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Do-it-yourself aquarium table. Do-it-yourself installation of a curbstone for an aquarium

It is interesting to learn how to make a home aquarium and make it yourself. Master classes, step-by-step photos will teach you this. Another tutorial shows how to create different styles of fish houses.

How to make an aquarium table with your own hands?

To make you want to make a house for fish, first look at an unusual master class. Here the aquarium also serves as a table.


First, the master made the aquarium itself from durable glass. You will learn how to choose glass and create such a base a little later. Since the aquarium has the shape of a trapezoid, expanding upwards, the stand for it is made according to the size of the bottom of the aquarium.

It must be strong enough to withstand a container filled with water.


There are voids in the curly sidewalls so that you can hide hoses and wires here. Now you need to put a sheet of foam on the bottom of the table, and put an aquarium on top. Soil, stones are placed in it, the container is filled with water, filters are lowered here, a device for supplying oxygen, and fluorescent lamps are placed outside. Here is such a wonderful house for fish.


If you are not yet ready to implement such a grand plan, you can look at how to make a regular-style home aquarium. You can design it according to your own measurements, make it in such a size that the fish house fits on the bedside table or takes up another free space.


Glass thickness matters a lot. It depends on what size your finished product will be. To make it easier for you to understand, please refer to the following table. At the intersection of the desired width and height, you will find the required glass thickness.


Symbols will facilitate the perception of this information: H - the height of the aquarium * - with ribs; ** - with rack ribs. L is the length of the aquarium.

In this case, the aquarium has dimensions of length, width and height of 900x360x600 mm. The volume of such a facility is 194.4 liters. Looking at the presented table, you will understand that you need to take glass, the thickness of which is 8 mm. But it is better to play it safe, take a slightly thicker glass. In this case, its thickness is 1 cm.

Here's how many glasses and what size you need:

  • 2 pieces for front and rear glass measuring 600 by 900 mm;
  • 1 piece for the bottom measuring 878 mm by 338 mm;
  • two sidewalls 600 by 338 mm;
  • for the upper ribs, a rectangle measuring 30 by 848 mm;
  • for the lower ribs - 50 by 236 mm;
  • for other lower ribs 50 by 878 mm.


If you plan to make a large home aquarium, then you need to install crossbars here, or, as they are also called ribs. These elements will need to be glued longitudinally at the bottom and top of the aquarium. This will make it more durable, reduce the bending of the glass.

If you have the tools and skills to cut glass, you can cut it yourself. If this is not possible, then contact the glass workshop.



It is better to grind the sharp edges of the edge, but leave the cut itself uneven, then it will be easier to fasten the elements with silicone. But first you need to degrease the junction with a rag dipped in acetone. Now try not to touch the junction so as not to leave greasy spots on them that will prevent bonding.

To prevent silicone from staining a large area, you need to glue the edge of each glass around the perimeter with adhesive tape, stepping back from the edge of 7 mm.


When buying silicone, make sure that the sealant is made specifically for aquariums. This should not contain harmful additives that are contraindicated for fish.


To prevent the bottom of the aquarium from sticking to the floor, put a sheet of plywood here first, and newspapers on it. Now apply sealant to the side stiffeners and glue these elements to the bottom of the fish houses.


Now lubricate the sides and lower parts of the front glass with sealant, and press it against the lower glass.

Make sure that the sealant seam is continuous and that no voids appear in it.

Now apply sealant to the bottom of the sidewalls and glue them together, also to the bottom. Then you can attach the rear window in the same way.


To make the seams more even, silicone does not stick to your fingers, walk on this adhesive composition with soapy water. At the same time, you will remove excess silicone.


Now you need to be patient and keep the aquarium for two days so that the silicone is completely dry. Only after this time has elapsed, you can pour water into the aquarium and see if it flows out. This also takes some time. If everything suits you, you can bring life support systems here, fill the aquarium with the necessary elements and launch fish.

Aquariums in the wall look beautiful. Look at the principle of making such houses for fish.

How to make a home aquarium in the wall?


Such a device will help to significantly save space, since the aquarium does not need to be placed on a table or on a windowsill and take up space.

The master erected this wall himself. I used boards, chipboard, wall metal profiles for this. The opening must be made in such a way that the length of the aquarium is no more than one and a half meters, the height is up to 70 cm, and the width is up to 40 cm. In this case, these dimensions are: 68 cm height, length 1 m, width 25 cm.

Having decided on these dimensions, the master began to mount the wall. At the top and bottom, he used profile guides similar to the letter P. The width of such elements is 3 cm. They had to be fastened together, focusing on the depth of the niche.

Next to the niche, the opening was lined with edged boards and chipboard. Where the aquarium will be installed, it is necessary to make the crate of the walls with a board to strengthen it. When carrying out such work, use the level to achieve evenness.

To avoid deflection, under the bottom of the future aquarium you need to put foam for ceiling panels.


