Proposed 90tall stand and system

[Pat H.]

4x6?!?! holy cow!! You might as well just dig a hole under your tank and call it a bomb shelter, haha.

Yeah, it's very over built but with a tank that weighs about 2 tons you can't be too careful IMO.

I like your revised plan. And as ScooterNH suggested, anchoring to the wall with that tank is a good idea. I saw that tank set up at Dong's(very cool tank BTW) and it looked very top heavy.

I've built several tank stands and IMO, 2x4's will be fine. No worries.

 

[go4broke44]

good deal, hopefully I will start constructing tomorow

 

[ScooterNH]

I'd rather be safe

ScooterNH: wow, your stand seems vastly stronger than my design. Do you think building it with 2x4's will be sufficient? considering the tank stands they sell in LFS's are made with only that crappy laminated particleboard stuff, I think my design is definitely stronger than those. I will be wrapping the entire thing with 1/4" ply, maybe ill throw a 1/2" sheet on the back though, just for added "anti-sway" support like you said.

Well to be honest, I tend to overbuild but would rather be safe than sorry. When I got my used 90, I ripped my 55 out from the wall (sort of a built-as-you-go affair using whatever lumber scraps I had on hand. The original 'stand' was nailed together, and basically had some parts suspended by the nails rather than the wood. THAT was the support for my freshwater tank and lasted more than 10 years. I was surprised that it did, considering how easily it split apart.

Also, the tank stand of the guy I bought my 90 from was also rather flimsy looking. We tossed it in the dump pile. My guess is that once you have the tank weight pressing down on the wood that it's not going to budge.

You can support an awful lot of weight on a set of dixie cups if you do it carefully.

I'd be worried about bumping or leaning on the stand or having a kid ram his bigwheel into anything flimsy. Gonna post a pic or two of mine.

 

[ScooterNH]

My Fish "Deck"

Ok here's a picture of mine. Ya, it's overbuilt. Compare the front portions with the 2x4 supports left in place from my old supports (I had originally lag-bolted to the wall and it was a pain to remove so I just built onto them). I see now that I didn't actually put in that rear center support. If it starts to bow or something, I can shim on in there. Same for the front now that my 55 is in place beneath.

(PS: I know I should have scaled this graphic down, but it's still under the maximum file size).

 

[dave601m]

Jeez ScooterNH! My Apartment isn't built that strong! That is one serious stand!

I like to err on the side of caution too, wood is cheap. I'd sleep much better knowing I overbuilt and spent a few extra bucks rather than risk a tank come crashing down.

On the other hand though, leaving room for a future sump isn't a bad idea. I didn't want a sump (and didn't have a sump) for 3 years. then i decided a few months ago that i wanted one. now it sits next to my tank because my stand can't fit it, and i rent so I can't plumb to the basement.

what year/type engineer are you, and where do you go? I just finished up my msme at at Tufts.

 

[ScooterNH]

Wood is cheap

Jeez ScooterNH! My Apartment isn't built that strong! That is one serious stand! I like to err on the side of caution too, wood is cheap...
what year/type engineer are you, and where do you go? I just finished up my msme at at Tufts.

I had a bunch of 2x6s left over from propping up my house to fix a rotted sill. (Hence the use of 2x6 in the tank stand construction! but I'm glad I used them) the rest of my house may well collapse some day but the tank will remain standing!

I didn't draw it out prior to building it. Should have I guess. Pretty much had the idea in my head and made it up as I went along. Went out of my way to try to overcome all the dumb things I did in my original tank stand.

It's also got plywood covering the upper/lower surfaces (and rubber sheet on top of that for water spills and I need to put the framing/trim/doors all back in place.

