Aquarium stand building.

[Flyride95]

Hey fellas so I have gotten a 180gal aquarium. It is currently on a 24" stand and to be honest I hate it. It's not even tall enough for my protien skimmer. So I just wanted to either ask all of you if you have ever built a stand this big and the tips you can share with me. I know the just of building the skelleton but I know nothing about the finishing and trimming to make it come out awesome.

[pfcreed]

look for pictures and finishes that you like then try to replicate it and leave yourself enough wood for sample pieces.

[krazykrakr2186]

I just finished the stand for my 180. I'm sure it was overkill but I used 4x4's for the top and used 2x4's for uprights and bracing. skinned it with 3/4" birch. Made a ledge all the way around the top with 1x6 and trimmed it with crown moulding. Then a good stain and lots of poly to keep moisture out. I just googled aquarium stands and dug through images and designs for weeks before I came up with an idea I liked.

[Flyride95]

I really like the way yours came out. If you don't mind me asking how much did you invest into building it? And I'm not even asking who that was in the reflection in the second picture lol.

[alton]

If you are trying to keep a budget 3/4" Oak plywood will be your cheapest route and plenty strong. I like using Oak Hardwood but it adds up

[krazykrakr2186]

Haha yea never even payed attention to that reflection its a poster that i got from the GAP clothing store. The stand cost me about 250. The most expensive part was the crown molding and the trim pieces with all the grooves cut in them. If you get the "cabinet grade" plywood it stains nicely and has fairly cool grains. Oak is very nice but quite pricey for sure. An oak stand this size would probably cost $300 or $400. I think a sheet of 3/4" oak is about $80

[krazykrakr2186]

Here are a few other stands that i've put together. These were a little more simple. The first stand was done with the cabinet grade plywood. The smaller stand was done in birch.
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[krazykrakr2186]

This was the finished result of the smaller stand.
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