/2015, 12:04 PM

Yes, it being level is the most important. There is carpet throughout almost all my house, (not the bathrooms) so i plan to put it on carpet, i do not think carpet would make a difference, but is there anything I should know and plan to accommodate.

Isaacs55 · 01/09/2015, 01:14 AM

A lot of people put their aquariums on carpet and they do just fine. I wouldn't worry about it except for the leveling issue. Just make sure to put some extra type of material dowdown like a black tarp or something that water won't go through because you don't want saltwater to seap through to the foam padding under your carpet. Some people use towels but obviously water goes through towels as well.

01/04/2015, 02:57 AM	#1
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	55g stand build ( yes another stand build lol ) Ok Reef Central DIYers!! So this will be my first saltwater aquarium ever !!! I'm super excited to start this build. But first, I had to start with buying my tank of course...nothing special it's an all glass aquarium masters 55 gallon only the bottom is tempered so I will be drilling the back Anyway, enough about the tank because this thread is about my stand that I built and just want to share with everyone the process and how I built mine just incase anyone is curious to build one themselves. So the dimensions for my stand is: 49" 1/2 x 13" 3/4 x 34" I'm not finished with the stand yet because I wanted some opinions from you guys on how I should do the doors. I want the stand to look modern in case that helps. Alright so here are a few pictures!! Oh and let me just say that this is my first time building a stand...or anything for that matter. And I am not by any means a woodworker or carpenter lol just an artist lol So here is the skeleton of the stand.. I used 8 feet long 2x4s approximately 8, and 2 1/2 inch screws.

01/04/2015, 08:04 AM	#5
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	That looks really good, especially for a first timer! The issue you will have with the MDF is that if (when) it gets wet, it falls apart. I would strongly suggest replacing it with a piece of plywood, and even then, I would give it several coats of sealer/primer and a good topcoat or two with latex enamel paint. For your doors, you could easily fasten them to the stand by putting a strip of wood on the inside at the bottom where they can rest on the frame of the stand and then use rare earth magnets or even velcro on the top to hold them up. Tat would make them very easy to remove and still give you the sleek modern look you are after. hth __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/04/2015, 09:26 AM	#7
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	If you use rare earth magnets, you can get them in strengths that will make it difficult for an adult to get them off, much less your child! Especially if you stick with flat door panels (no handles) they will be difficult for him to get off. Of course, you could just cover them with some metal screening and hook it up to some (low) current? (YES, JUST KIDDING!!!) __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/06/2015, 07:13 AM	#11
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	Counter sink the magnets in the stand, and then epoxy large flat washers to the doors. The easiest way to countersink them will be with a forstner bit. A bit of epoxy In the hole and you are foot to go. I did it that way for the side panels on my 150 (18" x 72") and if anything they are a bit too hard to remove. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/07/2015, 01:20 PM	#12
Anthony Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Roseburg, Oregon Posts: 120	What size and grade did you use for the rare earth magnets billdogg? The stand looks geat I am drawing the plans for my stand now, it is for a 40b. I also have a question, is a 36" stand too tall for a 40b? __________________ Keep on Reef'in Current Tank Info: I do not have a tank yet as they are very $$$ and I am only 16, But I have been able to afford a lot of information on them.

01/04/2015, 03:05 AM	#2
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Here's a few pictures of the stand with the tank on top

01/04/2015, 03:21 AM	#3
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Here's some after I wrapped it with 1/4 inch maple plywood. Oh and I had a question about the top of my stand...as you can see in one of the pictures that I used mdf board for the top of the stand so the tank can sit level. The reason I used this was because I had a long piece laying around so I cut it to size and used it lol my question is? Is this OK for the stand being that everything else is 2x4s and plywood? I'm afraid it'll mess with the integrity of the stand in some way? It's a half inch mdf board...my guess is that it'll just add weight to the overall stand? Anyway here's some pictures Here's where you can see the mdf board..

01/04/2015, 03:38 AM	#4
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Finished putting the trim on, painted and now I'm stuck on the doors lol And so this is where I'm stuck at for door ideas lol In this picture I baught some half inch hardwood for the doors so it could somewhat look modern? I haven't put them on yet cuz I might return them...not sure what to go with...

01/04/2015, 08:31 AM	#6
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Oh I see the issue there, thank you for your reply! So I will definitely be taking that off and replacing it with a half inch plywood! Add some paint and primer in one, and possibly some polyurethane to it as well. Also going to polyurethane the whole stand when I'm finished. Great door ideas I'm going to go over your suggestions and finger it out...although I came across another obstacle with the doors that I should've posted earlier that my wife mentioned is that the doors need to accommodate a hyper almost 2 year old boy. I need to figure out a way to keep the doors child proof.

