I have looked and looked through the viv pics only thread and dont see very many stands. I have a 40 gallon breeder and really would like to build a stand for it to where I could put my roach bin in the bottom of it in the winter so I hopefully won't have to supply any extra heat.. and maybe even enough room for a shelf or two for his supplements, etc. If ANYONE has some pictures of home made stands, please post pictures! My dad is capable of building one, but I have to have an idea of what hes building first. (I'll have to know what to do to keep him going, or the project will take years oppose to a week). It'll be in my living room so it cant just be trimmed out wood. Ideas? help!
It looks relatively simple. It was for a salt water tank, so obviously you won't have to do as much as they did...it can be much simpler and doesn't have to be nearly as strong since it's not holding water...
thank you! That would be perfect, do you think it would be strong enough without center supports? I ask this so I could put two front doors on it and easily fit my roach bin underneath and slide it in and out whenever I'm not using it.. thanks!
Well.. I found a plan that looks like an easy build and should be starting soon. It should only take a few hours to make the actual stand, but take a few days for it to get stained and aired out. I'll try to take as many pictures as possible for those of you that might be planning on doing the same thing in the future. I'm not sure how many pics I'll get to take though due to my dad working on it and I don't live there (hes a carpenter so he should knock it out quick-hopefully). It will be made out of 2''x4'', and oak plywood. It'll be 30'' tall and about 42'' wide. It's going to be for my 40 gallon breeder as most of you know. I plan on staining it dark cherry in color, and am searching online for lizard hardware. My roach bin is 33'' wide and 20'' deep so it'll easily fit below the tank. I plan on putting the roach bin on a shelf with gliders so it'll easily pull in and out for easy access. I'm hoping there's enough room for a small shelf so I can put his blankets, etc in there as well. The back of the stand will be open for ventilation for the roaches. I was debating on making a top for it, but figure it'll look just as nice without one and it'll give him more ventilation since hes in an aquarium. Anyways, hope this all makes sense and helps explain the project. I think it'll turn out nicely after the trim, etc is in place but I'll let you guys be the judge this weekend when I'm (hopefully) done and have pictures posted. Let the madness begin!
well I as a slacker and not only did I not get pictures taken, but I didn't get the stand done. I know I know.. slacker. Anyways, the body is done and side/top/shelf is on, just need to do the front (doors and trim) then add trim all around it and stain it. Should be done soon! So pictures to come!
slackers better then quitter LOL. Looks nice my buddy just got a 40 gal breeder also for his turtle he just put two end table he had together to hold it up. They sure are nice and big. I agree about no top when I read your 1st post I thought of a hutch but I think it would make it to hard to get in and out of the tank.
This is my first custom enclosure... the bottom is like a stand, but mine's actually attached to the enclosure. You could do it the same way though. Also, this is a triangular aspect enclosure. But at least you can see some nice framing and the doors we made. It had TONS of space underneath!
Well I have some good news.. I finally finished the stand! Keep in mind, this was my first attempt at ever building something from scratch, so its not perfect, but over all I'm happy with the results. I apologize for the hair and dirty floors- you'd be amazed at how much crap we found under our couch when we moved it to make room for the stand. I didn't make the inside look nice, but it serves its function of holding the roaches and their food/water. Here it is!
I think it ended up cost me about $150.00, which I don't think is too bad compared to the price of stands at the store, and this way it fits the stand perfect and the roach bin. I used steel ties to make the frame, so this thing is STRONG! Anyways, hope you guys like it.
This is my first custom enclosure... the bottom is like a stand, but mine's actually attached to the enclosure. You could do it the same way though. Also, this is a triangular aspect enclosure. But at least you can see some nice framing and the doors we made. It had TONS of space underneath!