This is a journal of a 75 gallon build, highlighting a DIY stand and sump. I have had two all-in-one tanks. This is my first system with a stand alone sump.
Some of the equipment gathered over the past several months
The Gear
Aquarium 75G Standard 48x18x22 Starfire Glass
DIY Stand Birch Plywood
Lighting Ecotech Radion Pro Gen 3
Ecotech RMS Tank Mounts
DIY Sump 20G High
DIY Sock Silencers
Skimmer Skimz Monzter
Reactor Avast Marine Vibe
Return Pump Eheim 2400
Circulation Ecotech Vortech
Backup Power Ecotech Battery
Controller Neptune Apex Lite
Ecotech ReefLink
Dosing Pump GHL Profilux
Dosing Containers BOA
It took a while to accumulate the equipment, since most of the gear pictured above is used or refurbished, including my tank and sump. The tank is not to glamorous, but it has potential!
My previous tank was a black European modern style cabinet. It was nice enough, I decided to go with that style again. The location with stairs and doorway limited the tank size. Because the narrow footprint, I decided to go with plywood construction, in lieu of 2x4 framing to maximize the cabinet space. Lastly, I wanted a taller tank display to avoid leaning down to view.
I used two sheets of 3/4" birch plywood for the stand. There was very little wood scrap leftover after making all the cuts.
For the joints, I used a Kreg pocket hole jig.
This was my first time using pocket holes. All the joints were screwed and glued.
For the back panel, I cut out large oval openings for cords and ventilation. In the past, I have experienced frustration because openings were to small from so many cords. I made the openings wide enough to pass equipment and transformers.
Lots of thought to the equipment layout in the stand, especially managing the cords. I wanted the cords to be out of sight, but not so difficult to unplug and remove equipment for maintenance or replacement. In my last tank, I had cords organized bundled neatly with plastic ties, mounted on the side walls or ceiling of the stand. It looked nice until I had to unexpectatly remove one piece of equipment. this ended by cutting every tie to find and remove one cord.
This plan has what I call an equipment tray that sits between the sump and the cabinet ceiling. The idea was inspired from a stand built by nanotopia. I was able to use this space because the stand is slightly taller than most designs. The tray accessible from the front and back. The front has doors to mount controls like the Apex to the front of the doors. The back is lined up with the equipment holes. All wires can sit loosely in the tray. This is easier to see than describe:
Equipment tray will be accessible from both front and rear.
With a tall stand and plywood construction, I felt it important to provide additional lateral support. Using several pocket holes at each end of the tray, the equipment tray provides that added bracing.
Placed the equipment tray for size and fit.
Front doors of the equipment tray open. I mentioned the tray does not extend all the way to the back panel, leaving room for plumbing. The top holes on back panel match the height of the tray for easy access.
Thanks Tom - I agree and wanted a bigger sump too! I made this actual size layout to determine what would fit. That was all the room there was to fit all the gear.
This is very unpopular and not my preference, but a necessity for my situation. There is only one location of the tank. It sits close to a door that may need full access at some point in the future. I wrestled with the ultimate risk of tank failure and water on the floor from cracking, leaking and levelness. After much consideration, I decided being able to move the tank a few inches is better than breaking down the entire tank to move it. If I have to move it, I would half empty the tank water and it would only move a foot or so on level concrete...and if it fails, I will share the drama :] These are low profile wheels, rated over +1200 lbs.
The bottom of the stand was built with two layers of plywood for added support for the wheels.
Finishing the last stand doors with European frameless cabinet hinges.
I was concerned about deflection in the front at the door opening. The front of the top is a wood beam, made out of two layers of plywood, glued and screwed together. This is supported by a center post, that rests on a double layer bottom (also glued and screwed together)
This is the final cabinet assembled. 3/4" plywood was the only material used, besides the hardware. A toe kick apron will be added in-between the wheels in the from and the sides.
It was a struggle how to finish the stand. Going with no canopy, the black tank trim really sticks out. I thought black would be the best color to blend the trim into the "big picture" and keep from standing out. The finish had to be easy with no shading between coats. To avoid sanding between coats and get a nice level finish, I used a metal paint with an oil base primer.
The stock black paint color ended up matching the black trim on the tank.
The back of the stand finish painted. I made large openings for ventilation and to make pulling cords and gear easy.
The equipment tray.
I ended up going with a light gray interior, which actually turned out okay.
RC 75 DIY Stand and Sump
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