Attention Carpenters/Cabineters

[Nano_Steve]

hey all,

i need to build a stand and canopy before i go off to college on january 14. 36"L x 12"W x 16"H its a 30 gallon acrylic exactly like this one:

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/shopping/aquariums%5F%5F%5Fbowls/medium%5F%5F%5Flarge%5Facrylic%5Ftanks/products/product%5F24387.shtml

what im gonna try to end up doing if at all possible is to construct a stand that has wheels so it is a bit easier to move when i need to check out the refugium on the back of the tank and to wheel it back into place. ALSO, i would love to be able to set a mini refrigerator inside the stand in order to consolidate space in the room for other things.

AND, i need to make a good canopy that will house two 96w power compacts that im not for sure how long they are but theyre the long ones, not the quads.

any tips would be great, i plan on making an autocad plan of it but im just not sure of what type of wood to use or what sort of structure the pieces need to make in order to maximize strength and minimize cost.

thanks a heap in advance, steve

ps id love to talk with anyone coming to the meeting tomorrow about this so just lemme know! :)

[fishermiguel]

Pine cheap and sturdy!! think skeleton.. then put ont he meat after.. it always helps!

[Henry]

Steve,
The 96watt pc are about 36" with endcaps. If I remember correctly the mini-fridge is also about 24-28" wide and about the same height. Just be sure to get some sturdy and wide wheels otherwise the wheels will have trouble rolling over carpet or could break. Also if you can find some that have a built in leveling screw that would be great as some of the floors will not be level and it will be a little harder to level on wheels. Good luck.

[captexas]

Agree with Henry on the wheels and leveling. Remember that you are taking all the weight of the tank and what's in it and splitting that weight on 4 points instead of the entire base of the stand. The tank is not that big so it's not too big of a deal, but you definately need to make sure the tank is level.

As far as building it goes, you can either use 1/2 or 3/4in wood for the sides with perhaps some 1x2s in the inside corners for support or build a frame out of 2x4s and use some thin paneling around it. Pete and Robert are good at building things so hopefully they can give you some input as well.

[fishermiguel]

If u find some heavy duty foam.. that will help to level the tank... also it will prevent it from sliding off the stand... I would suggest larger casters... than small for sure... Install power strips inside to make it easier to move.. then there are minimal cords in the way when you move it..:D

[malofish]

xien, this is malofish, hey the same guy who built my minibow 7 stand can build you just that in a short amount of time al you gotta do is p.m. me when you wanna meet him and the rest will be history, but I don't know what your looking to spend so I would tank to him about that asap so he can get it done!!! This guy can do anything!!! fridge and microwave J/K

[Nano_Steve]

hey guys,

thanks for all the responses. sorry i havent been around too much(lots and lots to do since ive been back!!!) but anyways, yeah i was thinkin about the power strip inside to sorta cut down on all the wires runnin along the back so i can wheel it around the room with just one cord to plug in. the wheels will definitely be sturdy ones, im thinking six(one on each corner and two in the front and back centered). other than that i still havent had time to get over to fry's or walmart to look at mini fridges or even price woods around town, i know my mom gets a 10 percent discount at home depot so ill prob end up taking advantage of that when i go to buy. i really need to get on the ball with this and hopefully after saturday i will have time to start talkin with folks about this, til then!

thanks again, steve

[Nano_Steve]

here ya go guys, this is what i have in my head. i want to know what the skeleton needs to look like so i can use the least amount of resources while getting the most functionality. ill post a pic of the skeleton i am thinkin of a bit later.

thanks all, steve

[::pete::]

IMO ... you wont want to be rolling the stand around too much with rock work and all, but something like this (http://www.hepco.co.uk/index.htm) might work. As for the power strip you could build one on the inside of the stand with a strip of wood, old work boxes, (http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/elect/remodel1/lighting/track2ft/oldworkbox.htm) some outlets starting with a GFCI and add a pigtail to plug it in.

Something like this ..

[Nano_Steve]

alright guys,

for those of you who know how to use autocad ive got an incredibly simple question that i cant for the life of me figure out and now come to the infinite wisdom of the group for answers. and its a bit embarrasing but oh well.

how do you make a 3d line??? isnt it something like 20<90,0,0 ??? ive tried all the combos i remember and none of them work. im using a copy of autocad 2002.

thanks, steve

[dan]

dos'nt leave much room for a nice wet/dry :-D :-D every got to have one of those

[::pete::]

I came across it on the net, but for the right price it could be!

[Nano_Steve]

dan,

thats the great thing about the tank i plan to put on the stand(its already got the wet/dry built into it in the back of the tank. im interested in getting an eheim canister for it as well so i will have some bioload filtration and i would put that in the shelves below the tank with lines running along the back.



josh,

thats definitely an idea that i might look into especially if i upgrade to metal halides on the tank!!! i just have to get this stand built as soon as i can to be able to see if it all works, that way if anything is wrong i will have time to fix it now rather than have to add it onto the stress of first days of school too :?

thanks all for the great suggestions, steve

[malofish]

xien, I have a 2026 eheim for sale, it's in perfect order only used for 1 month, p.m. me if interested

[Nano_Steve]

hey all,

if anyone can point me in the right direction about the 3d line in autocad i would definitely appreciate it. it seems to be one of those so ridiculously simple questions that even the autocad sites dont have the answer :P if i could just figure this out i would be able to make a 3d model of what im interested in building.

thans guys, steve