My most intense DIY project: 190g stand!

[jcardona1]

Is 40gal gonna cut it? Scary for a 190.

Anyhow, I wanna see the raw materials you got for the guts of this tank, like the "probably gigantic" piece of drift wood you got lined up.

Yeah it will be more than enough, it's 21% of it's volume, and what I've always done in the past:

90g sump/405g tank = 22%
10g sump/57g tank = 17%

Never had any issues with it not having enough room to catch spill over. Raw materials are scattered all over the garage haha. Bulkheads came in today, so I'll be doing the plumbing soon. For the wood, I'll be taking a collecting trip, gonna do more branchy manzanita instead of one big log. You should come up, so you could take some back home

 

[jcardona1]

Looks good and nice color

Thank you!

Those are the same pumps I use. I like them a lot. Haven't had one fail on me yet, going on 4 years of constant running now.

Same here, been using those pumps for a long time. Great price, energy effecient, can be used submerged or external, etc. Only grip is sometimes they'll chatter a bit, but I just unplug it several times and they quiet right up.

nice project man...

Amazing job J, looks like a professional did it

thanks guys!

 

[Jc1119]

Wow! Nice job. Can't wait to see it with a tank full of discus on it!
I wish I could to something 1/10 as nice as that...

 

[chonhzilla]

Yeah it will be more than enough, it's 21% of it's volume, and what I've always done in the past:

90g sump/405g tank = 22%
10g sump/57g tank = 17%

Never had any issues with it not having enough room to catch spill over. Raw materials are scattered all over the garage haha. Bulkheads came in today, so I'll be doing the plumbing soon. For the wood, I'll be taking a collecting trip, gonna do more branchy manzanita instead of one big log. You should come up, so you could take some back home

When are you planning the collecting trip?

 

[Liquidplants]

Are you selling tickets for the collection trip? I bet you could make a bundle!

 

[jcardona1]

THE STAND IS DONE!!!! I'm so glad to be finished with this stand, it drove me nuts. Now I can focus on the rest of the tank. Hung all 4 doors and added handles on the two front doors.

What you guys think, add handles on the side doors?

 

[DaveB]

Wow, great job!

Did you make the doors yourself?

 

[jcardona1]

Wow, great job!

Did you make the doors yourself?

Thanks! Yeah, did it all myself.

 

[DaveB]

That's a pretty advanced task for someone who claims to not have any skill or desire for it... routing, joining, etc... nice.

Here's a question I've always had for people who DIY the stands, though... why use the exposed hinges? Why not get the hidden kind like most kitchen cabinets have? Bore a little hole in the back of it and mount it on the inside? Seems like it'd be much cleaner overall...

 

[jcardona1]

That's a pretty advanced task for someone who claims to not have any skill or desire for it... routing, joining, etc... nice.

Here's a question I've always had for people who DIY the stands, though... why use the exposed hinges? Why not get the hidden kind like most kitchen cabinets have? Bore a little hole in the back of it and mount it on the inside? Seems like it'd be much cleaner overall...

I kinda cheated on the doors. I just used some birch plywood, then added trim over it. It wasn't the traditional method of making a cabinet door; making a frame, then adding a thin sheet of wood behind, at least that's how I think they make cabinet doors.

I was actually planning on using those internal hinges. But I realized my doors overlapped the opening too much, and those internal hinges require that the door be right at the edge of the opening. That would have pushed my doors off center. Does that make sense?

Next time though, I will take that into account and use those hinges. Seems like they would be pretty easy to install.