144 Gallon family room friendly stand (load warning)
- Thread starter Maduro
- Start date
Not sure why I never saw this or your other build, but great work! I am jealous of your tank selection too... for my front living room that exact size would be perfect for me. I will probably just end up with a 60x18 120 though because that's the most common of a semi-uncommon footprint. That tank is also old Africans I've had forever.
If I may make a suggestion: I would love to have those two holes in my glass bottom. I'd just put two returns from a pump in them, angled in different directions, and hide them in the rockwork. It'd be like a low-mounted powerhead for between-rock water movement and circulation, but without any visible wires or worry about it sucking up any sand, which is what killed mine every time I tried doing that in my heavily-rocked Mbuna tank. I wonder if a powerful filter like an FX5 might make a good closed-loop setup with that as the return.
I hope to build a stand to match my room too (though as we ended up going with more of a transitional style I'm not entirely sure how to design it) so if you don't mind a few questions from an aspiring finish carpenter.....
- What kind of saws did you use to make your cuts? Particularly the plywood. I have long wondered whether long cuts on a piece like that are better accomplished with a table saw and those rolling type sawhorse things, or with a clamped down guide and a circular saw. I own a [very old and probably unreliable] compound miter and a circular saw, but not a table saw or jigsaw. I assume I'll need a jigsaw and should use that for cutting out door holes.
- Is that 3/4" Oak ply? Two layers of it (the background and the edges) or are the edges something else? I'm a little confused by the sequence of photos going from no door holes to door holes and back, as well as by how the piece behind the door ended up with the grain vertical.
- What kind of hinges did you use, and how are they attached inside? To the 3/4" like a kitchen cabinet, or to the 2x4 supports?
- When you were building the frame, did you first frame the top and bottom 2x4 rectangles on a level surface, then turn them on their sides to screw in the supports? Or did you make the vertical pieces first? Or bottom, vertical pieces, then top? (I re-assembled a poorer 2x4 design stand the other day and it is not trustworthy... too wobbly. Part is the design and part is me. Luckily it's only going to be used for a week.)
Thanks,
-Dave
If I may make a suggestion: I would love to have those two holes in my glass bottom. I'd just put two returns from a pump in them, angled in different directions, and hide them in the rockwork. It'd be like a low-mounted powerhead for between-rock water movement and circulation, but without any visible wires or worry about it sucking up any sand, which is what killed mine every time I tried doing that in my heavily-rocked Mbuna tank. I wonder if a powerful filter like an FX5 might make a good closed-loop setup with that as the return.
I hope to build a stand to match my room too (though as we ended up going with more of a transitional style I'm not entirely sure how to design it) so if you don't mind a few questions from an aspiring finish carpenter.....
- What kind of saws did you use to make your cuts? Particularly the plywood. I have long wondered whether long cuts on a piece like that are better accomplished with a table saw and those rolling type sawhorse things, or with a clamped down guide and a circular saw. I own a [very old and probably unreliable] compound miter and a circular saw, but not a table saw or jigsaw. I assume I'll need a jigsaw and should use that for cutting out door holes.
- Is that 3/4" Oak ply? Two layers of it (the background and the edges) or are the edges something else? I'm a little confused by the sequence of photos going from no door holes to door holes and back, as well as by how the piece behind the door ended up with the grain vertical.
- What kind of hinges did you use, and how are they attached inside? To the 3/4" like a kitchen cabinet, or to the 2x4 supports?
- When you were building the frame, did you first frame the top and bottom 2x4 rectangles on a level surface, then turn them on their sides to screw in the supports? Or did you make the vertical pieces first? Or bottom, vertical pieces, then top? (I re-assembled a poorer 2x4 design stand the other day and it is not trustworthy... too wobbly. Part is the design and part is me. Luckily it's only going to be used for a week.)
Thanks,
-Dave
Thanks for the compliment.
I would only use those holes for a sump. Some would attach a canister but I don't think its worth all plumbing involved in making it safe. I left the option open to using the holes in the future by building around them.
answers to your questions....
- What kind of saws did you use to make your cuts? Particularly the plywood.
I used a table saw for large wide cuts, miter saw for frame and trim, jig saw for door holes.
- Is that 3/4" Oak ply? Two layers of it (the background and the edges) or are the edges something else? I'm a little confused by the sequence of photos going from no door holes to door holes and back, as well as by how the piece behind the door ended up with the grain vertical.
The sides are 1/2 Oak ply, the front is single ply. The doors are made of different pieces of oak. That's why the grain goes in different configuration. I wanted heavy doors to drill recessed hinges into.
- What kind of hinges did you use, and how are they attached inside? To the 3/4" like a kitchen cabinet, or to the 2x4 supports?
Hinges are "euro overlay face frame hinges" I inserted vertical 2x4s to secure them to face of stand. These require you drill holes in your doors so they lay beneath face level
When you were building the frame, did you first frame the top and bottom 2x4 rectangles on a level surface, then turn them on their sides to screw in the supports? Or did you make the vertical pieces first? Or bottom, vertical pieces, then top? (I re-assembled a poorer 2x4 design stand the other day and it is not trustworthy... too wobbly. Part is the design and part is me. Luckily it's only going to be used for a week.)
I start by framing out the top and bottom, then do the 4 corner vertical supports measuring and insuring level at all points. I also cut all my vertical supports at the same time. If you stack them and there's a variance in length you need to adjust all of them to be perfect matches or your stand won't be level.
Good luck with your build.
I would only use those holes for a sump. Some would attach a canister but I don't think its worth all plumbing involved in making it safe. I left the option open to using the holes in the future by building around them.
answers to your questions....
