# DIY Aquarium Stand Questions



## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

I am thinking of making a stand for my 10 gallon tank using 3/4" "Cabinet Hardwood" from Home Depot. Would I be able to make the stand using only the 3/4" wood or would I need to use 2x4s to make a skeleton first before covering it up with thinner wood? I'd rather not spend a whole lot of money making an aquarium stand, yet I want it to be sturdy and look half decent.


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## håndtam (Oct 30, 2007)

For a 10G tank I think the 3/4 hardwood will suffice


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## Dataseeker (Sep 3, 2006)

The weight of a ten gallon tank should not require the use of 2 x 4’s. You might want to consider some covering for the top such as Formica. Depending on the design of your stand, you will need to have a means to join the edges of the wood together. Some great ideas have been posted in this thread previously. If you are new to this kind of project, look back at some of these. Have fun!


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...32-another-simple-aquarium-stand-cabinet.html is a thread about the 10 gallon tank stand I built, using just 3/4 plywood. It isn't fancy, but it works great.


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

a 10g tank will max out at about 100lbs if you are magical. Plywood would work just fine, I am going to setup my 5th tank on the short side of my L desk (kitchen cabinets under Kitchen countertop) and I should have no problems at all.


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## OldMan (Sep 22, 2007)

The first one that I built for a 29 with a 10 below it is made of nothing but 1 by pine lumber which is really 3/4 inch thick. It takes advantage of having a 1x4 and 1x6 at each corner so that the 4 leg sections are very stiff. By having the boards at right angles to each other, the weight carrying ability of the resulting legs is very high. For a top shelf, I used 1x3 rails and set the 1x6 shelf material on top. Because I knew it would see a lot of weight in use, I stood on the finished structure before finishing it with stain and varnish. It was amazing how strong and stable it was. I couldn't make it even flex by shaking my feet around while standing on it. All joints were made with screws, not nails. I was careful to make sure there were more than enough screws to take the weight and prevent movement but even so, the strength surprised me.


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## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

Thanks for the replies everyone! I am still deciding which wood to use, birch and red oak are somewhat expensive.


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## Tankerblade (Dec 17, 2006)

With my stand that i made we made for my 29g we just made a skeleton with 2x4 and plywood. then we covered it with oak, cant remember it but it was real thin and had a oak covering. it turned out real nice. it orginaly was build for a 29g saltwater tank and then a 10g quarentine tank on the bottom. we thought about getting a 180g saltwater tank. but with the cost at about 5 grand. i didnt think so.

heres how it turned out. now i just need to think about making a hood


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That is a beautiful stand! Using 2 x 4's to make a framework, then covering it with thin plywood, works fine. I did the stand I made for a 29 gallon tank that way. It was more work than just using 3/4" plywood, but at that time I had a nice woodshop and I enjoyed the work.


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## Tankerblade (Dec 17, 2006)

Thanks i like it. inside theres a shelf to put a 10g tank and other things and then the bottom floor which give you so much room. i like it. Its very practical. next time i build one im going to make the lip a bit bigger. with this lip theres just not enough space to put things on. and the good thing is, is its stronger then anything, and its very dent and ding resisitant. It works really well. and the added bonus was it was fun. i like to work with my hands and for under 100 bucks it works well. better then most of the black and iron stands out on the market today


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## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

That one is a great looking cabinate for a 29g (or a 20g-long, hint, hint, nudge, nudge ;-))

I bought one at the pet store  and it looks fine, but still don't like the slight wobble the setup has, (moves back and forth abit). Not enough to tip or slosh water (you need to pull extermely hard to push it over).

I'd love to make that. Not real handy with the physical stuff, but getting better. Haven't worked much with wood though.


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## Tankerblade (Dec 17, 2006)

ya we have a little wobble on ours but thats becuase of the floor. our tile is uneven. but with the weight its hardly noticable. as for working with it, its fairly easy. its easier then most materials i think. as long as you have screws, drill, nail gun, nailgun nails, some stain and some waterproofing material its pretty easy to make as long as you have the design. thats the hardest part is designing it. but after thats its basicly like playing with legos.  

if you want i could probably find the plans. for anybody who wants it.


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## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

Thanks. My experience in wood was a kind of simple rack (just the top part) to hold some vermicompost bins. The biggest problem I found was making it level and strong (making sure the hold platform doesn't deform). I assume I wasn't putting enough cross support in it.

Still it is a very nice stand. You could sell those.

The wobble on mine is probably due to the carpet as well.

Wondering if I should put cables and anchor to the wall just in case a tremor comes by.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The Sacramento area never gets earthquakes. Just like we never get 70 mph winds.


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## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

Or movie stars that are govenors


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