Squatching_Fish Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Main point: I need an aesthetically pleasing 90 gallon fish tank tank stand. On a budget I can make one, or buy one then make it pretty. Tips, links, blueprints, personal experience. Show me yours. I ordered a fish tank stand from Amazon 1000 lbs weight rating LOL! I put it together and I would be nervous putting a 55 gallon tank on this let alone a fully loaded 90 gallon 1200lb tank on this. Plus side = I have a somewhat nicer piece of furniture to put somewhere. I never realized that after about 55g, 75g tanks the stand selection becomes minimal without spending a ton of money. This will be my display tank in my living room on a hardwood floor 1st floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 On 9/21/2024 at 8:28 AM, Squatching_Fish said: Main point: I need an aesthetically pleasing 90 gallon fish tank tank stand. On a budget I can make one, or buy one then make it pretty. Tips, links, blueprints, personal experience. Show me yours. I ordered a fish tank stand from Amazon 1000 lbs weight rating LOL! I put it together and I would be nervous putting a 55 gallon tank on this let alone a fully loaded 90 gallon 1200lb tank on this. Plus side = I have a somewhat nicer piece of furniture to put somewhere. I never realized that after about 55g, 75g tanks the stand selection becomes minimal without spending a ton of money. This will be my display tank in my living room on a hardwood floor 1st floor. I actually followed the plan of Joey King Of Diy stand build youtube. I beefed up my 180 gallon stand build.https://photos.app.goo.gl/TUE5j7ZKF2f2i9PR7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eMvzCrgWiuh8hk7w9 On 9/21/2024 at 9:50 AM, Tlindsey said: I actually followed the plan of Joey King Of Diy stand build youtube. I beefed up my 180 gallon stand build.https://photos.app.goo.gl/TUE5j7ZKF2f2i9PR7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eMvzCrgWiuh8hk7w9 It cost me less than $200 for supplies at the time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 here is one I made that I would have no hesitation to bumping it up to 4 feet wide and to suit for a 90 gallon tank… Tounge and groove bead boards made in to panels with crossbraces top and bottom glued and screwed and panels screwed and glued together and shelving glued and screwed in place. Rocksolid with no hint of racking.. I plan on building similar when I get a 75 gallon 4 foot wide tank… When I do there will be a center divider panel in the middle front to back rpoviding another bearinG surface. There will only be a bottom shelf and a top with doors full height. Ie no open shelf as seen in above photo… 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 On 9/21/2024 at 11:16 AM, Pepere said: here is one I made that I would have no hesitation to bumping it up to 4 feet wide and to suit for a 90 gallon tank… Tounge and groove bead boards made in to panels with crossbraces top and bottom glued and screwed and panels screwed and glued together and shelving glued and screwed in place. Rocksolid with no hint of racking.. I plan on building similar when I get a 75 gallon 4 foot wide tank… When I do there will be a center divider panel in the middle front to back rpoviding another bearinG surface. There will only be a bottom shelf and a top with doors full height. Ie no open shelf as seen in above photo… Nice stand build. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAB Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 (edited) I have news for you. It's not going to be cheap. Just the price of high quality sheet stock will make most people faint. For a 90gal you will need at least 2 sheets and about 7bf hard wood for a carcass and face frame. Right now good quality 3/4" cabinet grade ply( not the stuff the box stores call cabinet grade ) starts at about $180 a sheet and goes way up. S3S hard wood starts at about $7 per board foot. You can easily have 600 is just lumber to build a decent but basic stand. Add in hardware finishing/shop supplies. You can very easily be at $1000 that is assuming you already have all the tools. Yes people build stands out of 2x stock all the time, you won't find a professional anywhere doing that. I owned a cabinet shop for decades, built countless high end custom one off stands for a large custom aquarium builder. The very last thing I think of when it comes to aquarium stands is cheap. This coming from the person that built them. Material prices alone make that virtually impossible. For giggles I have a thread in journerals for a 40b build. Just in sheet stock, hardwood, hardware, shop supplies and finishing supplies I am just under $1100. I have bought zero tools. It'd just in red oak, nothing fancy. Here it is in the nude. I just applied the stain this morning. Still have applied a gel stain, sand sealer, grain fill and lacquer. Edited September 21 by TAB 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Beautiful stand and canopy build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatching_Fish Posted September 21 Author Share Posted September 21 On 9/21/2024 at 8:50 AM, Tlindsey said: I actually followed the plan of Joey King Of Diy stand build youtube. I beefed up my 180 gallon stand build.https://photos.app.goo.gl/TUE5j7ZKF2f2i9PR7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eMvzCrgWiuh8hk7w9 It cost me less than $200 for supplies at the time. Thank you. This is the basic design I’m looking for. I might put back splash on the front or something, stand and install cabinets. Thank you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 (edited) On 9/21/2024 at 1:29 PM, TAB said: I have news for you. It's not going to be cheap. I sort of agree with everything you said… but… You certainly can have a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing stand for much less. The Beadboard tank stand I built used knotty pine toungue and groove boards at $8.00 a pop. For my 29 gallon tank I used under 6. A stand suitable for a 90 gallon would maybe take 12. an 8 foot long 1 x 12 pime for 26.00. I dare say with screws, glue and hardware and moulding it could be done for around $200.00. If you have stain and varnish leftover from a project great, but maybe $50.00 if you dont. Without question I know it would be sturdier than the ready made stands as referenced… Its not so much that things are expensive now as much as it is that our money lost and awful lot of value…. I remember my first job I was pulling in $10.00 an hr and thinking that I had finally arrived…Now local Fast Food restaurant has a sign advertising $17.00 an hr starting pay…. Sort of explains the $5.00 Big Macs…. I remember watching tv commercials for McDonalds trumpeting that you could get a complete meal and get change back on your dollar…. Edited September 21 by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAB Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Not every one is into the barn aesthetic. I think your numbers are a off, but I do know that most people don't use things like pretreatment or grain fill. Assuming you have a stand under 4' you could get 2 pieces per 8' x1x12 you are looking more like 12 sticks for a 90 gallon stand that is assuming you want a solid bottom and top. I also would not recommend " white wood" which is what the box stores sell for that price it's typically silver fir, which moves quite a bit. If you wanted to get something similar I would recommend southern yellow pine but you are adding 50% to the cost. Now if you wanted a 31" high stand you could cut your costs down some what. It all really depends on where you will be when viewing the aquarium. One viewed while seated can be shorter than one that will be viewed standing. Also the equipment you want to use can change stand dimensions. Not trying to argue, it's just a lot more too things then most people realize. I also really don't want to discourage any one from building a diy stand. At bare minimum a circular saw with a good blade, a straight edge clamp, a square, drill, clamps and some hand tools will be fine. I just want people to have all the information before they start. Lots of diy stuff goes way over budget due to forgetting things from the budget/ underestimating materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted September 22 Share Posted September 22 On 9/21/2024 at 6:49 PM, TAB said: Not every one is into the barn aesthetic No, they are not, and not all are in tune with $1,000.00 in materials… And I notice plenty opting for painted dimension framing lumber, and some opting for cinder blocks and 2x4s. Horses for courses, and plenty of choices… Your work is lovely… On 9/21/2024 at 6:49 PM, TAB said: I also would not recommend " white wood" which is what the box stores sell for that price it's typically silver fir, which moves quite a bit. Well what we have at Lowes and Home Depot here in Maine at the prices I mention is #2 Eastern White Pine. I like the Aesthetic myself, but as you mention it is not for everyone, however it fits with my decor. Your work which is indeed excellent would look out of place in my quarters… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now