75 gallon stand build

[lloyd378]

Hey, has anyone come across schematics / plans for building your own 75 gallon fish tank stand?

I’m looking to build one that has a nice professional finished look to it and not the garage tank stands I’ve built in the past/ have been given in the past.

My plans are to build one that’s taller than the average stand ( think, the top of the stand is somewhere between 3 and 3.5 feet). I would like to have a cabinet door, and maybe even some drawers. My plan is to paint it grey to match the color pallet we currently have done downstairs with our remodel.

I’ve looked at the stands at petsmart / petco, and while they look great and would be an easy setup to just paint, they aren’t tall enough, and I am not stoked about the pressboard cabinets.

Any leads to plans for building a 75g tank would be greatly appreciated. I figure once I get the plans, I can just adjust the height to my liking.

the picture is of the wall where the tank will be setup....

 

[fishguy1978]

https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Better-Than-New-Aquarium-Stand/

 

[DMD123]

Dont go too high, otherwise step ladder will be involved with everything, lol. My 75 sits at 49” and I can open the top to feed but have to breakout step stool For gravel vac. I really wanted to do 42” but with the tall 65B underneath I was forced to go taller.

 

[lloyd378]

This is the stand we are using as a template for making my new stand! It didn’t come with any plans so the final stand may have some slight differences to it.

I may also paint the stand in this similar color as I think it will look good in the living room.

 

[DMD123]

That will look good!

 

[Modest_Man]

I have made several, from a 60 gallon, to a 180, to a 210, and now my 400. They all followed the same basic stand setup then I skinned them and trimmed them out and put on doors. You just scale up with size. For a 75 gallon you can go without any bracing and just 2x4's, and skin it out in some 3/8 or 1/2" ply. I needed to use 2 x 6 and 3/4" ply on the 400 gallon.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964

Same basic 2 x 4 stand under the ply on the big tank. I don't know how much woodworking you do or the tools you have on hand but I can help if you have questions. You could get by with a circular saw with a jig and a router for the doors (I like mortise and tenon) but a table saw would be better. BUY GOOD WOOD! Don't shop at Home Depot or Lowes. They carry the worst wood I have ever seen in my LIFE.

Be prepared to somehow mount the stand to the wall. Taller tank + small foot print will lead to a wobbly setup. I am not a fan of the stand you have pictured because of the middle brace that is totally unnecessary that will make accessing filters and junk in the stand harder. I would run just two doors with as large an opening as you can get. If you think you really need a center brace (you don't) put it in the back. I also am not a fan of the six small legs distributing the weight of the tank. It would be fine for a 75 but a stand like the one I have a picture of will more evenly distribute the weight of a full tank across the sub-floor and joists.

 

[lloyd378]

A

I have made several, from a 60 gallon, to a 180, to a 210, and now my 400. They all followed the same basic stand setup then I skinned them and trimmed them out and put on doors. You just scale up with size. For a 75 gallon you can go without any bracing and just 2x4's, and skin it out in some 3/8 or 1/2" ply. I needed to use 2 x 6 and 3/4" ply on the 400 gallon.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964

Same basic 2 x 4 stand under the ply on the big tank. I don't know how much woodworking you do or the tools you have on hand but I can help if you have questions. You could get by with a circular saw with a jig and a router for the doors (I like mortise and tenon) but a table saw would be better. BUY GOOD WOOD! Don't shop at Home Depot or Lowes. They carry the worst wood I have ever seen in my LIFE.

Be prepared to somehow mount the stand to the wall. Taller tank + small foot print will lead to a wobbly setup. I am not a fan of the stand you have pictured because of the middle brace that is totally unnecessary that will make accessing filters and junk in the stand harder. I would run just two doors with as large an opening as you can get. If you think you really need a center brace (you don't) put it in the back. I also am not a fan of the six small legs distributing the weight of the tank. It would be fine for a 75 but a stand like the one I have a picture of will more evenly distribute the weight of a full tank across the sub-floor and joists.

awesome, thanks for your input!

 

[lloyd378]

Found and buying / picking up my stand this weekend thanks to madness hooking me up with a gal on a local page that posted up an ad today!!!

she is asking $150 for the stand and a 75 gallon ( still in the shipping container, but previously used).

my plans will be to sand and paint the stand dark grey ( to match the accents in the floor) and then sell the tank....

actually I’m thinking about selling the new ( to me) 75 with my 40b rack and two extremely old 40b for $200

do you all think that’s a fair price if I list it?
the stand is made of steel and painted flat black and will hold 6 x 40b or you can do a 6’ by 18” tank on the top shelf...... I’m thinking someone on Facebook would be willing to pay that....( of course before I decide to sell on Facebook id offer it here at a slight discount!
But anyways, I figure the stand is worth 125, the two 40b are worth 25, and the 75g is worth 50.....am I out of line with the prices in my head? I also like to be fair!

anyways, here is my new to me stand that I’m picking up this weekend

 

[DMD123]

If you gently pull apart the wood around the tank could use it to build another stand...

 

[lloyd378]

Guessing so, but would leave that to the next owner as I don’t want another 75g haha

 

[Modest_Man]

I may be interested in the rack and tanks. I will have dovii fry up to my eyeballs soon.