It was also necessary to mount a switch and a socket of several components in the wall in order to be able to turn on the backlight, oxygen supply, and filtration for the fish.


In order not to suffer with the installation of the hatch, it was enough just to hang a picture of a suitable shape on this place, and it perfectly hides the opening with the communications connected. When needed, you can simply remove it and then hang it back.


The plasterboard wall should be covered with wallpaper, and the plastic corner that closes the gap between the wall and the aquarium body should be decorated with crumbs of stone and shells.


From the side of the corridor, the master closed the joints between the wall and the aquarium with a door casing.


In the evening, you can not turn on the main light, as a lighted aquarium will add it anyway. A very spectacular sight, to look at the underwater world, sitting at the table of a cozy kitchen.


Not everyone has the opportunity to make such global structures. But if you still want to occasionally admire artificial fish and their house, consider the following ideas.

We make a house for fish with our own hands


Make this craft with your child. Perhaps he will like it, and when he grows up, he will know how to make an aquarium himself and make it. First prepare what you need:
  • a suitable transparent container with a lid;
  • plastic fish;
  • mass for modeling self-hardening;
  • thick needle;
  • thin line;
  • thin wire.


First you need to twist the wire frame for the future coral. Then mix the green and yellow sculpting mass and make a stand for it. With the tips of the scissors, make the structure looser so that this accessory comes out as realistic as possible.


Glue the frame with a self-hardening red mass. You can glue more small details to it to make the coral more branchy.


If you are making small underwater grasses and algae, then you can build them without using a framework.


Leave these crafts for a while to dry and become more solid. At this time, you will make a mount in order to hang the fish with it. To do this, take a piece of blue mass, roll it into a ball and glue it on the lid. Make a hole in this piece through which you will thread the fishing line. And on the other side, attach a fish to it.


To make the bottom of the reservoir, mold it from yellow and green mass. Then the yellow will turn into sand, and the green into plants.


Put this not yet dried craft on the bottom of the aquarium and attach it here with a pencil.


Make a hole in the back of the fish with an awl and insert the fishing line here. Tie it into knots, thread the other end of the fishing line into the hole on the ball. Stick it in here again and don't cut it off. Then you can make the length that you want and will vary it.


You can pour water into the aquarium or leave it dry. Since the glass is thick, it will still seem that there is liquid in the container. Screw the lid on the aquarium and see what delight the new toy will cause in the child.


If you don't have a filter, compressor or other fish farming equipment, but you want to have a corner of the underwater world, then you can still create it. More unpretentious animals, such as water snails, can live here. They will feed on algae and do not need special care.

How to make a simple home aquarium?


You will make such a dwelling for underwater animals if you take:
  • glass container;
  • pebbles;
  • aquatic plants;
  • tweezers.


First, the container and pebbles should be washed well with water, and then these small pebbles should be poured into the aquarium. Now take your tweezers and plant aquatic plants here. If there is no such tool, do it carefully with your hands.

To make a simple aquarium, breed the most unpretentious aquatic plants in it, such as cabomba, hornwort.


Regular tap water contains chlorine, which is harmful to plants and snails. Therefore, first you need to defend the water or use boiled water. Place the aquarium close to a window or on a windowsill so that your creation is illuminated. If you have a desire to place it near the desktop or in another place far from the window, then turn on the artificial lighting.

If you do not have a suitable container for such a creation, but you have a light bulb, then you can still make your dream come true. For this you need to take:

  • light bulb
  • pebbles;
  • aquatic plant.


Remove the base from the lamp. And carefully remove the glass parts from this container.


Here's how to make a simple aquarium in a light bulb next. File the edges of the flask with a file, rinse the container and pour small pebbles or aquarium soil here. Plant the plant carefully. Fill the container with water and close the lamp base.

How to decorate an aquarium with your own hands?

If you have little space, you can make another original aquarium, but in a very small size. Perhaps you will be inspired by the idea of ​​Stanislav and Anatoly Konenko, who made a very small fiberglass aquarium.


But algae grow in it and real fish swim. These are zebrafish fry, having a size of 4 mm.


Only 10 ml of water is placed in the tank of the aquarium. To ensure the viability of the fish, the masters even made a microcompressor, which turned out to be the most difficult in this work.


There are several styles. Decide which one you like best and decorate the aquarium in that style.

If you like the Dutch landscape, you can take this into service. For this style, plants of different sizes are used, which differ in color, size and shape. Tall plants with thin or small leaves are planted in the background, with larger foliage in the center, and the smallest bushes are placed in front. Then a sense of multi-layeredness is created.


You can use red, yellow, dark and light green algae. Plants should be planted quite close to each other so that such flora resembles the green landscape of Holland. An even more iridescent picture will be presented by small brightly colored fish swimming past the algae.


