The finished results of the fish tank stand.

[Robert Mayer]

Its all done finally. I had to sand the entire thing down after using minwax cherry stain on it. It had more splotches than a leper. I ended up just using tung oil on the entire thing. Came out pretty nice considering I had to resand down all of it.

http://www.imagehostplus.com/v2/usr/158/6100Picture_006.jpg

[Terry Hatfield]

Robert,

That turned out great!!!!

Terry

[Christopher Stahl]

I'm with Terry, I think it looks awesome Rob!! The extra effort payed off.

chris

[Jerry Olexa]

Good job Bob! Looks good!

[RichMagnone]

I've seen some nifty hoods that cover up those clunky plastic tank hoods - I bet one would look great up there. Sweet work.

[John Shuk]

Rob,
Looks great. What kind of fish do you plan on keeping?
John

[Robert Mayer]

I was going to build a hood for it, but my wife didnt want one. The stand isnt that tall right now and she is almost to short to reach into the tank as it is. Were going this weekend to get some cichlids for it. Were going to start with just a couple small ones to see if the water is ready for them.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

That looks great! Much better than those cheap store built stands!!

[Byron Trantham]

That's a pretty uptown tank for a "couple of old chiclids"! :D That is a very nice tank stand. Your tank looks great as well. As far as "if the tank is ready" you need to measure the temp and Ph. The Ph requirements vary depending on the species you put in the tank. Once those two values are met you can rock and roll. :p

[Ted Shrader]

Robert -

Looks like all the hard work paid off. You have a nice looking piece there. Your tank is well "landscaped" and the nice looking base, just sets it off even better.

Well done!
Ted

[Robert Mayer]

Thanks for the nice comments guys. Now i am seriously saving up for a jointer and planer now. I am totally limited right now to lumber that is already squared like oak or poplar from lowes, im not a big fan of either. I hope by the end of april to have a jointer and planer sitting in my shop.

[John Scarpa]

Robert,
That really looks good! Nice execution.
John

[Dan Mages]

Very nicely done!!! However, I reccomend against getting cichlids just yet. I reccomend getting some hardy and cheap fish, like zebra dainos or feeder gold fish for the tank and keep them there for a month or two. These fish will stabilize the tank's chemistry and promote helpful bacteria growth. Your cichlids will have a better time adjusting to the tank once it has been broken in.

Dan

[Jim Becker]

That's really nice, Robert. I like the contrast between the species, too. With a little UV exposure, any remaining greenish tinge in the poplar heartwood will brown out for you, too.