Taking Things To The Next Level

I have been quite busy over the last month, which attributes to why I have not updated the blog in a while. All for good reason however, I did some major upgrades to the tank.

First and foremost, I built a custom stand! I got tired of looking at my old beat up table that I was previously using as a stand. I wanted to create something that could house all of my equipment and keep the stand looking sleek. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera when I decided to build it, so I have no shots of the building process, only shots after it was completed.
The design of the stand was quite simple. I used a combination of 4x4s, 2x4s, and wood screws to create a basic frame the slightly larger than the perimeter of the tank. I next used 2' by 4' sheets of MDF to create panels for the top bottom and sides. The cuts to the MDF were made using a circular saw and therefore needed a little help to get the fit right via a belt sander. These panels once fitted were then nailed to the frame using finishing nails and an air gun. In addition to the piece of MDF on the top, I added a piece of birch with a wider perimeter to create a lip. Once this was attached, I drilled 3/4" holes on the right side of the tank where I would be running my tubing to go down into the stand. I also drilled a 1/4" hole on the left side for my CO2 line. I ultimately decided to keep the back open for the purpose of running cables as well as ventilation to the equipment that would be stored down there. The front panel was cut in the same manner as the others, but I used the hand saw to take out a proportional rectangle in the middle. This was a bit tricky to do with a circular saw, but againthe belt sander came in handy to clean up my cuts. At this point in the build, the entire thing got coated in black spray paint. I applied very thin coats, and went through 4 cans of spray paint before it was finished. The next thing to do was to figure out how to mount the front panel to the stand. I wanted it to be removable so I could have easy access to the equipment. What I ended up finding were these little clips that cost 89 cents at Home Depot. I used 4 of these to attach the front panel and after I added some cabinet handels the entire front panel was now easily removable. I then stapled fabric to the back side of the front panel, to create a textured look in the hole I cut out. This was purely for looks. I just didnt want a plain piece of wood to stare at. On the top surface of the stand as well as the floor on the inside, I used spray adhesive to attach 1/8" black shelf liner, which would keep the water off the wood thus avoiding water stains. Below are some pictures of the final product. The pictures are not that great, but I'll try to snap some new ones soon.