If you want to design an aquarium in the Japanese style, then you can make a rock garden, put a bonsai tree in the center of the composition.


Since the ordinary will not grow under water, aquarists use some tricks.

So, to make a bonsai tree like this, they use Javanese moss. It is unpretentious, grows on stones, on snags. Therefore, you can put a snag at the bottom of the aquarium, fixing it and planting moss here, which will become the crown of the tree.

Java moss grows well on snags, on stones, so it does not even need soil. This plant will not only help decorate the aquarium, but also allow fish to spawn in the crown of these algae.



In order for this plant to have supports, they are made from cotton threads or from thin fishing line.

To make a bonsai tree, first plant the desired shape of driftwood in aquarium soil. Fix it with stones. Now place Java moss on top of this driftwood, give it the shape of a crown. Decorate the stones and the surrounding space with it as well.


Another style in the aquarium hobby is the collector style. To realize it, you need to plant 15 or more types of algae. Over time, they will grow and create the effect of a neglected English garden, which is what is required.


To do this, you need to take sufficiently spacious aquariums and combine high and low types of plants that differ in color.

If you want to place a fish house in the children's room, then give it a fabulous look. Another style of aquarium design is called Disney World.


Make the fish house look like a set from Finding Nemo.


You can buy or DIY the following things to transform the underwater world in this style. This:
  • shells;
  • grottoes;
  • corals;
  • sunken treasures;
  • locks;
  • fancy seashells.
Settle here crabs and bright fish. You can stick a Disney-themed picture on the outside of the aquarium's back wall to decorate it this way.


An aquarium with wooden driftwood also looks great. They do not need to be bought, but can be found on a walk.


But before you put these items in the aquarium, they need to be properly processed. First, such things boil for 2 hours.

Use driftwood and twigs that are already dry and will not release water, resin and sap. Also, conifers and oak are not suitable for an aquarium, as such materials will make the water darker or more acidic.

If you want to use natural stones, then they also need to be properly processed first. If you find such a specimen, you need to wash it, boil it, and then check if the stone contains lime. To do this, drop a little vinegar on it, if it hisses, then such a stone cannot be used. It will be harmful to fish and plants.


Before laying the stones, even if you bought them in a store, they must be cleaned with a stiff brush and poured with boiling water. If you have cyclids living in your aquarium, then they need grottoes. You can create such devices by stacking sandstone stones on top of each other and sealing them together with silicone sealant that is harmless to marine life. At the same time, leave space so that cyclides can settle here.


If shrimps live in your aquarium, then place the pebbles so that there are many small caves between them, which the inhabitants of the underwater world will certainly like.

After you have decided on the style of the aquarium, you need to properly fill this container. But first, prepare the stones and driftwood, process the dummies as it was just described. Install the equipment that will be at the bottom of the aquarium.


Fill in the soil here and level it. Now you need to install the pump if you want to make a small waterfall. Pour some water on the ground, plant plants here. If you will be planting Javanese moss at the bottom of the aquarium on driftwood, secure it there with fishing line or string. Then pour water again and do the next stage of landscaping, when this tier is completed, fill the aquarium with water and connect the necessary equipment. After that, you can launch the fish and admire the underwater inhabitants.


In conclusion, it remains to show you videos in which you will also find information about the aquarium hobby. If you are interested in how to make a home aquarium, then check out the first video.


The second plot will help you deal with the question of how to make a small compressor with your own hands.

Regardless of whether you buy an aquarium or make it yourself, its appearance will not be complete without a pedestal designed specifically for it. It happens that when buying an aquarium you are told that the manufacturer does not offer a cabinet for this model, or when gluing an aquarium at home you face a similar problem: either find the most suitable cabinet in the store, or make it yourself. I will say in advance that there is nothing difficult to make it with your own hands, the main thing is accuracy and adherence to assembly technology, as well as the presence of a small amount of tools.

Here is a little theory on making a cabinet for an aquarium with your own hands, and then an example with a photo report will follow.

Nowadays, cabinets are made from various materials, but laminated chipboard is most often used, it is this material that is most suitable for making cabinets at home. Chipboard of at least 18mm is suitable for us, because. 16mm is already thin. Our cabinet will sometimes come into contact with water, so it is advisable to order high-quality chipboard, for example, from EGGER and edge it with PVC (BETTER ABS) edge.

First you need to make a sketch of your future cabinet on paper, the dimensions should be based on the following parameters:

  • The height of the pedestal should be such that it is convenient for a seated person to view the aquarium, also do not forget that the adjustable legs have a height of 50-100 mm. The curbstone made by me has a height of 600 mm.
  • The width and depth of the pedestal will depend on the similar parameters of the aquarium, the pedestal looks very nice if its countertop is either equal to or slightly larger than the size of the bottom of the aquarium. In my case, the dimensions of the width and depth of the aquarium were 415 and 412 mm, i.e. almost a square, so the tabletop of my cabinet is 420x420 mm, a couple of mm should be given in reserve.

