my 125 stand build
- Thread starter cyukio
- Start date
Great Job! The stand looks plenty strong, and I love the visual appeal of it.
If you ever have to cut that styrene again, it's the same stuff model builders use for plastic trains, cars, buildings, etc. It's available in different thickness and colors. The usual way they cut it is using the score and snap method. Use the back side of new #11 X-Acto make a couple of passes along the side of the straight edge where you want the cut, bend the plastic back and forth along your groove, and it just falls apart. The trick is the depth of the score you cut. I still enjoy scratchbuilding models of things I plan on building in the future.
If you ever have to cut that styrene again, it's the same stuff model builders use for plastic trains, cars, buildings, etc. It's available in different thickness and colors. The usual way they cut it is using the score and snap method. Use the back side of new #11 X-Acto make a couple of passes along the side of the straight edge where you want the cut, bend the plastic back and forth along your groove, and it just falls apart. The trick is the depth of the score you cut. I still enjoy scratchbuilding models of things I plan on building in the future.
yeah i found the score method works best but for someone like me with little patience it was still a pain. wow you work with styrene? props to you ill never touch the stuff again haha thanks for the comments guys.bubbles123;4125526; said:
okay finally set up, took some pics. sorry for the bad picture quality. tried to keep it clean and simple. got some purigen in there to help with the tannins from the wood. heres some day pics and night shots, only thing need to do is cycle and rehome my fish. thanks for riding along with me on this build guys now that i learned some knowledge about this, i feel that i can start helping people out with their stand build. i couldnt have done it without MFK for answers to some of my sometimes dumb questions. thanks. oh sorry heres the pics.
Just read your thread. Very nice construction design for your very first time. I'm new to this site, but I've been a member over at plantedtank.net for quite a while now. I built a stand for my 29g about a year ago or so. Since it was for a smaller tank I just used 2x4s for the framing portion of the build. I read in your thread some constructive criticism about your stand and I just wanted to put in my two cents. Keep in mind that I was raised around construction and trim carpentry, so my opinions may differ from others....
I REALLY like your frame. You utilized 2x6 boards for the majority of your frame. It is going to be VERY strong and will last as long as you do. Somebody said that you shouldn't have put the cross supports so close to the top of the frame. He may have a point about warping, but since you installed these particular supports vertically they will never warp up and down (Perhaps side to side a bit.....A BIT). You are very smart to put what I would call "cripples" at each corner of your frame. These are the 2x6 boards which span from the top of your frame all the way to the floor in your house. This is a critical design which adds tremendous strength to the entire structure.
These compliments said, I do have a few things that bother me a bit about the stand. You did not add any additional vertical support in the middle of the stand. This is more than likely NEVER going to be an issue seeing as how you used 2x6s to span the long distance from one side of the stand to the other. However, you would have done good by putting in atleast one support on the front and back of the frame in the middle of the previously mentioned long span.
Overall, I really think that you've done an out-stand-ing job.........Yeah, that was geekish fish-tank-nerd talk (As my wife would call it).
The only other thing that I would suggest doing differently is taking your HOB filters out of the equation and spending the extra cash to get something that is going to drastically improve the quality of your fishes' lives!!! Go Eheim or Fluval (Pro III or FX5, respectively).
I can't wait to watch your little monsters grow and mature. Thanks for the awesome thread. Now go make a tank journal for us...
Charlie
I REALLY like your frame. You utilized 2x6 boards for the majority of your frame. It is going to be VERY strong and will last as long as you do. Somebody said that you shouldn't have put the cross supports so close to the top of the frame. He may have a point about warping, but since you installed these particular supports vertically they will never warp up and down (Perhaps side to side a bit.....A BIT). You are very smart to put what I would call "cripples" at each corner of your frame. These are the 2x6 boards which span from the top of your frame all the way to the floor in your house. This is a critical design which adds tremendous strength to the entire structure.
These compliments said, I do have a few things that bother me a bit about the stand. You did not add any additional vertical support in the middle of the stand. This is more than likely NEVER going to be an issue seeing as how you used 2x6s to span the long distance from one side of the stand to the other. However, you would have done good by putting in atleast one support on the front and back of the frame in the middle of the previously mentioned long span.
Overall, I really think that you've done an out-stand-ing job.........Yeah, that was geekish fish-tank-nerd talk (As my wife would call it).
The only other thing that I would suggest doing differently is taking your HOB filters out of the equation and spending the extra cash to get something that is going to drastically improve the quality of your fishes' lives!!! Go Eheim or Fluval (Pro III or FX5, respectively).
I can't wait to watch your little monsters grow and mature. Thanks for the awesome thread. Now go make a tank journal for us...
Charlie
cam6467;4140441; said:
There is a LFS here that sells tank stands that are just bare 2x4 legs and 2x6 cross braces. until I read the thread about wood strength I was leary, but that will hold a lot of weight.
Great work.
