Double the Fun Tank Stand Builds!

This afternoon, I finally started a project I've been looking forward to for a couple of years now. I'm building two 6 ft. aquarium stands. No one in my family are overly fond of fish or carpentry, so I hope you don't mind if I share here on the forum.

I have an alcove in my living room that is 16 1/2' across and 3' deep. We are in the process of re-enforcing the 2x12 joists under it so we can put the stands there. For now, my current 55g will go on one and I am getting a new 75g while Petcos sale is going to put on the other. Hopefully by the end of the year, I can get the 125g that I want. Then.......in the future if a deal comes along for that second 125g, I'll be ready.

Today I only got as far as cutting all the 2 x 4's. Sixty-four pieces!!! I'm basing my builds off of DIY King. My target for tomorrow is rough sanding. Since they will be in the living room and the interior will be more visible to people than if they were in another room, I plan to paint the interiors as well as the exteriors. I've decided it will be easier to paint the pieces before assembling. We shall see. Thanks for listening.

 

Painting first is easier. Also recommend checking to see if floor is even where your putting the tank if not it's easier to assemble in place to compensate.

 

Agree about checking the floor, our floors are so uneven that we had to build shallow concrete plinths before making the stands for our two big tanks. We didn’t paint ours, we stained and varnished the wood, and yes it was done before assembly.

 

Well this is exciting! I too enjoy building stands, and look forward to following your progress.

 

Started sanding the 2 x 4's after church today. Trying to get the energy to finish, but my Nespresso machine keeps calling to me, and who am I not to heed it's call?

I would like to start painting tomorrow.

 

I'm behind on the tentative schedule I set for myself. I had hoped to have the painting finished by now. Obviously, I don't. I have the frame pieces cut, sanded, wiped down, laid out and ready to paint, but that's as far as I've gotten. Tomorrow, I happily go to visit my 2 yr. old granddaughter, so I'll get nothing done then either.

 

It always takes longer than you think its going to! But it will soon come together...

 

I've finally made some progress on my aquarium stands. Other than touching up the paint, the framework for the first one is finished and I should be able to finish the second one tomorrow. I've bought the hinges for the doors, but I still need to buy the materials to cover the outsides. I plan to use birch plywood.

 

Framework for the 2nd stand is complete! I was a very happy camper when that little bubble showed level, lol. This one needs more paintwork than the other. Hopefully, I can pick up the material for the outside in the next couple of days. If not, I can still get some staining done on the top.

I was being a bit ornery today and asked my husband if he wanted to help me (knowing he would say no because he doesn't like woodworking like I do). He said no he needed to change lightbulbs, so I offered to wait for him. He told me that was ok, to go ahead, lol. So here is a bonus pic of Archie helping him change light bulbs.

 

The king of DIY whips one of those together in half an hour!

 

But does have as much fun as you are??

 

LOL, I like the way you think! Seriously, though, I do enjoy projects like this......especially late at night with some music going.

 

The stands are coming along fine. The end results are much more important than elapsed production time.

Is Archie a Sphinx? One of my friends has two of them... they're quite the feisty little buggers!

 

Yes, I have another one as well (Sam) but he isn't quite as ornery as Archie!

 

A MUCH delayed update! I decided I wanted Shaker style cabinet doors, which took a bit longer, and the outdoor Pittsburgh Paint (mid-price) I used needed 3 coats causing further delay. Other than those two things, it was just life getting in the way, but I'm finally back on track. The first cabinet is finished (except for trim) and in place, and the 2nd is ready to be assembled. Another update is on the planned tanks for the stands. Originally, I planned to put my new 75g on one and my 55g on the other, with hopes of a 125g or two in the future. That's why I built the stands so big. Well........during the build delay, I bought my first 125g. The plan now is to put the 125g on this 1st one and the 75g on the 2nd. The kids are supposed to come over today to lend their muscle to move the 125g from the garage, where it has been sitting with water in it to check for leaks. I am rather excited! I put lights and a power strip in this one, but decided not to put shelves. I wanted room for a canister, if I decide to go that route, on one side and room for buckets and the python on the other.
I almost forgot to add the update pics.

 

Top Notch! Color looks the same as my bedroom stand and tank.

 

The 125g stand and tank are ready to be filled. I finished putting on the trim and adding the power strip tonight. If I don't run out of energy, I plan to finish staining the butcher block top for the 2nd stand later tonight. It's finished for the most part, just needs to be assembled and some trim painted. I doubt much else will get done until next week. I get the granddaughter this weekend and intend to enjoy that fully.

 

That is a beautiful stand.

 

The 125g stand and tank are ready to be filled. I finished putting on the trim and adding the power strip tonight. If I don't run out of energy, I plan to finish staining the butcher block top for the 2nd stand later tonight. It's finished for the most part, just needs to be assembled and some trim painted. I doubt much else will get done until next week. I get the granddaughter this weekend and intend to enjoy that fully.

They look awesome if your ever in Australia free food and board if you want to build me one or two or three.

 

I managed to get the top of the 2nd stand stained today. While I was at it, I figured I might as well stain the 2 pieces for the matching TV stand. It will be much easier to build. It's going to be more industrial (my preferred look) than the tank stands. Now that I've got that done, I guess I have no more excuses and have to play like an adult and go do laundry and clean house before the weekend.

 

I plan to start filling and scaping the 125g today, so I think I'll put that on a different thread.

 

I painted the back of the 75g black today and have it in the garage filled with water to check for any leaks. If all is good there, I need to get the 75g stand finished and the tank inside.

 

Wow great looking stand and tank! Don’t think the cats are happy though! Scared the hair off them!!

 

The 2nd stand looks just like the 1st except I put a shelf in on one side. It has the 75 g goldfish tank on it for now, but is built for a 125 g because I wanted the two stands to be symmetrical where I put them and If I want to move it and upgrade to a 125 g in the future, I can. Because of the ceiling slant of the alcove on this side, a 125 g won't fit. I plan to put my jarrarium to the left of the tank. I managed to get the TV stand finished tonight, so I'll try to post pictures of the whole project for the alcove that this project was started for in the next day or so.

 

You’ve done an amazing job you should be so proud

 

You’ve done an amazing job you should be so proud

Thank you! It's the biggest project I've taken on, and at times I wondered if I'd ever get finished.