After you have figured out the dimensions of the cabinet, you need to decide the number of internal vertical partitions and doors. It’s not worth it to sweat too much here; for every 30-40 cm of the length of the cabinet, put an additional vertical partition. True, if the depth of the aquarium is about 50 cm, then it is advisable to use chipboard no thinner than 22 mm.

The top of the aquarium deserves special attention, it should evenly distribute the entire load on the bottom of the aquarium and not cause local stresses on the glass. Despite the fact that the aquarium is installed on the countertop through a pad of soft material that contributes to better weight distribution, and the chipboard sheet itself has a relatively flat surface, over time the countertop may sag slightly in the middle. This problem is solved by additional vertical partitions, but for more confidence with an aquarium volume of more than 150 liters, I would advise making a countertop from 22 mm chipboard.

Back wall. It is almost the main difference between an aquarium cabinet and any other cabinet in your home. For the aquarium, it is made ONLY from chipboard, and serves to prevent all your vertical side panels from collapsing like dominoes under the weight of the aquarium and other equipment. I think that the best option is to fix the back wall between the outer side walls, and not on top of them.

Legs. You need to know only one thing about them: not plastic and not thin aluminum. Under aquarium cabinets, it is better to use either steel legs or thick aluminum, and the more of them, the better. In a furniture store, select the strong legs you like and ask the seller for their maximum weight, then calculate the number.

The number of legs should not be less than 2 pieces for each vertical partition.

Having figured out a little with a brief theory, I’ll show you a photo report on a do-it-yourself cabinet for an aquarium of 70 liters made by me.

First of all, I figured out the dimensions of the cabinet, 600x420x420.

I made a drawing of a pedestal in the BASIS FURNITURE SHIELD program in order to get the dimensions of all panels from chipboard and quickly calculate the approximate costs for this chipboard. This program can be found on the Internet, it is easy to understand and will help you quickly draw cabinets and cabinets of any design, BUT you can easily do without it!

I went to the nearest furniture factory and ordered chipboard and cutting from them, here is a list of panels:

420x420 2pcs
364x370 1pc
564x390 2pcs
564x364 1pc
558x395 1pc

I also ordered edging with PVC edging, all in all I got 26 dollars.

I received this on the second day. Chipboard decided to take an inexpensive, Ukrainian, 18mm. The cabinet is small, so the design will be simple. I also took some melamine edging, because. there was a desire to finish the hidden surfaces.

The tabletop and bottom of the cabinet were covered with PVC edging on all sides. This was done with a PVC edge, and not with a melamine one, so that random drops of water that fell on the end of the table top and bottom did not soak the chipboard.

The side walls were cut from the front and back sides, in general, only open areas were cut. I didn’t order edging on the back wall, so I decided to trim myself with a melamine edge.

First, cut off the edge ribbon so that at least 2 cm hangs from each side of the chipboard end, fix it with your hand and press it tightly with an iron along the entire length. It is better to use an old Soviet iron with a flat sole without any coatings. I don’t have this, so I was tormented with a new iron.

After having walked with an iron, we immediately draw a rag along the entire length of the edge, pressing it strongly, thus. we squeeze out excess glue, improve the quality of gluing and cool the edge.

We cut off the hanging pieces of the edge on both sides and cut off the excess edge along the entire length. I use an ordinary spatula for this, because. it is not sharp to damage the laminate on the chipboard, but it cuts the paper perfectly, the main thing is to choose the right angle and the edge will be neatly folded with a ribbon.

To achieve maximum quality, you can walk with fine sandpaper on a busk around the perimeter of the gluing. The main thing here is not to rub too much, 2-3 movements with moderate pressure, I use sandpaper with a grit of 300.

After the edge is ready, you can proceed directly to the assembly, this is the tool that will come in handy for us:

  • I harvest confirmations;
  • screwdriver with a nozzle for confirmations;
  • drills for 4.8-5 mm, 7 mm (one confirmed drill can be used);
  • pencil and ruler;
  • corner clamps.

The quality and accuracy of the assembly depends on which assembly sequence you choose. I decided that it would be better to do this: first fasten the side panels and back together, then fix the shelf and only then install the table top and bottom.

I fastened everything with four corner clamps (the clamps cost me only $ 2.5 apiece), while all the walls are fastened with clamps, they can be moved and adjusted, then when everything is accurate and accurate, you can start drilling holes for confirmations.

So that the walls do not sag while I drill them and so that the angle is exactly 90 degrees relative to each other, I inserted the future shelf inside.

I mark the holes for confirmations as follows:

  • indent 100 mm from the edge;
  • 9 mm indent from the end of the chipboard (if the panels overlap flush with each other), in this case my back panel was recessed by 2 mm, so I retreated 11 mm.

