In aquarium keeping, not only correctly selected equipment is of great importance, but also a special stand for the future “aquatic kingdom”. Those who buy an aquarium for the first time often install it on a regular table or bedside table, which is a mistake.
The cabinet for the aquarium must meet the requirements of safety, ergonomics and spaciousness. It is important that its surface is flat and wide, and that it can easily withstand the heavy weight of the aquarium filled with soil, water, decorations and equipment. Only in this case will the cabinet serve your exotic pond for a long time.
What is a cabinet for?
For a glass with a single cockerel and a sprig of grass, a banal table for an aquarium is also suitable, but for a container whose volume starts from 40 liters, you need to install a special stand. A bedside table or chest of drawers will cope with such a role very poorly. And the point is the pressure that will constantly be exerted on the structure. Elementary physics: the pressure of a 100-kilogram tank on a surface will cause it to sag. Deformation will cause the aqua glass to crack, if not completely destroy it. If you consider that the cost of a high-quality home pool is not 3 kopecks, then the loss of the tank will become a serious nuisance.
In addition to serving as a stand, aquarium stands serve as a place to install and store equipment and various accessories, ensuring order around the aquasphere. Therefore, certain requirements are imposed on the aquarium cabinet.
Requirements for the cabinet
Aquarium cabinets must meet certain requirements.
- Sustainability. First of all, gender. Where the home pond will be installed, the floor must be perfectly flat. It is advisable to strengthen the installation site of the cabinet if the flooring is on joists. The stand itself must be well strengthened in a stable position.
- Strength of the structure. You should carefully consider the thickness of the load-bearing walls of the cabinet. The presence of partitions inside is mandatory, because these are kind of stiffening ribs. They will strengthen the countertop, which may sag over time if they are not there. The more partitions, the higher the rigidity.
- Material. When making the cabinet, waterproof materials must be used. This is especially true for countertops. Water spillage is inevitable, and the surface should not be deformed at high humidity. Therefore, laminated MDF or chipboard is used to make the case.
- Frame. For large tanks, from 100 liters and above, the load-bearing corner joints must be metal. They will strengthen the cabinet, giving it strength. One caveat: metal structures must be treated with anti-corrosion agents.
In stores you can find stands that will meet these parameters, but aquarists are often faced with the lack of stands of non-standard shape. In this situation, there is only one way out: a homemade aquarium cabinet.
Types of stands and rules for their manufacture
There are no specific types of aquarium stands. They can differ only in shape and material. An aquarium cabinet can have only two shapes: rectangular and angular. Before starting work, in aquarium stores you can see what a finished aquarium with a stand looks like and take the most suitable model as a basis.
In order to make a cabinet for an aquarium yourself, you must follow all the stages of work:
- Create a drawing. For correct calculations, knowledge of physics will be useful, but if you don’t bother too much, you need to take into account one simple thing: the size and shape of the countertop of the aquarium cabinet should clearly repeat the size and shape of the tank itself. This is done to create uniform pressure on the horizontal surface. In general, no matter what the pool is, the tabletop should follow its shape: round, triangular, hexagonal - it doesn’t matter. The countertop should be the same.
- Choice of material. Only moisture resistant. Even if it is possible to use solid wood, it must be treated with special solutions to prevent swelling or mold. In addition, wood is capable of drying out and expanding depending on the humidity of the environment, which also poses a danger for use.
- The thickness of blanks for walls and partitions is not less than 25 mm. The tabletop may be thicker. The same goes for the side walls. The load-bearing elements bear the main load, so it is important to make them as thick as possible.
- Space for equipment. A bedside table for an aquarium is not only a stand. It is also a storage system. Therefore, when thinking over the drawing of an aquarium cabinet, you need to calculate the number and sizes of compartments for equipment. The presence of shelves for storing various accessories is welcome, because they will further strengthen the structure, acting as ties.
- Metal carcass. It is necessary if you are planning a cabinet for a 200 liter aquarium. The fact is that such large containers are installed on countertops that are used for kitchen units. The total weight of such an aqua will be large, so additional reinforcement will be required so that the walls of the stand do not collapse like a house of cards. Therefore, metal racks must be present for attaching partitions, and pass under the tabletop along the midline. For a 100-liter aquarium cabinet, you can get by with a regular steel frame without additional beams under the tabletop.
Why do you need a cabinet or stand for an aquarium?
