cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Share November 28, 2010 After getting back into the hobby for a couple of years, I've decided (as many of you already know) that it was time to go bigger.... So i decided to move from my current 75 gallon pictured below to a 120 gallon. The first decision that I needed to make was whether or not I wanted a reef ready tank or if I'd like to go with a drilled tank to enjoy more room. After a lot of thought I decided that I'd give the drilled tank a try. I also had to decide on what I was going to do for a stand...I didn't like most of the stock stands that I'd seen and since the tank was going to be in my living room, I wanted it to look as much like a piece of furniture as possible. I got lucky and found a decent used tank already drilled, so I just needed to focus on building the stand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 Sooo....before I started to build the stand I decided to check into how much it would cost to have someone build it for me. I have ZERO woodworking skills and figured it would be a tough project to complete. Some of the quotes that I got back motivated me to see if I actually could build this thing myself. I found this template online and decided to give it a shot.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 Since I'm over 6' tall I decided to build my stand 36" tall to avoid having to bend down to look at everything. I also decided to upgrade the stand build and use 2x6's along the top and corners of the stand and then 2x4's for the rest. I'm sure it's a little overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I made all of the adjustments on my measurements and took a trip to Home Depot where they cut all of my wood and I was able to start putting things together. I eventually ended up with this frame once I primed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind November 28, 2010 Share November 28, 2010 The stand looks well built. I'm looking forward to the rest of the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 @CoralHind - Thanks Dave for the comments...seeing your tank inspired me to move to the 120.... I was surprised at how easy everything went together and now I could shift my focus to adding some electrical outlets and switches. I had a few junction boxes laying around and decided to wire a few outlets and timers into the stand to minimize the number of wires and keep everything as neat as possible. After working on the wiring and switches the stand was looking a little more like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind November 28, 2010 Share November 28, 2010 Are you putting in any GFCI's? I would do at least two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 Good point. Forgot to mention that the whole thing is plugged into a GFI...it'll trip if there are any issues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 I figured that I'd use 1/4 inch plywood for the skin since it's only cosmetic and not really serving as structural support. I ended up using a jigsaw to cut out the opening of the stand...I'm limited on tools....and it was tough to keep it 100% straight....but it came out ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 Sooo....I was happy that I'd finished the skin....and realized that I'd forgot to put my floor in.....so I ended up cutting my 1/2 plywood flooring into two pieces to fit it inside the stand. I figured that I'll caulk and seal it really well and you won't be able to notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 Before I put the floor in, I took the stand outside to make sure the tank would fit and try to get some ideas of how I'd like to finish it off. I'm pleased with the new height...and am already thinking about putting water in this thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 So i installed the floor and started priming the stand while thinking about moulding. I've seen a lot of different designs on the boards and knew that I wanted to keep it pretty clean and simple and that I would paint the stand white to match the trim work in my living room. I decided to frame the stand like a door with moulding and rosettes and doors with square routing. I thought it would look good together but had no idea how it would actually turn out. I decided on a rosette that I liked after seeing a couple of different types and also decided to attach the moulding around the top of the tank to create a 2 1/2" lip to hide the tank trim. I mitre cut the rosettes and plinths to create a sharp corner and then had to run to a friends house to use a table saw to mitre cut the moulding for the corners to help create the "column" look I was going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbatkinson November 28, 2010 Author Share November 28, 2010 (edited) I got all of the moulding cut, nailed down, caulked, etc...and was ready to start finishing and sanding before priming and applying the finished coat of Benjamin Moore "Simply White" Semi-Gloss. Edited November 28, 2010 by cbatkinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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