First, we drill with a drill at 4.8 to the depth of the confirmation, if the drill is long, then you can wrap it with electrical tape or paper tape to the length of the confirmation + 5mm in reserve. I didn't wrap it. my drill was a little longer than the confirmation. If the hole is less than the length of the confirmation, then you risk damaging the chipboard when screwing it in.

When drilling, be sure to hold the drill vertically over the drilling site so that the drill does not drift to the side and it does not come out through the sidewall of the chipboard.

With a 7 mm drill, we do everything according to technology. For those who have never worked with chipboard and do not know its properties: if you neglect reaming with a 7mm drill, then when screwing in the confirmation, you will split the chipboard and your hand-made cabinet will be damaged.

We tighten everything with confirmations. At the end, remove the clamps. But in the process of drilling, constantly check that the panels do not slip and your entire structure is not warped, because. in the end, it will be too late to fix your aquarium cabinet.

Beauty! Then the hats from euro screws (confirmants) can be covered with plastic plugs or self-adhesive circles, the main thing is that the screws are screwed flush.

If you are not satisfied with this option, there is an alternative assembly method, you can make a cabinet on eccentric ties and dowels, it is more laborious, but at the end there are no traces of any fasteners and other things on the outer walls, the aesthetic appearance is much better than when fastened to confirms .

Many people try to invent all sorts of nonsense and sometimes fasten it to plastic and metal corners. FORGET about plastic and metal corners, they do not give rigidity to the structure, your cabinet with an aquarium will fall apart, if not immediately, then very soon. Even if the curbstone assembled at the corners is strong and durable, then it will never have high rigidity, it will have mobility, unsteadiness, which will only increase with time.

One finished section of the pedestal on which our aquarium will be located.

There is nothing complicated in installing the shelf. First, on the cabinet outside, mark the middle with a pencil, then use a tape measure to set the shelf in the cabinet exactly in the middle and fix it.

I screwed in one confirmation from the sides and 2 confirmations from the back wall. Thanks to this installation of the shelf, the cabinet has become even more rigid.

If you are more interested in practicality, then the shelf can simply be installed on shelf holders and can be removed from the aquarium cabinet at any time.

The upper part of the pedestal, i.e. the table top and bottom are made of the same chipboard, they are also installed in the same way. First, let's throw a chipboard panel on our frame. The design and dimensions of my cabinet are such that the bottom and top protrude 10 mm from the side, 10 mm from the front above the door, the thickness of the door is 18 mm, so the protrusion without a door will be about 30 mm.

Carefully and accurately set our panel on the pedestal, checking all dimensions with a ruler. There is nothing to fix it in this position, even clamps will not help. I did it easier, just sat on the pedestal, so the tabletop did not slip, checked all the dimensions again and started drilling. First, I drilled 2 holes, screwed in confirmations, double-checked again and drilled the remaining holes. The main thing is not to rush, there is a lot of time, I spent 4 hours making such a cabinet with my own hands. The error turned out to be only a couple of millimeters, it is not noticeable to the eye, it also does not affect the characteristics and strength of the cabinet.

I remembered another method that helps out in such situations, we use double-sided tape to accurately set the countertop on the cabinet if it cannot be fixed with anything. After we made the holes, remove the tape and screw in the confirmations.

We do the same on the bottom side.

Now we move on to the process of making the door. I just had 2 overhead GTV hinges with a closer lying around, I gave 1.5 bucks for each. The size of the cup under the loop is 35 mm. Speaking of hinges, they are overhead, inset and semi-overhead, use the search to find what you need.

With such a cutter with a diameter of 35 mm, we will drill cups for hinges. A cutter costs about 10 bucks, but some shops in my city rent them for 2 bucks a day, maybe your store has a similar service. This cutter has a restrictive ring that prevents it from being immersed in the panel deeper than required, but I would not advise you to bring it all the way, because. this ring may slightly damage the chipboard laminate around the cup.

Loops are marked as follows. The center of the cup should be about 100mm from the top and bottom of the door, the distance from the end of the door to the center of the cup should be 21-22mm. Although I once came across non-standard loops where a greater distance was required. After marking with a pencil, I usually drill with a thin drill with a diameter of 1.5 to a shallow depth. This is instead of punching.

Ready cup under the loop.

We insert the loop perpendicular to the end, mark the holes with a pencil. I usually like to double-check the distances from the center of the resulting holes to the end with a ruler, so that they are the same, and then I drill with a drill by 1.5. In chipboard, even before screwing in the screws, it is necessary to drill holes with a thin drill.

This is what the door should look like with the hinges installed.

Before installing the hinges, it is necessary to loosen the screw, which is shown in the photo under the screwdriver, and by moving the striker to the left, set it as in the photo. This will set the minimum gap.

