After getting into the aquarium hobby, I soon began seriously considering something I wanted since I was a kid reading the Sears catalog: an aquarium coffee table. Searching about various retailers and ebay, I found the prices to start around $400 US and upwards, prior to shipping of around $100.
I've been fond of building and modifying my own toys since I was a kid. I'm also a huge fan of modular wire shelving, the ubiquitous, shiny stuff seen in commercial kitchens and science fiction TV shows everywhere. I had a little extra, including some 36" x 14" shelves. 20 Gallon Long tanks are 30" x 12" x 12". I had recently become fond of the site Instructables.com. One weekend later, I had my coffee table aquarium, and anyone else who wants one had free documentation on how to build one.