The easiest option for aquarium owners is to purchase a ready-made structure, but it is important to take into account several points. The furniture in the room must correspond to a single style, be comfortable and have an ergonomic design, so its choice is associated with certain difficulties:
- a stable cabinet must be made of reliable and high-quality materials, which ensures a long service life;
- depending on the volume of the water tank, it will exert a certain static load on the load-bearing and frame elements of the structure;
- For medium and large tanks with special equipment, ordinary coffee tables and bedside tables cannot be used.
It’s not difficult to make a cabinet for an aquarium with your own hands, but to do this you need to understand the nuances of such a design. It is used to install the tank itself with water and equipment, and in the internal storage systems you can place food and additional accessories.
How to make an aquarium cabinet
In order for your DIY aquarium stand to fit perfectly into the interior, you need to decide on the dimensions. If the length and width of the aquarium cabinet depend on the size of the container, then not everything is clear about the height. When determining the height of the cabinet, you need to take into account the ease of observation and maintenance. Using a stepladder to serve the aqua is a so-so idea. And watching the inhabitants with their heads up is also not fun. Therefore, it is better to stay at a standard height of up to 1 meter. Ideally, this is 60 - 70 cm. If, due to circumstances, it is necessary to make a cabinet with a height of 90 cm or higher, then the back wall, which bears the main weight, must be further strengthened.
You should order cutting of parts for “homemade” products from a woodworking shop. If you have your own tool, you can cut it yourself. In both cases, it is necessary to treat the cut areas with moisture-resistant solutions and cover them with melamine edges. This procedure will prevent the material from delaminating when water enters. In the back wall you need to make holes for communications: hoses, wires, pipes, taps. During cutting, it is necessary to make all the holes for the confirmations, cut out the recesses for the door hinges, and mark all the attachment points. There is no point in doing all this on site during the assembly process: there is no need for excess dirt and dust.
When making doors, it is important to consider that they must be slightly smaller in height in order to open freely. This is especially true for glass doors, which look very beautiful, for example, tinted glass.
Before starting assembly, you must make sure the floor is level. If for a 50-liter aquarium with a stand you don’t have to worry too much and install adjustable legs, then for a larger volume, for example, a 300-liter aquarium, it is better to use foam or rubber bases. Aquas of such volumes are usually installed permanently.
Assembly begins with the installation of a metal frame. Walls are hung on it. If one is not used, then the verticals are installed first. The side walls should be adjacent to the back. If you install the back wall between the side ones, the structure will be unreliable. The tie is made using a Euroscrew. Important: the holes for the confirmat tie (Euroscrew) must be carefully calculated so that later, during the assembly process, no surprises arise. For strength and reliability, additionally use corners that are installed at the same distance. You should not get carried away, as additional holes will weaken the resistance of the material.
After assembling the box, they begin to install the side partitions and internal shelves.
When the verticals are assembled, the tabletop is installed. The Euroscrews must be tightened diagonally. This will prevent the tabletop from skewing, and it will lie correctly.
The doors are hung using regular hinges. They can be purchased at any furniture store. After hanging, the doors are adjusted in the usual way, as on any cabinet.
Stages of manufacturing and assembly of the finished structure
The first step in making an aquarium stand is to create a project and choose an idea, then you need to select materials and purchase them in sufficient quantities. You should not start assembly if the craftsman does not have fasteners or other elements, because this process can take a long time:
- cutting the material into parts and processing them; during the process it is important to observe all the dimensions indicated on the preliminary design;
- the assembly of the main, load-bearing frame, its strength is checked already at the design stage in a practical way, to assess the strength;
- installation of the tabletop on the frame; for this purpose, special good quality furniture fasteners made of durable materials are used;
- installation and fastening of doors, fastening of horizontal shelves, installation of drawers used as a storage system.
The entire assembly is carried out in the room where the cabinet will be installed, using pre-prepared fasteners. After finishing the work, the structure is checked for strength, an empty tank is installed on it, which is filled with the necessary equipment and water, after which the fish can be released.
A simple stand for an aquarium with your own hands can be decorated with glass doors or sliding panels made of polymer material. A stylish design design will fit perfectly into the interior if you carefully consider its design and use additional decor.
You can assemble and decorate furniture with your own hands using various techniques, from painting and decoupage to stamping and opening wooden elements with a special varnish.
