Building stand...what would you do???

[Q-ball]

Hi all...I'm moving my reef from a 29g to a 40g breeder (I know, not a big difference, but really, it is noticeably more real estate:D) Anyhow, gonna build the stand myself, picked up some of the supplies today. I wanted to know from all of you that built stands in the past, or even from people who just bought one, what would you do different? There will be a 20g long under it as a sump, fed from an SOS H.O.B. overflow, and returned by a Mag7. I know I want at least 2 power strips on it, 1 for the pumps, & 1 for lights & other stuff....this way I can easily shut off my pumps for feeding. Also, gonna build the canopy, and have no clue how yet. I'm not an ace carpenter, so the plans have to be pretty simple, but any suggestions there are much appreciated. Gonna be running 1x175w MH + 4x30w NO's (upgrading the 175w to 250w sometime, but not sure when). Any thoughts in any way towards the construction of either or both is much appreciated! TIA

Q!!!

[Agu]

Mr Q, Most of the diy stands use 2 by 4's as a frame. Total overkill, and it wastes a lot of space in a stand. Plywood has greater strength and is more stable to boot. A 6 foot span for an Oceanic 180 uses 3/4 by 6" plywood with one center brace of 3/4 by 8" plywood.
Things I'd do 1)buy the doors premade and build around them 2)consider an extra door at the end of the stand (easier access and if you have to get the sump out it'll be easier) 3)Build the sump area so it'll contain small floods and seal it well 4) Find a way to keep the ballasts out of the stand (hang on the outside?)
For the light I built a box like Larry has and suspended it from the ceiling. Easy to move or adjust, and the open airspace helps keep heat from building up. The basic box is easy to build and works quite well.

With the leftover wood build a cute looking box, put in an expensive piece of jewelry, and give it to your significant other.

Agu

[Q-ball]

Hiya Agu, thanks for the tips...I did build a frame for the stand, I used 2x4's for only the horizontal pieces as I don't want a center vertical brace, I used 1x3's for the rest to save room/weight. I plan on using a nice birch plywood for the finishing of the stand. I'm looking for pre-made doors, haven't been very successful as of yet, but I have a few ideas yet. As for the canopy, right now my balast is on top of the canopy...it's not real pretty, but it keeps the heat out of the stand & the canopy so I think I may repeat this, and build a topless box to go around the ballast simply to hide it. The door in the side is an idea I hadn't thought about, I'll have to see about that. I don't have gfci's in the apartment, so I'm trying to figure that part out. I plan on using 2 6-outlet strips, so I think I'm gonna try to find a way to wire them into a gfci prior to getting it plugged into the wall outlet. Thanks for the help!

Q!!!