We attach the door close to the end of the wall where we are going to fix it and circle the holes on the strikers with a pencil. In this case, the door must be set in height quite accurately, because. we will have a maximum of 2 millimeters to “adjust” the height. then we remove the door and in the middle of the obtained outlined ovals we drill a 1.5 mm drill for self-tapping screws.

Then we put the door back on and screw the striker back. We don’t move the door yet, we have the gaps set to a minimum, now we need to adjust the hinges. First, we loosen the screw that is under the screwdriver and move the door aside. I set the gap between the door in this position at the end of the cabinet equal to 33mm, it is very easy to set the gap with a cut of 3 mm fiberboard. Tighten this screw and you can close the door.

Now you need to adjust the skew of the door, this is done with the second screw. There is nothing complicated here, but you have to play around to draw out all the millimeters.

4 legs for an aquarium stand made of thick aluminum and a handle were purchased. The legs cost me $1.8 each, the handle $1. Also 20 screws 4x16 for fixing the legs, they gave me them for free).

I decided to start by installing a handle on the bedside table door. I decided to step back from the top edge of 6 cm, from the side 5 cm, but now I see that the handle is asking for higher, I think 5x5 cm would be ideal. We mark the second hole below at a distance equal to the center distance of the handle, you can ask the seller for it or measure it with a ruler. As always, I first drilled holes with a thin drill, and only then with a 5 mm drill, because. the size of the screws on the handle is M4.

When drilling holes for the handle, it is worth considering a few points:

  • Be sure to double check all dimensions and apply them as accurately as possible, as If you make a mistake even by 2 mm, you can ruin the door.
  • It is desirable to drill holes from the outside, because. at the exit, the drill always leads away a little if you drill with a rune drill and not on a machine.
  • When drilling, ALWAYS place an unnecessary piece of chipboard under the future hole, so the hole will turn out beautiful and neat, if this is not done, then at the exit the drill will break off the laminate with chipboard around the hole and you will get just a terrible sight).

After installing the handles, I proceeded to install the legs. I liked everything about them except for their fastening system, the holes were located on two sides and not on 4, in principle this does not affect strength. I decided to retreat 8 mm from the side and rear edges and 20 mm from the front edge, so as not often knock on them with your feet). Special accuracy when installing the legs is not needed, you can estimate by eye. But I did everything with a ruler). It is recommended to install the legs strictly under the vertical panels, so that the entire load goes directly to them, and not transmitted through the bottom of the cabinet. T.K. the weight of my aquarium is relatively small, I decided to sin a little and moved them a LITTLE towards the middle.

By the way, you probably noticed that on many aquarium cabinets the top and bottom protrude slightly beyond the width of the main frame, this not only improves the aesthetic appearance, but also allows you to properly position the legs under the vertical panels, because if the vertical panel is flush with the end of the bottom, then place the leg it definitely won't work under it.

The legs are fixed with screws, you can turn it over and put it in a permanent place.

Do not forget that before installing the aquarium, the nightstand must not only stand steadily, but also be adjusted in level.

Before installing the aquarium, there was one little thing left. It is impossible to install an aquarium on a pedestal without using a gasket made of soft material that could distribute the load over the entire bottom area. I used a padding that is placed under the floor laminate, it is 3 mm thick, it is quite rigid and is ideal for this purpose. Cut out the size of the countertops and lay them. Now you can set up your aquarium!

Let's calculate the cost of making a cabinet, provided that you already have the necessary tool:

  • Chipboard, cutting and edge - $ 26;
  • confirmations - $1;
  • hinges with a closer - $ 3;
  • handle and 4 legs with screws - $ 8.5.

TOTAL: $38.5.
True, I also paid $ 4 to a taxi driver to deliver the material from the factory home.

I hope you liked the article and it describes many of the little things that you need to know when making not only cabinets for an aquarium with your own hands, but also the rest of the furniture in your home.

In this article we will look at how to make a do-it-yourself cabinet for an aquarium. I'll tell you what tools and materials we need for this. We will also consider how you can decorate it so that it becomes not only a cozy house for fish, but also a home decoration.

How to make a cabinet for an aquarium with your own hands

Stand Requirements

There are a number of requirements:

  1. Reliability - the stand must withstand the weight of an aquarium filled with 100 liters of water. Therefore, in the design it is necessary to use an internal frame and observe the exact dimensions of the structure according to the drawings.
  2. Waterproof - the material from which the cabinet is made must repel water, otherwise the stand will simply rot. For this, chipboard with PVC processing is used.
  3. Aesthetics - the cabinet should be not only reliable, but also beautiful. Since it will take up a lot of space in the apartment.

Dimensions

The dimensions of my stand were 600x480x480.

Materials and tools

Materials:

  • Bars and metal slats
  • Furniture canopies with closers
  • Doors by size
  • Metal legs.

Tools:

  • I harvest confirmations;
  • screwdriver with a nozzle for confirmations;
  • drills 4.8-5 mm, 7 mm;
  • pencil and ruler.

