DIY Stands In General !

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
A lot of you seem to have come up with similar reasons for overbuilding them. It does seem that the cost of 2x4 and the confidence that come from over building is high on the list of reasons.
I am just not very keen on the way the stands look once finished, they just look quite bulky, also they tend to be much higher than i like,my stand will only be around 26" tall.
Once I get back off my holidays i will start doing a thread on the building of my stand and see what people think.
 
Bulky? Maybe... Gorgeous? Absolutely! (none are mine - not taking any credit here)

Of course, there are definately some REALLY nice custom plywood stands that I've seen as well that I would trust any of my tanks on. This is one of the best:

If I can do the finishing work even close to any of the above tanks when I do my own DIY, I'll be thrilled with my work.
 
A few things you need to look at when you see most of the stands we do is that we tend to put more than one tank on them, so using 2x4's makes it easier to work with. Now myself I choose 2x4's mainly for the ease of if I ever need to convert the stand to hold a different tank or tanks. It's much easier to get rid of a leg or 2 on a 2x4 stand and place in a cross brace than to take out a piece of MDF and rebuild an entire side. Also you have to think that a majority of us on here have fish rooms and so we aren't too concerned on the 2x4 look. If it did then we could just slap on a quick coat of paint and be done with it.

Also, let me know when you are able to double stack 2 - 200gallon tanks on an MDF stand! j/k

I'd have to stick with the skeleton frame structure mainly because it's easier to teardown when I have to move. :D
 
For me as a fish room person there was just no other option that makes since. 6-8 tanks on 1 stand with plywood only:ROFL:. And for the stands that i have built for just one tank my reasoning is that 2x's are just easier to work with having basic tools. Trying to cut a 4'x8' sheet of ply by your self with just a circular saw and have it square is hard to do.---------And over here atleast a frame is the basis of most things built-house's,decks,sheds,garages,sky scrapers,fences,and jst about any other structure.
 
Also, let me know when you are able to double stack 2 - 200gallon tanks on an MDF stand! j/k

I'd have to stick with the skeleton frame structure mainly because it's easier to teardown when I have to move. :D
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Firstly my stand will not be made of MDF it will be made of 1" marine ply!
Most of the stands I have seen are just to hold one tank, not the two or god knows how many more you obviously want to stack on one stand.
Also a vast number, I have seen build threads for,are going in lounges and dinning rooms so they are not just for fish rooms.Have a look at the links posted by soemone all for one tank!
At the end of the day if you are happy with the way it looks and the ability to hold the tank/tanks you want it to then great.
 
Whenever you go to build it just post us some pics so we can see your process. It may be something we may want to do someday if we ever want to venture outside the fishroom.

Good Luck, keep lot's of pics!
 
Why are you making your stand so low to the ground. It sounds like you would have to lay down to get a good look at it. Do you plan to make it in to a table or something. I thought about making a card table tank one time and it sounded alot like your plan.
 
hybridtheoryd16;2231755; said:
Why are you making your stand so low to the ground. It sounds like you would have to lay down to get a good look at it. Do you plan to make it in to a table or something. I thought about making a card table tank one time and it sounded alot like your plan.
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Mainly because once the tank is on top of the stand it will be 56" tall nearly 5' without the hood, it will give me all the room I need to access the sump and other bits and bobs stored under the stand, so with a hood on as well around 5' 4".I really dont understand why they have to be the height that some of them are built.
From sitting in my lounge i have a fantastic view of my tank it is right on my level, so no i dont have to lay down to have a decent look.
My current Juwel tank is on a stand that has been reduced in height and is only 24" tall. It also means that the tank rim is not 6+ feet off the ground making it very difficult to workon whilst standing on the ground unless you are 7' tall.Looking at some of the stands I have seen built by DIY they are so tall that once the tank is on top there is no way you could maintain a planted tank without useing a step ladder.
 
If you're looking for a reason it's because it's easy. End of story. Making an MDF or plywood, or knotty pine, or whatever stand with wispy architecture is possible, and maybe not even really that hard... but most of us don't really care if the stand weighs as much as the tank, and we don't really care if there is twice as much lumber in there as we need. The more accomplished of us DIY folks have taken a shot at stands that use less lumber simply for the challenge (or for other reasons like personal preference in your case.) As you've pointed out though, commercial stand builders consistently use far leaner structures than the average DIYer, so there's obviously no technical advantage to having more wood in your frame. I see no reason to take the piss out of anyone for overdoing it though - 1000 or 2000 or 10000lbs is a **LOT** of weight, so why not be sure, if you don't care that the stand is a couple inches taller and a few stone heavier?

For me, personally, I just find that square cut lumber is so awfully expensive when compared to framing lumber that if I can make it work with dressed millstead lumber, I will. If I had a bunch of extra cash for nice lumber, I'd buy it in an instant and make myself a masterpiece stand, but I don't, and I don't even have a tablesaw, so even using something like marine ply is difficult.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
 
Here is the link to the stand that I built. Although, by manufacturers standards, this stand is overbuilt. But I would hardly call this stand bulky. A lot of people prefer to have their stand a little higher to allow for bigger filtration underneath.
Height of the stand is strictly a matter of personal preference. If you want it short, build it short.
When you do build this, build so that you will like how it looks. marine grade plywood is an overkill in itself. Unles you plan on regularly dousing your stand in water, then there is no need for marine grade. It would be just added cost.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125445
 
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