hP's 90g Planted

[homemadepopcorn]

Thanks Cliff! I'll see what I can find at the hardware store tomorrow.

Thank you for the kind words fishmommie!

[homemadepopcorn]

A little SNAFU with the drill tonight, so gluing is all I'm going to manage... Heres some pics, they're as exciting as watching glue dry! XD












The pieces that I'm holding have not yet been glued hence the general sloppiness LOL. You'll notice that there are two sets of uprights here. There are 23" ones that will actually support the tank. There is one for each of the 7 30" unprights, plus an additional 4 in each of the corners.

What this design really lacks is a crossbeam to stabilize lateral movement, but I'm questioning whether its completely necessary. Because the 30" beams are anchored to the base and the supporting 23" beams are only anchored to the 30" beam, I'm guessing that lateral sway can be minimized.

For those interested in how it all went together, every contact point was glued and clamped and left for about 30mins to let the glue dry. Then piloting holes were drilled and either 2 or 3, depending on the location of the joint, 3" screws were used while the piece was clamped in place. I have to say that the clamp is a life saver and couldnt imagine doing this project without it.

Any suggestions?

[Cliff]

Looking good so far

It might still be a good idea to add some bracing to the back and sides of the stand. This can help prevent any movement over in the stand over time. I few angle pcs on the sides and back should work just fine I would think.

The below pic is a example of what I mean

[fishmommie]

couldn't help but notice the bandaid on your thumb. First casualty of the big build??

[homemadepopcorn]

This picture came to mind when I was designing this tank haha. Once its complete, I'll head back over to the store and get some small beams cut to stabilize the back and sides. Thanks Cliff for the great advice, as always.

[homemadepopcorn]

So close to finishing this stand, just needs a good sanding and a staining. Me and my roommate put the 90g up on it... seems pretty level... not too bad for some apartment woodshop!

I'll get some pics up tomorrow if I can, its going to take a lot of muscle to get everything nice and polished. Also need to get some bracing... I like Cliffs design and may go with that.

The tank is at a nice viewing height, 30" stand, plus the 25" of tank make the top around 55". The view really surprised me even though its an empty tank. Yes, its going to be a PITA to work on, but hopefully good planning goes a long way.

[homemadepopcorn]

couldn't help but notice the bandaid on your thumb. First casualty of the big build??

Ah! Sorry in my late response as I just noticed it! Thats what happens when you stay up till 2 to post... Yes, funny enough, I cut my finger on the drill bit. Those things are surprisingly sharp. Although they are cutting through wood, so I suppose it makes perfect sense.

[Shangrila]

I live in NYC also. Where did you find the substrate? That seems like a great price.

[homemadepopcorn]

Teaser pic of the almost finished stand:

[Cliff]

Looks like some really good progress there