After three weeks of nearly 100% completion of chores, the boys finally earned their fish. Of course, it has also been about three weeks of my wife complaining about the unsightly tubes, cords, and miscellany sprawling over the back half of the wet bar, so it was high time something was done to resolve that.
We went back and forth about locations for the tank, but ultimately we liked having it on the wet bar, but the cords needed to be managed. I suggested the world’s smallest tank stand, measuring just over 3 inches tall, that could be used to control the mess of wires and tubes and what-have-you, and if done right, could also minimize the noise of the air pump.
The tank installed on its custom base. 
This is the mess I was out to tidy up. Fish tanks look great, but the accessories need to be managed so they don’t end up looking like a computer science undergrad’s desktop. 
I used the table saw to shave about 1/16th off each of the short sides of the 2×4 so as to end up with crisp edges and nice flat sides to work with. 
Measure twice, cut once. The tank dimensions are 20″x10″, so I decided to cut for 21″x11″, easily allowing the weight of the tank to sit in the middle of the lumber on all sides. 
I used a simple miter/chop saw to cut 45 degree angles on the ends of each piece of lumber so that the seams between pieces would be in the corners. 
I used a Kreg Pocket Hole jig I borrowed from a friend to drill really nice, uh, pocket holes to fasten the corners together. 
Here’s a top-down view of the Pocket Holes. Self-tapping hardware ties everything up real nice. 
Here’s the base, unfinished and unpainted. Some wood fill will be necessary in one corner, but that won’t matter when it’s all done. 
I cut some soundboard to create a bottom for the base. This, coupled with adjustable padded feet (not pictured) will help keep the noise of the air pump to a minimum when it’s running. 
I chose to use a chalk paint in flat black for this project. I think it complements the tank (which is also trimmed in black) nicely. 
While boring 1 3/8″ holes for the toggles, the old Black and Decker started smoking. To be fair, this is a bargain tool that shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. I’ll replace it with a Milwaukee or Makita. 
I spliced a 15′ flat grounded cord onto this old power strip, then created switchable circuits by combining a few feet of wiring, a few plugs and outlets, and constant-state toggles from the local hardware store. 
I managed to do some damage to the outer face while drilling the 1/2″ holes for the toggles. 
One of the accessories, the LED array for the volcano, has a funky plug that wouldn’t fit into the 1 3/8″ hole I bored for plugs. I needed to cut the cord and reattach the ends after feeding one end though the hole. 
So this is what the whole operation looks like under the tank. Of course, you’d never know it once the tank is sitting on top of it! 
While painting around the toggles, I got lazy and decided to paint the locknuts as well. I think it gives the toggle bank a nice stealth look. 
The 10-gallon tank sits on a custom-built stand (of sorts) to control the wires, tubes, and miscellaneous accessory bits while also providing a mount for four accessory toggles.
I’m sure I could do more of a write up on this project, but the whole thing was pretty much based around spare 2x4s I had lying around, 4 toggles I needed to buy, and an old power strip. Everything else just fell in as I got started working on it. I wouldn’t recommend taking the leap without doing a little homework, however. Electrical work does take some precaution and if you aren’t careful, you could really do some damage.
Anyway, here are the denizens of the family fish tank, at least, so far…
Flare, a dalmatian lyre-tail molly 
The Waterlites, a school of neon tetras 
Jaques, a ghost shrimp 
Sharkie, a Chinese algae eater