Manufacturing instructions

The article will describe a cabinet for an aquarium of 100 liters. The first step in building a stand is preparing a drawing. We draw a drawing based on the main parameters, namely:

  • The size should be optimal to support the weight of an aquarium filled with 100 liters of water.
  • The height should be low so that you can safely feed the fish and clean the home pond. Also, this parameter depends on which room the aquarium will be in, where people usually sit or stand.
  • The shape is angular, triangular and rectangular, it all depends on your taste preferences and the place where you plan to place it.

Also, the drawing should take into account additional functional devices, such as countertops and shelves. It is recommended to design the countertop in such a way that its parameters match those of the aquarium. Shelves must be installed for every 30 centimeters of the height of the future stand.

The next important point is the choice of material for the back wall. The rear wall takes on the maximum load, so it is necessary to use a very durable material. I recommend taking chipboard with a thickness of at least 25 centimeters.

To protect the cabinet from bending under the weight of the aquarium with water, it is necessary to make an internal frame.

We make the frame from vertically arranged partitions, the distance between two adjacent beams is at least 30 centimeters.


After studying the drawing, we get to work.

  • Sawing chipboard for parts for a future stand. You can do this yourself, but to save time, you can contact the specialists in the furniture shop. In the same workshop, you need to order a PVC edge for chipboard.
  • Let's start with the actual assembly. It begins with the installation of the outer frame, it can be bars or metal slats. Once again, check all the corners according to the drawing. Then the side and back walls are attached to the frame. After installing the outer frame, install the inner frame. We take chipboard sawn to size, and fasten two partitions, keeping a distance between them of 30-0 centimeters. All fastenings are carried out using a screwdriver or euroscrew.
  • Then we proceed to fixing the countertop. To begin with, we make two holes in its diametrically opposite corners. We fasten and check whether there are any errors, in their absence, we perform the final screwing.
  • The next step is to mount the horizontal shelves and hang the doors. Hinged doors are attached to furniture canopies. In order for the door to close smoothly and without problems, door closers should be used.
  • After complete assembly, the cabinet is turned over onto the side wall, after which the legs are attached. It is very important to fasten them exactly at the corners, to ensure one hundred percent reliability.
  • The final stage of assembly is to make holes for electrical wires and water hoses.

Installation of an aquarium

We put the cabinet on a perfectly flat floor, otherwise the whole structure will warp. Before installing the aquarium on the stand, it is necessary to lay a polystyrene mat. You can buy it at any hardware store.

After laying the rug, you can safely put the aquarium.

How to decorate a stand

The cabinet can be painted in any color to match the style of the interior, you can also apply a drawing or a picture on it. To decorate the door, you can buy interesting and original handles. You can paste over it with all kinds of colored stones, figurines, lay out compositions. The degree of decorating a stand made by yourself depends on the riot of your imagination.

A do-it-yourself curbstone will become not only a device for installing an aquarium, but also an excellent interior decoration. Making a cabinet is a complex and time-consuming process that requires knowledge and skills in carpentry.

An aquarium is a great invention, which is not only a great addition to any interior, but also has a beneficial effect on the mood of the residents of the house. you can arrange an aquarium and populate it with such inhabitants as you wish.

However, it is important not only to think over the design of an artificial home aquasphere, but also to prepare a place for its installation. An excellent solution to this problem will be a curbstone for an aquarium with your own hands. Of course, you can buy it ready-made, but a homemade nightstand is more preferable, because. You can make it exactly the size you need and save extra money.

In this case, it will be considered how to make a curbstone for an aquarium, having 106 cm in height, 1 m in width and 45 cm in depth. you can adjust its dimensions to the dimensions of your aquarium, this will not affect the operation in any way.

This aquarium cabinet will have 2 hinged doors and a top folding box. This box will have a built-in backlight. The box itself is attached to the side walls of the nightstand. It is much easier to make a do-it-yourself cabinet for an aquarium if you have previously drawn up a drawing indicating all the structural elements and overall dimensions. You can refer to the finished drawing shown in the following image: Fig. 1.

The aquarium bedside table can be made of wood chipboard, MDF or laminated chipboard.

Non-laminated materials must not be used.

Moisture from the container will inevitably fall on the nightstand when you add water, catch fish, etc. Under the influence of moisture, non-laminated surfaces deteriorate quite quickly. As a result, the aquarium itself may be damaged. For the same reason, the interfaces of all parts, the ends and all kinds of sockets with fasteners must be varnished several times.

Prepare the tools that will allow you to make a bedside table for the aquarium:

  • milling machine;
  • circular saw;
  • clamps;
  • screwdriver;
  • drill.

