DIY Tank Stand (36"L x 18"D x 30") for 40 Gallon Breeder Tank
- Thread starter GeoPappas
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i just looked up plans today, bought wood, cut some pieces, and will finish the project tomorrow. you inspired my creation for my 30 gallon. perhaps i can post pictures when i finish. all i have to say is... WELL DONE, SIR. well done.
it's only been 50 dollars for the frame for me so far including the metal things and screws. i only expect another 50 at most. i have no earthly clue how you expect to spend over 300 dollars on this... by the way, what are the dimensions of your stand? i wasnt sure, but i figured that a shorter height to length ratio would be more stable.
i may go back and make one for my 20 gallon as well.
it's only been 50 dollars for the frame for me so far including the metal things and screws. i only expect another 50 at most. i have no earthly clue how you expect to spend over 300 dollars on this... by the way, what are the dimensions of your stand? i wasnt sure, but i figured that a shorter height to length ratio would be more stable.
i may go back and make one for my 20 gallon as well.
I finally finished the stand about two months ago.
It ended up costing a total of $330. This includes the cost of everything (the wood, molding, braces, ties, screws, nails, wood glue, wood filler, stain, varnish, foam brushes, door knobs, hinges, etc). But there are a few caveats to the price:
- First, lumber was MUCH more expensive when I was purchasing wood about two years ago. Since then, the cost of lumber has dropped dramatically (mostly because of the collapse of the real estate industry).
- Second, some of the wood that I purchased was a little bit more expensive (since I wanted the piece to look like a nice piece of furniture). For example, I used red oak which is a little pricier than pine. If you just use pine, then it would probably be much cheaper.
- Third, I had to redo the cabinet doors, because I ended up making a huge mistake (I wanted to route the outside edges of the doors, but ended up routing the inside edges). This meant that I had to repurchase wood for the cabinet doors twice.
But we are very happy with the finished product. I am amazed that I was able to pull it all off (since I had never built a piece of furniture before). It was definitely a great learning experience.
I have a 40 gallon breeder tank (which measures 18" deep x 36" wide), so I made the stand to fit that. The height of the stand is a total of 32.5", but that measurement includes the molding that covers the bottom black frame of the tank. The tank sits on a 1/2" thick piece of blue styrofoam. The styrofoam sits at a height of 30".
I have never had any issues with stability. You would really have to pull on it with some force to get it to topple over. But of course, the lower the height of the stand, the more stable it will be.
Hope that helps.
For those that are interested...
Here is a picture of the finished product:
Here is a closeup of the routing that I did on the outside edge of the cabinet door:
Here is a picture of the finished product:
Here is a closeup of the routing that I did on the outside edge of the cabinet door:
J
jward6004
Guest
dimensions?
First off, you did a great job constructing this stand! I have a 30 gal breeder with very similar tank dimensions that I am interested in building a stand for. I was wondering if you knew what the dimension were for your frames and legs??
First off, you did a great job constructing this stand! I have a 30 gal breeder with very similar tank dimensions that I am interested in building a stand for. I was wondering if you knew what the dimension were for your frames and legs??
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