stand and hood

[flightmech]

Looking for plans for a nice stand and hood for a standerd 110 tank the hood needs to be high for my lights and I want to have room in the base for my overflow and proten skimmer possably a chiller. I am good with tools I just dont want to build a stand that cant hold the weight. Thanks for the help.

[tims]

sounds like a nice money saver sorta..
i dont think you will find many "plans"
measure the height of the skimmer and or the tallest thing that will be under the tank in the stand. then add around 6 inches or so. if it is the skimmer you want to make sure you can get the collection cup off..
what size is a standard 110? all they all considered talls?
2x4 for the framing should be fine. you can use 4x4's on the corner posting if you really want too.
as far as the canopy . this can be as tall as you want it to,is it going ot "sit" on the tank or will it be part of the frame work( meaning the tank slides under it). think of the canopy as a box and the lighting as a piece that can be mounted and moved like a shelf. try to allow for a good 7-9 inches in height for the canopy if can. include opens for fans too. if at all possible allow most if not all the back to be open. you want to get excess heat out.

try your hand at a few drawings. many of us have made our own stands and canopys for ourselfs and others.


for sealing the canopy try getting soem marine sealer. also a white paint for insde the canopy and the cabinet/stand will be great. it will help when try to see later on...

[flightmech]

Thanks for the input the 110 are 18x48 they have the same foot print as the 75 and 90 gallon tanks. the lfs wants about 500+ for a stand and thats a little out of my buget I would rather put my money in the water then around it

[tims]

heh.. that is almost a standard footing for a bunch of tanks.
yes you can do a pretty good cabinet yourself for 1/4 of the price. remember to measure twice before cutting!!

[azav8ter]

I just finished this stand using these instructions....DIY Tank Stand
I completed it in 2 weekends.
Now I need a hood, but I am in no hurry. For the hood, I think I will just design my own based on this

[Doug1]

Good looking stand Az, but for a reef, bigger doors are always good, as are removable end panels for dealin with sumps