I will probably work on that while the tank is cycling. That way I can go ahead and do the plumbing this week.
My girlfriend just sent me a for sale post of a aquarium on facebook. Im not sure what size, but you could ask and I would go down on the price. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/996391073797698/?ref=messenger_share
I second this! I also have a 29gallon cube and 75 gallon drilled with wood cabinet that I'm looking to get rid of soonish if you're interested ... just message me. But yeah ... you can collect stuff over time and it doesn't have to break the bank. You can also catch some good used equipment for pretty good deals ... watch for people breaking down tanks. The petco sale is a really good time to get a smaller tank (for a reef anyway) ... and yeah, the smaller you go the harder to keep stable and I would suggest going as large as possible since it gives more of a buffer for parameters to stay stable.
I'm pretty sure they make locking hinges ... they have a notch in the open position and you just push it out of the notch to close.
Yeah, Ive used those on various aspects. I think what I have decided to do is instead of cutting my canopy apart I will just rip the front boards off, glue them together with wood glue and then mount that panel to the actual canopy.
We'll see haha. I have a fondness for fresh while the wife prefers salt. Might put the onus on her to research it and set it up and I'll just do maintence. That sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. Might check those out if I build a stand/canopy combo.
I still haven't started my stand. I am rethinking the design because I can't find good pieces of the wood I wanted to use. And I was just using stud wood because of how I was doing the top and going to paint anyway ... but now I may go a different route altogether. Probably more like yours with the structure. Likely won't finish it out like that though because it will be to hold 2 20s or a 20 and a 10.
I would just go buy some new 2x4s. They are about 3 dollars for a 8 foot and you wouldn't have to worry about them being strong enough to hold.
Yeah. One I think is ok but I may just take it all back and get what I wanted in the first place. A guy was helping me but it turns it he wasn't too helpful finding good wood. Question, since I'm painting anyway, should I still get treated wood or just go with studs?
I wouldn't use treated wood at all. The amount of water that will get on your studs is not going to really matter plus treated wood is about double the cost I think. The only thing is if you want to use a piece of plywood under your tank as a extra support (I didn't on mine because I put the structural supports where the tank sits) you need to get real plywood. If you get pressed wood and water comes in contact with it, it will warp and double in size and create a huge headache. I would just go with studs. I've asked for help in Home Depot and Lowes from some people and gotten a off the wall answer that was completely wrong. ahah
I think I'm going to use a plywood shelf because the dimensions aren't exact tank size and I don't want holes ... and no. Not press/particle board! So I've reworked the design. I'll post a pic on my thread ... sorry for the take over!