Aquarium stand with your own hands

The aquarium in the house is a calm and measured world, which is recommended even by psychologists, as a wonderful sedative. It is not difficult to buy a glass cube and fish for it, problems arise only in its placement in the apartment. If we are talking about a small aquarium with a volume of about 20 liters, then it is easily placed on a regular table or bedside table, only if the surface is aligned. But the aquarium with a significant volume of the household table will not hold. Therefore, such a thing has appeared as a stand for the aquarium, which is a fortified structure, adjusted in size and color.

Stands for aquariums, their varieties and manufacturing rules

According to varieties, stands are divided by the type of material used and in form. Not all materials are suitable as an aquarium stand. There are welded metal stands for the aquarium, it is not recommended to use them, since the aquarium is a zone of high humidity, and the metal usually has to spoil and rot from moisture. It is also not recommended to use cabinets made of lumber and natural wood that do not have a moisture -resistant coating.

In shape, the stands are divided into rectangular and corner. The most simple executions are precisely rectangular cabinets, they are also a classic of the form of a standard aquarium. In the manufacture of a cabinet of any size and shape, it is necessary to adhere to such rules:

• material for manufacturing must be resistant to moisture;
• the thickness of the bearing elements is at least 25 mm, we are talking about the countertop and the side wall;
• the design of the stand is calculated specifically for the aquarium, while it is necessary to provide for the possibility of installing the necessary equipment;
• mandatory installation of adjustable legs under the stand, they are necessary to align the plane of the aquarium, the exclusion of the pressure difference on the walls and damage to the glass structure;
• the cabinet must be repeated the shape of the aquarium, if its corners are rounded, then the cabinet repeats the shape, if the design of the aquarium is triangular, then the cabinet is performed in the appropriate form. The stand for a round aquarium is made round, polygonal or similar to a bookcase;
• the vertical seams of the aquarium are sealed to silicone, their number should be at least two pieces;
• the aquarium frames are made whole -covered without intermediaries and overflows, a soft substrate is placed in the lower frame under the glass.

Why is it worth making a stand for the aquarium with your own hands

When buying a glass container for equipment in it the water world, many stores offer to purchase immediately for them. In this case, there is confidence as the acquired design, since specialized stores do not offer cabinets made of inappropriate materials. If only the aquarium was purchased, then making a order to order for it is risky enough. Often, the workshops use non -resistant materials that cannot withstand the dampness of the aquarium. If a ready -made bedside table in an unleashed store has been bought, then it most often does not meet all quality standards, is not strengthened properly in order to withstand the severity of the entire volume of water poured into the aquarium.

Experts recommend making cabinets for aquariums from a moisture -resistant leaning chipboard. As an option, it is allowed to use such material for the upper part, directly, on which the structure is installed. If there is a desire to put the aquarium in existing furniture, then all the walls and especially the upper part must be strengthened with additional supports and strips. In large cabinets, a beautiful aquarium with a volume of 200 liters looks very impressive, but the cabinet design will have to be broken a little.

Selection of the size of the stand for the aquarium, the creation of a sketch

Before starting work, it is necessary to perform a drawing or sketch of the future structure on paper and dimensions on it. The dimensions of the cabinet are calculated as follows:

• in height, the stand is selected so that the seated person has a good overview of the water world, while it is necessary to take into account the height of the legs, which should be from 50 to 100 mm. On average, the optimal size is 600 mm;
• the width is selected by the size of the aquarium, stands look beautiful, the width and length of which is equal or slightly exceeding the size of the aquarium. For example, if the dimensions of the aquarium are 415x412 mm, then it is better to make the cabinet in the form of a correct square - 420x420 mm.

After calculating the size of the cabinet, it is necessary to determine all the internal partitions - their size and quantity. It is recommended to make a cabinet with internal cabinets, as this creates an additional useful space, which is often used to store various accessories necessary for fish feed and maintenance of the aquarium.

The need for vertical strengthening partitions, which are located for every 30-40 cm of the length of the stands, is also taken into account. If the volume of the aquarium exceeds 150 liters, then it is necessary to use chipboard with a thickness of at least 22 mm. In the entire structure, the most strong and verified should be the countertop, since it not only takes on the main weight of the water, its duties also include evenly distributing the load on the surface of the glass. The countertop is made of the most even and strong material. Under the aquarium, soft material is laid on the countertop, which helps to evenly distribute weight.

Another constructive difference between a regular cabinet and a stand for the aquarium is the back wall. If for domestic furniture it is allowed to make the rear wall of thin material, then for an aquarium stand it is made only from thick chipboard. This is done for the fortress of the entire structure and as additional support for vertical side panels. The best option for fixing the back wall is to strengthen it between the extreme side walls, and not on top of them.

