This is a guide to how I built a beautiful aquarium cabinet to match our existing maple furniture. I will post full color photos of the process. 

First I made the bare frame from 2x4

I used paint-grade (smooth) maple plywood, and mitred the edges to create the solid shell:

I applied several coats of dark stain so that it matched out other furniture:

Applied several coats ofvarnish:

Here's a diagram of the wiring for my electronic ballast:

For reflectors, I cut a PVC pipe in half length-wise, and lined it with tinfoil. Sure it's cheap, but reflectors are over a hundred dollars to buy! Besides, it's unsee under the hood. I'll post a photo soon. 

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Sweet Joe Wilson (Unregistered) 2007-09-23 09:33:06 Love your craftmanship.. and the colour. Reply 5   3

Don't DIY light fixtures! Jonathan (Registered) 2009-11-18 06:28:48 The stand looks great but you need to reconsider the lighting. The reason fixtures cost so much more than you think seems reasonable is because they have been subjected to a battery of tests by a certification body, to ensure they will not create a shock hazard or start a fire in your cabinet. The manufacturer has to pay for this and in turn passes the cost along to the consummer. At the end of the day it's cheap insurance to protect life and property! Reply 0   1

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