DIY Stand & Canopy !HELP PLEASE!

[Ali]

I am making my 240g (8'x2'x2') aquarium a dining room SW show peice. The problem I have is that the current stand and canopy are somewhat lacking (aka garage material) and I want to replace them with a quick and cheap alternative which will seem decent.

For lighting I have a 48" 8x54w T5 w/ 4 lunar lights by Current USA. How will I incorporate this into my canopy?

I am looking at getting an MRC protein skimmer but my problem is that the skimmer is 4' tall. I was thinking of covering it with something but what?

Any ideas, Thanks

 

[Ali]

Btw, the flooring is carpet. I want the color of the stand and Canopy either black or mahogany.

 

[Nate77]

You already have the stand and canopy?Can you dress it up with trim to make it look good?

 

[WolfFisho1]

yeah just put some nice wood over tops of it and stain it or paint it the color you want!

 

[Ali]

Here is a pic of the stand and canopy. What do you think?

 

[WolfFisho1]

you could just start over it isnt that hard to make a stand and canopy i did before this website!

i kno unbelivable

 

[Ali]

you could just start over it isnt that hard to make a stand and canopy i did before this website!

i kno unbelivable

I was thinking of doing a concrete cinder block stand with 2x4's running along top with plywood and styrofoam.

Is this doable on a carpet floor?

 

[WolfFisho1]

i dont kno why are u using concrete blocks!? that would add a lot of weight if you didnt reinforce your floor you may have to if you add concrete blocks! with the weight of the tank!

 

[Nate77]

Looks like you should be able to salvage the stand and dress it up a bit.I trash the canopy and start over by the pic.But i didn't build a canopy yet.

 

[Ali]

Great. Now, how do I go about painting? The last stand I tried painting ended in frustration and I ended up with a hideous stand.