123 replies to this topic

[AXIS]

Should be able to find some time this weekend to work on the stand again.

I hope to get all the main construction done, and be ready for staining.


That and I still need to work out what I'm gonna do about doors

[AXIS]

Yup, definitely going to be able to do some more work on it, I've cleared some time.


Going to timber merchant today at lunch to grab a few more pieces I need



Can't wait to see how this next bit turns otu

[AXIS]

Got a good long days work in on Sunday. Coming along very nicely.

Didn't get totally finished, but got the skin work done, and the shelf.

Just the trim work to do next weekend hopefully, and then onto staining


Still thinking about doors, whether to make them, or see if I can buy some etc.

[Mattymak]

all looking great mate, have you decided on the fish yet ? haha

[AXIS]

Well so far I like clown loaches, and my wife likes a Ghost Black Knife

[Westie]

I like both of them too
What about a malawi display? Lots of nice colour

[AXIS]

Definitely would like to include some cichlids of some kind in I think.

Must be some which might go with the Clowns and BGK.

[Westie]

BGK get big though hey? not sure what cichlids would be good with a mature BGK
I like the lake victoria cichlids, but they better single species as I've read they hybridise easy

[AXIS]

Yeah they do.

There would need to be this balancing act between not being too aggressive to harass the BGK, but not being too small to get eaten by it.

I figure anything under 5cms would get eaten eventually by them.

I've been tossing around some ideas,

and I was thinking about a severum perhaps, maybe some Rams, perhaps Kribs, perhaps Convicts.


Something along those kind of lines maybe.

[Bowdy]

I once had a 25cm black ghost he was awesome. They only have a small mouth so would find it hard to eat other fish unless there try I would think. I was told there blind and get around using electrical pulses. Very cool fish to watch when they get big.

[AXIS]

Someone told me they can sort of dislocate their jaws or something, and eat bigger fish than you might think they can.


Spooky.

[AXIS]

Stand is all finished!

Well the structural part is anyway, next time will be onto staining/varnishing.



Even worked out how to do a door I am happy with

Ended up taking the easy way out, and ended up making a slab door, but prettied it up with a router profile around the sides, and putting some moulding on the front for a bit of depth.

Definitely happy with it












Staining next! wooo exciting

[sandgroper]

Got a suggestion for you Axis (great build by the way), i feel your beautiful work is wasted on such a skinny tank. Now i know it's to late to change your foot print but i suggest to you in the nicest of ways that you should sell the standard six footer and get a custom made six footer made two and a half foot high. This will give you nearly double the water volume and a much better viewing window. This would make it look a lot more balanced to look at and compliment your beautiful cabinet IMO. The bonus is you get twice the size tank (bigger is always better when it comes to aquariums). Steve

[AXIS]

*shrugs*

In hindsite...... a wider tank would probably a better option. (although the tank was a bargain).



Although the the skinny tank will work pretty well in where its going along the wall, so I'm not too fussed.


Well too late now anyway, so we'll just go with what I have from here.

[AXIS]

Oooh new location on the forum for me, looking around makes sense.


I'm trying to plan out the canopy/hood.



I'm a little nervous about how much the actual stand ended up weighing, (which was ALOT).

Obviously if I want to support something on the tank its got to be a lot lighter.

And perhaps legs down onto the tank, which is a little of a pity as it would block a bit of the corner for viewing.


Gonna have to think about this one, maybe look around here see what others have done

[AXIS]

Had a bit of a chat with the boys down at Morley Aquariums about lights and hoods and stuff, and I think I've come up with a plan for the next part of the build.

I'd been having trouble with picturing how I could do a lid, and I had a look at theirs, and I think I've got an idea of what to do

I'm going to keep it simple and basically make a box. But I'll run a roman ogee router edge around the top and bottom of the sides like I did on the doors to give it a bit of shape. And then put a two boards down the top, one of them fixed, and one of them on a hinge to make the door. It's simple, but I think that might be best.


EDIT: actually looking at it, I might split that front board into two. Make two smaller to handle sections, prob will work better

Knocked up a simple shot to get the dimensions right in my head



They had good things to say about weight too, so I don't think I'll have a problem.

Not sure when I'm going to find some time to do this though I've a vague feeling there's parties on this weekend on both Sat and Sun to go to.

Edited by AXIS, 15 March 2012 - 01:19 PM.

[Furnix]

Looks amazing man! How much did all the wood end up costing to knock it together? I have to build a stand in the near future and am curious. Are you going to use the same routered edges on the hood as the stand? as i think that will really help tie it all together!

[AXIS]

All up so far....... spent maybe $250-300.

The boards for the door and sides were most expensive, as they were the Portia panels from Bunnings, they took up most of the price, the rest of the wood, is maybe $150.

So I put my plan for the Hood into practice this weekend. First of all finished off the other doors, so they are all done.

Then we build the hood.

















Pretty happy with how the routered edge around the top and bottom looks, definitely helps tie it together Furnix. I'm glad the plan came together for the hood, as it was bugging me all week.


So that's basically it for all the woodwork now, next step is pretty much a puttying up the few nail holes around, and then staining/varnishing.

Edited by AXIS, 19 March 2012 - 10:07 AM.

[Bowdy]

Looking good mate. Don't forget to cut holes/slots in the back corner's of the hood for pipes and power cables ect.

[AXIS]

Good tip Bowdy, yeah that's the plan, I figured I'll do that once all the glue is dry etc and I can see where I will need them.


I'm thinking putting notches in rather than a hole.

That way I can lift the whole hood off without having to disconnect any filter hoses etc if I need to, which I figure has to be better.

Something like this.