Black shiny tank stands....what are they made of?

[BigEyedFeesh]

Ok, this may sound like a stupid question, but here goes:

I have a 29 gallon AGA tank with one of those "black shiny" stands that you can buy at all LFS's out there. I am starting to look into setting this thing up as a reef and I want to do a DIY hood with 250w MH and lower watt actinic supplement. Anyway, I want the DIY hood to match the stand that I have, but I'm having trouble figuring out what the shiny black coating is. The inside is wood or plywood, but is the outer layer simply a stick on material? Can you buy said stick on material?

Any ideas?

So why don't I get a new stand to match the DIY hood? Well, see, the wife purchased the stand and tank for me and I can't very well get rid of it, catch my drift?

Thanks for any ideas!

Louie

 

[Anonymous]

It is probably a plastic laminate, or a type of paint....

 

[liquid]

You'd have to get a pic to start guessing. Two of my guesses would be:

* paint
* powdercoat

Shane

 

[Paradoxed]

kinda off what you are asking, but I researched this for my 29g with black stand and hood, I finally took the easy route and removed the top off the hood. everything looked funny with the extensions needed to fit a 250w mh in it.

I now have the mh hanging from the ceiling with the hood being open top, rather nice and not a whole lotta light in the room, except some cool ceiling graphics

 

[Memnoch]

I understand the wife factor. I am lucky my wife loves my tanks. My suggestion would be not to rack your brain trying to figure out what the material is, but to possibly paint both to match. It will be much easier to do.

Like Paradoxed has done, you might want to ditch the canopy with the halides hanging about 9 inches from the surface.

Good Luck

 

[Blazin__]

i have a 29 gal tank that i ser up the same way... i just dont have the hood on it... i hung it from the celing. my stand consits of a custom made 3/4" steel square tube with covers i made out of a very dark acrylic that i just atached using some stick on magnets. works wonderfull... easy acess to the sump and fuge. and it looks good too... sorry i dont have any pics no camera... still buggin the wife to get me one

 

[Anonymous]

if it's not a solid pine stand, it's most likely mdf/particle board (wood chips mixed w/glue) with a black laminate sheet over it

they rot and ruin very quickly, and are made from the last things one would want, to make a stand out of,that's in close proximity to water (it WILL get wet, sooner or later, and that's all it takes-the particle board acts like a sponge, literally, and rot and mildew will get a foothold very quickly)