Oh One thing I did learn from all this. DON'T Pre-cut all your wood if you are working in a basement type area. Applies to normal floors too, especially in older houses. To make things plumb and level, I needed to cut in some definite variances due to the walls and floor not being true. (A mistake I blew in my original stand many years ago... in that one I measured everything out uniformly, built it on the floor, slid it in place, bolted to the wall and found out at the end that the back wall was tilted (alot). And then so was my stand! as I filled the tank with water) was a pain to fix after the fact

 

[ScooterNH]

Should be good

ScooterNH: wow, your stand seems vastly stronger than my design. Do you think building it with 2x4's will be sufficient? considering the tank stands they sell in LFS's are made with only that crappy laminated particleboard stuff, I think my design is definitely stronger than those. I will be wrapping the entire thing with 1/4" ply, maybe ill throw a 1/2" sheet on the back though, just for added "anti-sway" support like you said.

The plywood all around and screwed to the supports will really enhance the lateral stability. If it's free standing instead of bolted to a wall that'd be my main concern. 2x4's are probably OK too. I used 2x6s because I has some on hand. Double up the legs maybe with a couple 2x4's screwed together, and keep the horizontals on ~top~ of the verticals rather than screwed to the sides of the verticals. You should be all set. I'd probably place a permanent center brace at the back, and something removable in the front. I'm thinking of adding that to mine when I finally get around to putting my doors in place (don't want the longer horizontals to bow under the weight). But that way you have access beneath for tanks/a sump/filters whatever, and also have center support.

 

[go4broke44]

what year/type engineer are you, and where do you go? I just finished up my msme at at Tufts.

I will be a Senior at Wentworth in the fall, Mechanical Engineering. I'm on co-op now with one of the big dig contractors, and then I have classes all summer (junior level). I kinda wish I had stayed Civil Eng. though, thats what I had originally applied for, and I've been in that field for about 4-5 years now, off and on. Still don't really have any idea of what I want to do as a profession though, haha.

As for my stand: I've been really busy this week, and it looks like today and tomorow will be no different, so stand building with probably be postponed until at least friday... ScooterNH brought up another concern of mine however. I just recently moved into my apartment in S Boston, and I'm assuming its an older house, because it seems that NONE of the floor is level for more than like a 6 inch square, haha. I just finished building a kitchen table that I had to double-stack shims on one side because the floor was so bad. Another shelfing unit, and 2 bookshelves are also on uneven ground. Chances are, where the tank is going with probably be super-uneven too, probably adding stress concentrations to a stand that already has to support half a ton. In lieu of this, an also due to financial constraints and other limiting factors, I'm considering maybe just downsizing to a 40 gal breeder tank, or maybe a nice 65 that I saw at PJ's pets. This would allow me to go easier on lighting and circulation, and probably create a better reef tank. I don't know what I will do yet, just throwing around ideas at the moment...

 

[dave601m]

Haha, i have a masters in ME now, and I'm working in the budget office for my university's conference services department. i'm just starting now to look for jobs to put my degrees to some use.

as far as the unlevel floor goes, i've never tried this so i don't know if it'll work, but my thoughts would be to toss down a thin tarp, pour some floor leveler onto the tarp, and toss the tank on top of that. then when you move out, just pick up the tarp w/ the hardened leveler and toss it. not sure what the strength of that stuff is though, i'd check it out before you use it. i have a 46 gal, it's off-level by about 1/4-in/ft (looks like the leaning tower of pisa) and knock on wood it hasn't fallen over yet. it was level when it was installed, so it's mostly just from sagging beams under the dead load for over two years in my apartment. i'm moving in a month, so i'm hesitant to drain it at this point and level it, but wow it scares me!

 

[go4broke44]

thats the same fear I have, my tank is over half a ton when full, and it has the footprint of a 40gal breeder tank. Also, I'm on the second floor of my building, which I assume is rather old. The question of "will the floor hold this?" is probably what plagues my thoughts the most. And also, if the floor is uneven where the tank will be going, how do I make it level? I feel like shimming it will throw off the structural integrity of the stand.

