DIY Stand Questions?

[mak3mydae]

I'm probably going to ask a lot of stupid questions

The tank's dimmensions are 24in X 12in X 14in (17 gallons)
The sump's dimmensions are 20in X 10in X 12in (10 gallons)
I want to stand to be reletively tall so i dont have to bend down to look at it.

I was looking for it to be 32in X 20in X 42in. There would be a 4 inch overhang on each horizontal side for a total of 8 inches of extra width. It is also another 4 inches of overhang on each verticle side for a total of 8 inches of extra length. I did this to accomodate my sump without it being too tight of a fit. I have no idea what kind of wood to use. I assume 2X4s? Would there be any problems with this stand? Would i just follow this template?
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964
The tank isnt 72 inches long... so so much wood would take up a lot of space... Can i just cut back on the amount of wood i have to use?

This tank is a rimless, so I read that i have to support the entire bottom of the tank. Would i place plywood or something to that extent on top of the stand and drill it down? I also read that i may want to put a sheet of rigid styrofoam insulation on top to absorbe any imperfections.

Probably a the stupidest question haha, What kind of screws do you use? Do i have to drill a pilot hole, and then drill in a reguar screw? Or can i use a self-tapping kind of screw

Thanks for any kind of help
Leroy

 

[The Ng Thing]

That design looks fine. I used 2x4's for mine with just regular wood screws (remember not pressure treated). I did drill pilot holes for everything, it just makes them go in easier. Are you going to just have the frame or are you going to put paneling on it with cabinet doors?

I'm not sure about the styrofoam part but I would definitely screw down a flat sheet of plywood for any tank. Is the plumbing going through the back or straight through the bottom of the tank?

 

[mak3mydae]

I was hoping someone would say 2x4's are overkill But thanks for the reply. I have no idea what kind of panels I'm going to use. I kinda want something black and modern looking i guess. But i know I'm way in over my head. I may just go with plywood. I have no idea what kind of door I want. My brother tells me there are removable cabinet doors but i have no idea how to do it. The biggest problem I see is that the tank is not directly sitting on the supports. Since there is a 4inch overhang on ever side, there is two inches between the tank and the supports. I'm thinking about making the stand the exact size of the tank, but I'm worried that my sump wont fit. This sucks haha

 

[mak3mydae]

Where do you guys buy your 2x4's? I've heard HomeDepot's have deep bows and have weird rounded edges. I've looked in the DIY supplies sticky and this place is closest "Boulter Plywood". Does this place have good 2x4's?

 

[The Ng Thing]

I've gotten some good wood at home depot/lowes, but then again I spend like 20min inspecting each piece.

 

[delta]

If the tank has a plastic trim that keep the glass from touching on the bottom do not use anything underneath it. If the tank has a flat glass bottom then you would use
Styrofoam to reduce pressure point. Either way the surface you place the tank on needs to be level.

I hate those 2x4 designs it is such a wast of wood and space. 3/4"finish ply will do the job and then some. It will also make the job of making it perfectly square extremely easy and serves as the structural support of the tank as well as looking good.

 

[mak3mydae]

The tank's a rimless, so i would use rigid insulation Styrofoam, right? This stuff?
http://www.ebuild.com/gateway/styrofoam-insulation.hwx


Do you mean make the entire stand out of plywood? Would this be strong enough?