- What kind of saws did you use to make your cuts? Particularly the plywood.
I used a table saw for large wide cuts, miter saw for frame and trim, jig saw for door holes.
- Is that 3/4" Oak ply? Two layers of it (the background and the edges) or are the edges something else? I'm a little confused by the sequence of photos going from no door holes to door holes and back, as well as by how the piece behind the door ended up with the grain vertical.
The sides are 1/2 Oak ply, the front is single ply. The doors are made of different pieces of oak. That's why the grain goes in different configuration. I wanted heavy doors to drill recessed hinges into.
- What kind of hinges did you use, and how are they attached inside? To the 3/4" like a kitchen cabinet, or to the 2x4 supports?
Hinges are "euro overlay face frame hinges" I inserted vertical 2x4s to secure them to face of stand. These require you drill holes in your doors so they lay beneath face level
When you were building the frame, did you first frame the top and bottom 2x4 rectangles on a level surface, then turn them on their sides to screw in the supports? Or did you make the vertical pieces first? Or bottom, vertical pieces, then top? (I re-assembled a poorer 2x4 design stand the other day and it is not trustworthy... too wobbly. Part is the design and part is me. Luckily it's only going to be used for a week.)
I start by framing out the top and bottom, then do the 4 corner vertical supports measuring and insuring level at all points. I also cut all my vertical supports at the same time. If you stack them and there's a variance in length you need to adjust all of them to be perfect matches or your stand won't be level.
Good luck with your build.
Maduro;4897816; said:
Not sure what you mean by making it safe... I run a closed loop with just standard hose and clamps and it's water tight. The reason I didn't go with a sump is because without an overflow box, it'd leave exposed visible PVC and be ugly. But in this case I was actually initially thinking of it being nothing more than a little PVC loop with a pump in the middle. (Actually, that would be a lot more plumbing than say an FX5.)
Single ply... so that's actually a thinner one? (does that ever seem flimsy or lose rigidity?) Especially with the non-birch woods, if I don't have to pay for 3/4" that would be very nice. But I assumed that for big spans it'd feel inadequate. Almost like how you can push on the back of a Target-bought shelf and see it move a bit. (That, of course, is cardboard, not wood.)
Yeah, that's the kind I want. I had some concern that I'd have to work out some way to get the 2x4 out of the way because the kind I was familiar with that you drill into the doors requires sort of a C-shaped attachment, wrapping around the 3/4" face piece behind it. If this one lays flat against the side of the 2x4, perpendicular to the door when it's closed, that's perfect.
Thanks. I did a lot of messing around with a temp stand last night and I'm becoming aware of (and hopefully overcoming) some of the beginner errors and pitfalls, so when I decide on what wood to use and which tank to do first, hopefully it will go very smoothly, even on the first try. Seeing your build progress photos and knowing about those hinges helps a ton.
So what are your plans for hiding the temperature probe?
Some people would make the argument that the 1x material you used for the framing around the edges is strong enough on its own to support the weight of the tank, if you had also stretched it or some plywood across the back. It's certainly more than reliable in the standard pine stands with those vertical barred doors that you see everywhere in fish stores. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what bears the weight of the tank sitting on the rim in the 75g I hope to replace with the 5 footer similar to yours (if I'm lucky enough). Of course, adding that extra height changes the amount of weight it has to distribute.
Where did you buy your oak? I know that around here I can get birch or oak ply and trim pretty easily at either Menards or Home Depot, but I don't know where to get 1x or big chunks, or a wood like cherry or something else. Sometimes I find living in a big city a pain. Certain chains (Lowes for instance) don't come here and there are so many different local stores that I only end up knowing the ones that are closest by. I have no idea where to track down material beyond what is at the HD though, wood-wise. (Like fancier and thicker door moulding, for instance. I can't very well do 1/4" back panel and 3/4" rails/stiles for recessed panel wainscoting if I only have 3/4" deep door moulding. No idea who sells thicker ones though.)
That's a pretty big digression, though. Sorry.
Do you get any action at all in the upper levels of the tank? We keep similar fish, and outside of a few peacocks I wonder if maybe my hope for a tall tank like yours is not so necessary, given the rock-dwelling habits of most of the fish.
How tall is the stand, btw? My sense of perspective is thrown way off for some reason in the photo with your son. Something about him plus the really tall tank plus the high couch arm really messes me up and makes the stand look super short, even though from the in-progress pics I know it isn't.
Where did you buy your oak? I know that around here I can get birch or oak ply and trim pretty easily at either Menards or Home Depot, but I don't know where to get 1x or big chunks, or a wood like cherry or something else. Sometimes I find living in a big city a pain. Certain chains (Lowes for instance) don't come here and there are so many different local stores that I only end up knowing the ones that are closest by. I have no idea where to track down material beyond what is at the HD though, wood-wise. (Like fancier and thicker door moulding, for instance. I can't very well do 1/4" back panel and 3/4" rails/stiles for recessed panel wainscoting if I only have 3/4" deep door moulding. No idea who sells thicker ones though.)
That's a pretty big digression, though. Sorry.
Do you get any action at all in the upper levels of the tank? We keep similar fish, and outside of a few peacocks I wonder if maybe my hope for a tall tank like yours is not so necessary, given the rock-dwelling habits of most of the fish.
How tall is the stand, btw? My sense of perspective is thrown way off for some reason in the photo with your son. Something about him plus the really tall tank plus the high couch arm really messes me up and makes the stand look super short, even though from the in-progress pics I know it isn't.