If you want to make a cabinet for an aquarium that will retain its original characteristics for many years, do not spare money on quality materials and accessories. Buy the following:

  • joinery plate 18 mm thick, shelves and walls will be made from it;
  • the same plate, but 38 mm thick, you will use it to create load-bearing elements;
  • piano loop;
  • decorative wax (furniture varnish is possible);
  • wooden dowels;
  • self-tapping screws and screws;
  • handles for cabinet doors;
  • wood glue.

Take your own or previously presented finished drawing and saw the boards into blanks of the required dimensions. Use a circular saw for this. With the same tool you will make ridges and grooves for mates. The main load will fall on the side walls of the structure, so they must be made from a board with a thickness of at least 38 mm.

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Beginning of work

By following these simple rules, you will make an excellent aquarium cabinet that will serve you for many years and will be easy to use. First of all, keep in mind that there should be holes in the back wall of the structure. Electrical cords and hoses of external filters will pass through them.

The curbstone must have stiffening ribs. They are installed in increments of 40 cm along the length of the structure. The stiffening ribs will make the structure more durable, and it will not sag. An aquarium with all its contents will put a lot of pressure on the cabinet. If you do not follow the following recommendation, then you simply will not be able to open the doors, because. they will be sandwiched between the bottom and top of the nightstand. To prevent this from happening, make a gap a few millimeters wide between the doors and the top cover of the nightstand.

If you plan to install a very heavy aquarium on a homemade pedestal, then it is better to make it without legs and put it on a perfectly flat surface, laying foam, linoleum or a rubber mat.

The standard height of the cabinet for the aquarium is 600-700 mm. Try not to deviate from this value. The top of the cabinet should be the same length as the aquarium, and even better - protrude a little. 5-10 mm on each side will be enough. Most often, laminated chipboard is used to make home-made bedside tables, because. This material normally tolerates moisture. The countertop can be taken from an old kitchen set, and shelves and doors from an unnecessary closet. To prevent the board from delamination over time, cover its edges with melamine edging.

Instead of chipboard, you can use a natural array as a sheathing. It must first be treated with sandpaper and varnished. Natural wood has a longer service life, because. it tolerates moisture much better.

The interior of the aquarium cabinet can be put to good use. Install several shelves for various little things. If you are making doors (and this is highly desirable), buy handles and awnings in advance. On the shelves it will be possible to store all kinds of accessories for the care of the aquarium and its inhabitants.

Before you start assembling the cabinet for the aquarium, be sure to check the condition and make sure that the floor is even in the place where you are going to put the finished cabinet. If everything is fine with him, you can get to work. If the floor is uneven, then you will have to level it or choose a more suitable surface for installing the aquarium.

If your aquarium weighs relatively little, you can equip the nightstand with legs that can be adjusted in height. This will also resolve the issue.

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Step by step assembly instructions

To make the work go faster and more fun, invite an assistant. In the process of assembling the pedestal, many parts will need to be held on weight and connected at the same time, so an extra pair of hands will definitely not hurt you.

Take a saw and prepare the ridges and grooves for the back wall of the nightstand in the middle cover, sides and bottom of the structure. Also, grooves must be made in the blanks of the upper box. This is best done with a circular saw. If this is not available, a milling machine will do.

Take 2 pieces of the upper corner of the back wall and glue them together. This corner will be installed behind the backlight module. Take the clamps, pull off the planks and let dry. Screw the plinth bars to the bottom of the future bedside table. Use bars with a thickness of 38 mm. They will have a finished structure.

Next, you need to screw the 18 mm thick plates to the inner surfaces of the side walls of the homemade bedside table. The middle cover will be installed on these plates. The front edges of the parts must be installed so that they are flush with the edges of the middle cover of the nightstand and its bottom, and the rear edges are flush with the inner edge of the groove for the back cover.

Glue the middle lid and bottom to the inner center baffle. The nightstand should have several internal partitions located at a distance of about 30-40 cm from each other, depending on the length of the tabletop and the weight of the aquarium.

Take the back wall and insert its lower part into the bottom groove. Fasten to the bottom 1 of the side walls. It also needs to be attached to the middle cover. To do this, you will need dowels planted on glue. At the same time, guide the back wall of the cabinet into the groove on the side. Next, you will need to take a corner and attach it to the top of the sidewall using all the same dowels and glue. In the future, the top module of the bedside table will rely on this corner. Do the same with the second side wall of the aquarium cabinet.

The next step is to assemble the top box. Assemble the structure and install the backlight. The part that will face the water must be made of frosted glass. The assembled box is attached to the nightstand with a piano loop, so that in the future it can be easily folded back.

Cut out blanks for doors with dimensions of 433x494 mm from the joiner's shield. Mark the slots for the loops and make holes. Attach the finished doors to the side walls of the bedside table on the hinges using four hinges.

Install a water purification system and a compressor in the nightstand. You can also place the backlight control panel there. All kinds of tubes and wires must be brought out through a 2.5x5 cm groove in the cover. Cover the finished bedside table with several layers of furniture varnish.