what kind of wood

[chefsreef]

i am looking in to getting a wood stand for my new 125 gallon reef ready glass tank. what brand is the best. does it matter if its pine or oak.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Homemade is always the best. You can use any type of wood for the sheeting that you prefer the look of and can build it to your own specs and have access panels where you want them not where the company put them forcing you to arrange your stuff according to their plan.

 

[duke62]

pine is a softer weaker wood and if not stained and treated properly it will fall apart but its cheaper. Oak is a lot stronger and can handle salt water better but its alot more money. I personally would go with oak.

 

[Dre]

Are you planning on building it yourself?

 

[chefsreef]

i was thinking of it but i never done it. i am also not good at DIY things. i think it would be safer to buy..

 

[strgazr27]

The ability of pine or oak to withstand saltwater is really what you seal it with not the wood itself. Oak is stronger but there are thousands of stands that are 15+ years old still going strong. I'm finishing up this 40br canopy and stand. If you need any help or questions let me know.

This is the frame. Made from trimmed and planed 2x4's

Glue and a pocket screw jig will help tremendously. This stand could easily hold a 150 weight wise.

 

[thirty6]

Sharp looking stand

I'm not a diy guy either but have built stands before and it isn't that complicated, unless you make it complicated. Fishandtips.com has easy to follow instructions Jimmy is right, you can make it to your size needs, and is almost always stronger! Lots of great builds here. If you look at pics above you can prob just follow along. Gl!

 

[strgazr27]

Have to tarp my roof before the storm tomorrow but if I get a chance I am going to post a build thread on the stand. I have a ton of pictures.

 

[tosiek]

It really depends if your getting a stand made of solid pine and oak or something thats sheathed in oak or pine veneer and all the construction and filler material is flakeboard or ply. You want stuff not made out of flake so spend the extra $$ on solid wood doors and ply/solid construction.

Going pine or oak really depends on the look. When these stands are built they are built to hold up the specified tank size regardless of material. If you want oak or pine really depends on you.

For those interested in how well each wood holds up with moisture and heat from lights and equipment, Oak and pine both expand about the same, pine gets very porous and spongy while oak tends to hold better. The main difference is that when oak starts to dry it tends to bow and warp quicker than pine would and with more force.