Folks,
Just curious what you consider an ideal height to view your tanks. Do you
like them fairly high so you can view them straight-on when standing up? Or
do you, like me, like them low enough to where you can look down into them
like a pool, indoors. Since I'm 5'7", that means I have to build my stands
since all the commercial ones I've seen are 28-32" in height.

Bill

24" is my favorite personal height.
I build all my stands.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Hey, mine too, if the tank is 12-13" in height.

Bill

Most commercial cabinets are in the 31-32 inch range ...

I personally like 29 inches best because that is the height of most desks ... and since I tend to place priority on aquariums in offices, obviously that is *my* personal bias <grin> ...

It really depends upon the location the stand is being built for ...

I have a 22 inch stand in our family room for a tall 35 gallon hex ... which is basically "end table" height ... my wife has a 29 gallon cichlid tank on a 16 inch stand which is just too short, it doesn't look right, and you have to get down on your hands and knees to look at it up close ...

So build your stand any height you want <grin> ...

Yup, it's all based on personal preference. I like the way an aquascape looks when standing up and looking down. You see more of the leaf surfaces, which I like, than you would looking at it from a lower position. Yet, I enjoy sitting and looking at it, but I see less of plants' surface area and more through the plants themselves.

For future tanks, I plan on building 24 inch "built-in" type units and using at least 30" high aquariums. This way I can get a really good view when sitting and it will be easier to reach into.

I built a new one for my 75 a year ago. I used 2-24"wide heavy duty built kitchen cabinets screwed together with a reinforced formica top. It stands 36" tall. I like the height very much compared to the old cheapo All-Glass stand that stood about 28". The top of the tank is 58" off the floor minus the canopy. With the canopy, the whole thing stands at about 63". The tank is the showpiece of the entire apartment, it can be viewed from three rooms in the house.


Marcel

My 90 gallon is on a 6" high frame on a 28" high dresser (34" to the bottom of a tank that itself is 24" high) right next to the computer I'm writing this post on. I can turn and look into it, or stand up and look down into it. I would not want it any lower.

My 70 gallon is built into a closet in the living room and sits on a 36" high kitchen base cabinet. That one is really good for standing in front of, but shows more water surface than usual when sitting down across the room and looking at it.

Both have about 4-5" of substrate, and both are framed so that only the top of the substrate shows, so that raises the "bottom" even higher.

TW

34-36" seems ideal for me for viewing for an 21"-24" tank. If the tank is very tall adjust the height of the base a little lower. The only drawback to having a taller tank is maintenance. I need a step stool to replant the far back areas of the 75 on the 36" base. I think it's a small price to pay for what I think is a showpiece tank.


Marcel

Yeah, I really like 24" deep tanks. Once you've added 4-5" of substrate like I do, reaching the back corners isn't so bad. The height/width ratio just looks better to me with these deeper tanks, though I wouldn't want to go 30". A 24" tank makes carpet plants more problematic I suppose, but I abandoned those anyway.

TW

A nice foreground plant is Blyxa japonica.

I used 24" for a reason, easy to cut those 48-49" MDF boards in 1/2:-)
I think most are fine with 24-36" height. I've worked on some very tall and deep tanks, hanging from the top of tank down in, 36" deep tanks with 36-60" front to back suck.

You cannot see what you are doing till you unhinge yourself and get out of the tank.

I love my 24" tweezers:-)

the shorter tank like 12-20" I typically sit on a bucket to work on the tanks with 24" stands.

Good idea to screw two 24" bathroom cabs together.

Regards,
Tom Barr