 

[Pat H.]

thats the same fear I have, my tank is over half a ton when full, and it has the footprint of a 40gal breeder tank. Also, I'm on the second floor of my building, which I assume is rather old. The question of "will the floor hold this?" is probably what plagues my thoughts the most. And also, if the floor is uneven where the tank will be going, how do I make it level? I feel like shimming it will throw off the structural integrity of the stand.

If you decide the floor can take the weight of the 90, or even if you decide on a smaller tank, I would suggest leveling feet on all the legs. I had a 75 gl in a 100 year old house so the leveling feet were a must. I've made my own for most of my stands, but you can probably find something in McMaster Carr. If you have trouble finding some, I can make them up for you.

 

[go4broke44]

If you decide the floor can take the weight of the 90, or even if you decide on a smaller tank, I would suggest leveling feet on all the legs.

What do these consist of, basically a threaded end section, or something of the sort?

 

[Pat H.]

What do these consist of, basically a threaded end section, or something of the sort?

The type I've made for tanks that size look like an aluminum top hat(1" tall) with a threaded hole thru the middle(1/4-20 or 5/16-18) and a bolt pattern to hold it in place. Then I use the easy glide appliance feet from the hardware store, the type with a threaded stem and a nut to lock it when level.

 

[ScooterNH]

I had an old apartment/house once where you could place a marble on the floor and watch it roll back and forth LOL! My 55g at the time leaned forward where the water in the front was an inch and a half higher than the back! And also made waves when you walked in the room. (Hey! a built-in Wave device ;-) Scary!

OK, anyway, what I'd maybe do here is keep your original stand idea which is very good. Make it true (ie all 90 degree corners and even diagonally etc). It sounds like somethiing that might stay with your tank over the years as you move as you do.

Instead of building a custom stand to compensate for housing variances (as I did), you probably can just make a small platform (perhaps only a couple inches high), and you can shim it or add supporting boards whatever. It may even end up somewhat wedge shaped depending on your floor. But customize that small platform so that it's all leveled etc, and then place your properly dimensioned stand on top of that level surface.

Then when you move, your stand is still good and maybe you build some other bottom support if needed.

Not so sure on the screw-in type adjusters. It's a good idea for flexibility, but that's then only like 4 smaller points on the floor rather than spreading the load to a frame. May end up very hard to adjust or worse, might strip the threads if you were to try under full tank weight.

 

[go4broke44]

Im thinking I might try to get rid of the 90 tall, and try to pick up a 65. I have serious concerns about the floor being able to hold that much, and I also think cost and manageability will be easier with the smaller tank. Plus, I'll be able to reach the bottom of the thank too, haha. I can build the same size stand, and be all set for it.

 

[The Jester2]

Just to throw my 2 cents in as far as the top is concerned. 3/4 and 1/2 inch plywood is more then enough for any top. You don't want weight added to the top of the tank. If you use plywood and then 1 by for molding that combination will reduce the weight and also take care of any warping etc. I have a picture of my latest top and stand on the DIY site. It's just one picture of top and stand finished. I can give you details if you want.
http://216.235.242.50/forums/showthread.php?t=24570

 

[go4broke44]

wow, I was just looking at that earlier today. Nice job on it! your hood is just 1/2" ply with 1x molding? Thats the look I hope to employ in my stand, nice and basic, smooth styling. what did you use to put it together, nails n glue? I was thinking of using a 1x1 skeleton on my hood, skin it with 1/4 inch ply, and add the 1x molding.

I also think that I am gonna try to get a 75, better weight dispersment over a longer distance, and tangs should like the longer swimming area (maybe just 1 )

 

[The Jester2]

Yes the hood is 1/2" ply front and back 3/4" on both sides. The molding is all 1" oak. Open top for air 2 fans blowing in one on each side. Their are 4 doors 2 on each side the tank is viewed from both sides. I'll take more pictures and post when I get it on the tank this weekend I hope.

 

[aceman84]

can u make canopys i need one let me know

 

[The Jester2]

aceman84, if you last post was directed at me, the answer is yes. PM me and we can talk.
Jordan