The legs cannot be made of plastic and thin aluminum.   Steel and thick aluminum are optimally suitable, the more legs, the better. When buying legs, you need to ask their maximum permissible load. When calculating, the number of legs is necessary on this indicator, as well as the fact that they should be no less than 2 pieces for each vertical partition.

Preparatory work

There are two options to become the owner of the aquarium stand - buy or make it yourself. For self -manufacture, instructions are given below, the procedure for preparatory work is also described here. For example, the manufacture of the cabinet with the following dimensions is considered:

• highness - 106 cm;
• shirin - 100 cm;
• depth - 45 cm.

This is a design with a pair of doors opening with an opening, and the upper folding box in the form of a parallelepiped, which is attached to the high side walls, lamps and other equipment are mounted in it. Production material is a stool.

It is allowed to use not only a carpentry slab, but also chipboard and MDF with a laminated coating. It is necessary to take care of the protective coating for the ends, the mating of parts and nests with screws, as the water falling on them will lead to deformation of the cabinet and crack in the aquarium. All of the listed areas are covered with special varnish. The following tools are needed for the manufacture of the cabinet:

• disk saw mounted on a workbench;
• milling machine;
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• strings.

Materials and fittings:

• stolar tiles with a 18 mm tolm for the contribution of the STEK and POLL;
• tarnacle of 38 mm tololar for disadvantages;
• wood shkanta;
• pepper;
• pens, screws and samoches;
• clee Stolar;
• lACK MEBLE or VOSK Decorative.

The drawings of the necessary dimensions are cut according to the drawing, holes are selected and combs are formed for conjugation. For side walls, a 38 mm thick shield is used. In the absence of the necessary tools, the cuts of the boards in size are ordered in organizations providing such services.

The procedure for assembling a rectangular stand for the aquarium

• it is most convenient to perform such work in a pair, since some elements must be attached simultaneously or by weight;
• the holes and crests are cut with a saw in the lower part, the rear wall will be inserted into them, also holes under the vertical rear board are cut into the tidies of the Crushkee, bokovyovs and spaces of the water to the rush, if there is no disk saw, it is replaced with a milling machine;
• two parts of the upper corner and rear board are connected, they will take a place from the back of the module for the backlight equipment;
• the boards are pulled together by chubs and deposited for the period of drying of the glue;
• 38-mm basement bars are attached to the lower dock, on which the whole structure will be installed;
• The 18-mm stoves are attached from the internal sturons of the side STENK, which will be installed by a delayed roof, a ziada will be laid on the urgent of the intra-nesting lid;
• the bottom and the tender lid are torn with a central chin with glue;
• the lower back of the rear Stanka is met in the groove of the bottom;
• one of the side boards is mounted to the bottom and middle lid with cams, which sit on glue, at the same moment the rear board is directed to the side of the side;
• at the same time, a corner is attached to the top of the sidewall, also with the help of cans and glue, the upper module will be based on it, then all operations with the upper side wall are repeated;
• the upper box is folded, on which all the parts necessary for illumination are installed, the bottom of the box will be facing the water, because it is made of matte glass, which is inserted into the grooves of the longitudinal sides;
• the finished module is attached to the cabinet, a piano loop is mounted to throw off the structure;
• doors are cut out of the shield, their dimensions are 433x494 mm, the files for the doors are selected from the planks;
• places under the loops are marked along the template, they are made by Sverle Foreth;
• doors are attached to the side Stink on the peel with a person who is in the shrnis;
• next, it is necessary to mount everything necessary for the aquarium - a compressor for the resting of the vocal and the system of the Off, the backlight control panel, the cable and tubes are removed here through the groove of 25x50 mm in the lid;
• the stand is covered with a membranous lacquer in some kind of teas.

Equipment and lighting of the aquarium

The cabinet is used not only as a stand for the aquarium, but also as an element that hides all wires, equipment and elements necessary for the content of the aquarium.   The equipment that is located in the cabinet depends on the volume of the container and animals that are in it. First of all, a heater is needed, which happens with a built -in thermostat and without it. The most optimal option is the heater with the presence of automation, since it will maintain a constant temperature of the water. The heater is most often attached to the posterior wall in the corner and covered with plants.

Another necessary unit is a compressor that supplies oxygen in water. For this equipment, a tubular spray is taken, which is laid under the soil below the surface a couple of centimeters along the entire rear wall of the aquarium. Air bubbles will be sprayed over the entire surface, which will become an additional decoration.

The third important detail is a filter that is of two types - internal and external. External structures are used for large volumes of water, they are more expensive, but show a higher work indicator. It is important not to forget about the lighting, which must be provided at the stage of manufacturing the cover for the aquarium. It is also recommended to install a reflector, the lamps are used fluorescent. To ensure a sufficient level of lighting to plants, it is necessary to proceed in the selection of lamps from the proportion-0.5-1 W per 1 liter of volume. For aquariums, special lamps are also sold, which have a special spectrum of radiation - from warm yellow to purple and blue.