01/04/2015, 10:19 AM	#8
fbdave Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 3	Looks Great!

01/04/2015, 12:09 PM	#9
CanReefer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 10	Turned out very nicely. The timber frame was probably unnecessarily strong, but too strong is never a bad thing.

01/05/2015, 11:32 PM	#10
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Thanks fbdave! Canreefer, it definitely is strong and unnecessarily heavy but I wanted it that way because I wasn't going to be able to get the look I wanted unless I used 2x4s unfortunately lol the Rare earth magnets are a great idea I just Google them cuz I didn't know anything about them but I may go with that option...only I'm having difficulty trying to figure out how I would put them on and where...?

01/07/2015, 02:21 PM	#13
acidlittle Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 1,012	Anthony Reefer I'm in your boat too just got a 40br, after doing some measuring I'm going to have my stand be about 31" tall, I'm not tall and I figure i'll look at it the most so I should have it at a comfortable height for me! Plus I love top down viewing! Shoot me a PM man if you want to bounce ideas off eachother! to the OP, stand looks good, definitely don't use MDF board for aquariums that stuff will rot out. I like the idea of magnets __________________ start small "This is my BOOMSTICK"~~~Bruce Campbell Current Tank Info: 24gal AP 150MH....75gal is forsale!

01/08/2015, 12:11 AM	#14
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Thanks I appreciate it! After a long time and thought I'm actually going to have to take my stand apart and trim it down to a 40B tank stand, due to the fact that my landlord had told me I'm not going to be able to keep a 55 gallon due to weight issue's. It's an older home and the support underneath the house is a little sketchy for a 55g. He's actually a good friend of mine which i totally respect. It's mainly because his previous tenant had a water bed and destroyed the floor so he had to replace everything but didn't upgrade the supports. S So unfortunately I will be making it into a 40B stand which he said is fine. I won't have much to trim which isn't bad. As far as the height of the stand for a 40B. I'm going to keep my height of the stand I have now, so I'll lose about 3" which is actually perfect! I thought my stand with my 55g was too too high sitting at 34" plus 20". Here's a picture of the tank and stand when 8 put the 55 in my house. Honestly I think a 40B will look much better here anyways. The 55 just looks too big for the spot I want it. So I'll post pictures eventually of my 40B build once I have time to take it all apart and rebuild it.

01/08/2015, 12:16 AM	#15
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Anthony Reefer, just an idea from my picture I think for you if u want it to be high and eye level I think 36" would be perfect for you if you like the height for my 55 gallon stand in my living room.

01/08/2015, 01:06 AM	#16
Anthony Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Roseburg, Oregon Posts: 120	I was just worried about it looking goofy because it is a rather small tank. I think it will be fine the more I think about it. It is just tall because I want to use a 29g as the sump and hang a BRS Deluxe Reactor (13" tall) on the back and have it above the sump. The main down side is I will have to use a stool to get in the tank (hopefully not that often!) as I am 5'6" with short arms! Your stand looks great and has given me the inspiration to get ready to buy the supplies for my stand build this weekend. My dad is a carpenter so he is really excited, but he wants doors and I want a whole seamless magnetic front out of plywood what do you think? Doors are probably more convient, but the seamless face is more asthedically pleasing. __________________ Keep on Reef'in Current Tank Info: I do not have a tank yet as they are very $$$ and I am only 16, But I have been able to afford a lot of information on them.

01/08/2015, 01:33 AM	#17
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	Thanks man! I mainly got my inspiration from watching all the stand builds on YouTube and just kinda put all the info and different types of designs into my stand. The most important thing though when you build your stand is make sure it's leveled and keep leveling it as you continue your stand until your finished. This really isn't stressed enough and it's number one importance. As for the doors, man there's so many different types of door ideas out there, but it just depends on what your looking for. I wanted the modern look, so I didn't want anything showing on the stand like all the hinges and screws and nails. I don't think any tank would look goofy after its up and running.

01/08/2015, 12:04 PM	#18
Anthony Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Roseburg, Oregon Posts: 120	Yes, it being level is the most important. There is carpet throughout almost all my house, (not the bathrooms) so i plan to put it on carpet, i do not think carpet would make a difference, but is there anything I should know and plan to accommodate. __________________ Keep on Reef'in Current Tank Info: I do not have a tank yet as they are very $$$ and I am only 16, But I have been able to afford a lot of information on them.

01/09/2015, 01:14 AM	#19
Isaacs55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Riverbank CA Posts: 906	A lot of people put their aquariums on carpet and they do just fine. I wouldn't worry about it except for the leveling issue. Just make sure to put some extra type of material dowdown like a black tarp or something that water won't go through because you don't want saltwater to seap through to the foam padding under your carpet. Some people use towels but obviously water goes through towels as well.