Habitat - Indoor :: 210g Aquarium Stand Build

[Adamsv7]

Hi again all. I recently purchased a 210g tank/stand Aqueon combo for my RES. Posted here: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=40398

However, I wasn't thrilled with the quality of the stand at all. As I began filling the tank with water I was hearing way to much creeking and cracking for my liking (even though it was most likely the wood just settling in). As I began inspecting the stand, I noticed the wood was held together with staples instead of nails. I began researching reviews on the stand and noticed other people were coming to the same conclusion. I was uncomfortable going to bed every night with the thought of finding 210 gallons of water all over my kitchen floor the next day..or my fiancees reaction to this disaster

So, I began researching and came across one of my favorite DIY Youtubers' Joey 'the king of DIY'. I thought, what the heck..let me attempt to make my own sturdier stand. This is the video I used for an outline of my stand build:



Below is my progress:















I decided to go with a dark walnut stain as it matched our furniture around the house. Just finished applying my 3rd and final coat of poly to protect the wood so it should be ready for some water as soon as this weekend!

[steve]

Looks great, you built a "tank" for your tank. Is it the same height as the other one? The only problem I have with my stands is that its a little hard to reach all corners easily.

[Adamsv7]

Looks great, you built a "tank" for your tank. Is it the same height as the other one? The only problem I have with my stands is that its a little hard to reach all corners easily.

Same height, just made it a little wider and deeper to help with weight dispersal. Yeah I have a 3 step ladder to assist me with that..that was the main reasoning behind not making it taller than the previous stand; makes maintenance even more fun when you can't reach the bottom of your tank!

Steve, on a side note, I decided i'll be going with an FX6 for this tank, so thank you for your recommendation there. I plan to make a DIY turtle dock to allow me to raise the water all the way up instead of having a floating dock. The fiancee would like something in the tank to make it look 'nicer'. I think I'm all but done using substrate, I know my RES loved digging in the sand two setups ago, but I find it's so hard to clean especially with the way they eat and food falling down in the substrate and rotting in the tank. Could you recommend some things I can put in to make the tank a little more interesting to look at that doesn't involve a substrate? Appreciate your guidance!

[steve]

Glad to be of help! In older threads, some have used backgrounds under and behind the glass to make it look more interesting and natural. Some printouts of river rock for the bottom and some cling style backgrounds for the rear might achieve what you're looking for. There are also textured panels that you can put inside the tank though I have not tried those and aren't sure if they have sizes you'd want. Some easy things you can add are a handful of large river rock and resin platform (it's shaped like a trapezoid) and would allow your RES an opportunity to hide.