I've decided to start a thread on my refurbishing and set up of a 150gallon tall tank. The tank was a great deal on craigslist, picked it up for $100 and it included the tank, stand, lids, some plants and a couple bags of gravel. 
This is what I started with. What you can't see is that the previous owner had a cat that really gouged up the stand, the faux wood trim on the tank is missing coloring in spots, and a couple of other small items here and there that I plan to fix.
The goals for the project:
1) Get everything completed on the cheap with products I already have.
2) Smooth out the scratches and dings.
3) Add a shelf on the inside to store food and chemicals. I have a piece of cedar 1x6 that will do the trick.
4) Refinish the stand. I already have some stain, hopefully it's a little darker than the current stain, and I have clear coat at home so no cost there.
5) Add some hardware to the doors to make them look and function better.
6) Paint the faux wood trim black (using Krylon Fusion).
7) Paint the back of the tank black (same paint).
8) Transfer everything from the existing 55 gallon over to the new 150 gallon and have it finished within a week... Might seem like a long time line to get those things done, but with a full time job we'll see if I'm able to get it done on time or not...
This is what I started with. What you can't see is that the previous owner had a cat that really gouged up the stand, the faux wood trim on the tank is missing coloring in spots, and a couple of other small items here and there that I plan to fix.
The goals for the project:
1) Get everything completed on the cheap with products I already have.
2) Smooth out the scratches and dings.
3) Add a shelf on the inside to store food and chemicals. I have a piece of cedar 1x6 that will do the trick.
4) Refinish the stand. I already have some stain, hopefully it's a little darker than the current stain, and I have clear coat at home so no cost there.
5) Add some hardware to the doors to make them look and function better.
6) Paint the faux wood trim black (using Krylon Fusion).
7) Paint the back of the tank black (same paint).
8) Transfer everything from the existing 55 gallon over to the new 150 gallon and have it finished within a week... Might seem like a long time line to get those things done, but with a full time job we'll see if I'm able to get it done on time or not...
