diy 200 gal tank w/ custom stand on feet...need advise!

[bethany]

I am planning on doing a diy 200-250 gal tank with a custom stand/canopy. However i would like to have the stand a few inches off of the floor. I would like to add a bunch of little legs maybe 4" off of the floor. Would a tank of this size and weight be stable enough to do that? The dimensions i am planning on are about 5-6' L x 3' W X 4' HIGH. This is just estimation and planning right now. Any advice is very welcome. Also, suggestions on the equipment i will need for a tank this size.

 

[melbournefl]

about 2,000 pounds of water and rock hmmmmmm I'm building a 225 gallon tank and I don't think I'd trust anything less that a solid "footprint" on the floor. You might get away with laying 4 x 4's on their side and resting the stand on them (placed no more than 12" apart) but boy you'd have to be darn sure the 4 x 4's were almost perfectly true, any warpage could twist the stand over time resulting in very soggy carpets.
Just my opinion,
Paul

 

[bethany]

I looked at your link for the tank under construction....it's huge. It's like a swimming pool. Anyway, the 4x4 sounds much more stable that little legs. I didn't realize it would be that heavy. Do you have any suggestions where i can get the acrylic precut for me from??

 

[melbournefl]

Bethany, I think you were looking at the pics of my friend Joe's 1,650 gallon shark tank to be on my site LOL yeah, it is a swimming pool all right! Pre-cut acrylic? Well since you live in Miami you might just look under acrylic in the phone book, the only place I know for sure is in san diego and it would probably cost more in shipping than you'd save. They will cut the acrylic for you but you still have to pay for the whole sheet
Good luck with your project!

 

[bethany]

thanks....it's still in the planning phase!

 

[starfishjackedme]

I think it would be ok with six 4x4 blocks under it. I have a 200 gal and it is one heavy mother. As long as the stand itself is very rigid you could get a way with four or maybe two in the front and three 4x4's in the back.

 

[amoroso6]

If i were going to do legs I'd mke sure they rested on the floor joists and not in betweenthats alot of weight.
Alex

 

[dfimble]

I think your problem is not going to be supporting the tank with 4x4 posts... because I am reasonably sure that if its built correctly that a stand like this could support the tank.
I believe that the issue is what is holding up your stand. With that much pressure going into 4, 16 sq. inches you may have issues with your floor. I am currently putting in hard wood floors and none of the builders will warrenty the floor if the tanks weight is not distrubuted. (I am going to make a new stand for my 55 and 50 because of this problem).
Just something to think about. I also believe that you are underestimating the weight of your setup. I calculate my 150 @ 2,000 lbs. Did you factor in the weight of the tank, stand, rock, sand, sump, etc?
So why do you want to get the stand up off the floor?
David

 

[teog]

I just finished a wooden stand and now have a 315g with 300lbs sand and 350 LR in it. The stand is 30inhx28inw. I used 10 PT 4x4's from home depot. I built the bottom first and placed 4 leg/corner supports and 1 leg in the middle on each side. I then nailed on the top pieces. Once I leveled the stand I used the hurricane reinforced joints from home depot.
The legs are acuatly between the bottom band and top bands of 4x4s. This made a perfect rectangular box. As far as this being enough support my brother-in who is a house framer by trade help design and build the stand ( I watched and gave him free beer as he built it). There is no swaying at all from the tank or stand and so far its all holding together!!!!

 

[bethany]

Again, thanks for the info. The reason I want to keep it a few inches off of the floor is to clean under it, (if/when water spills). I am a neat freak and can't stand not cleaning under my couches, let alone a tank. Guess I haven't considered all of that weight. I'll put it on hold and do a little more research. Thanks for all the help.......

 

[mightyoxjuice]

The measurements that you give would be for a tank much larger than 200-250 gallons
5'x3'x4' = approximately 450 gallons or
(60"x36"x48")/231
6'x3'x4' = approximately 540 gallons or
(72"x36"x48")/231
Take the volume LxWxH in inches and divide by 231 to give you total number of gallons
Just so you know when it comes time to purchase or make the proper equipment for the tank.
Good luck

 

[bethany]

Okay, I took a measuring tape and got some measurements that I want. The tank would be 5' wide on the face, 3' high, and 18" width on the sides. How many gallons would this be?????

 

[mirdok]

Using the above equation. . .
/me does a little math
/me gets frustrated and grabs the calculator
(60x36x18)/231 = 168.31 gallons

 

[bethany]

yep, did the math too and came out with the same thing. Now i need to reconfigure my measurements. I want it at least 200 gallons. Thanks for the formula though. Very Helpful!.

 

[melbournefl]

Bethany, just one other point. I would not make a tank 4 feet high, it's going to be a pain in the tush to get down to the bottom for maintenance etc. I made mine 32" and regret going that high. One other point, for a 4 foot high tank the glass would have to be at least 3/4" and probably 1" thick! VERY VERY HEAVY and VERY VERY EXPENSIVE. Keeping the tank under 30" will allow you to use 1/2" glass which in the size your looking at would still run about $260 for the front pane.
Just a thought,
Paul

 

[bethany]

OKAY! i'm trying to keep the cost down as much as possible ..... so time to reconfigure...... I'll have to get back on this one.....

 

[chainsaw5vent]

wow!! the link to your friend Joe's tank is awesome! that looks it is well engineered and over built to prevent failure. i can definitely understand that. NO OOOPS ALLOWED!! that would be the last thing that you'd want to have happen. a leak/catastrophic failure!! you would be
and all i want is a little 200 reef. maybe i'll have to go that route and build what i want.

 

[rsd]

Wow, awesome site and great Ideas for tanks.
I have to agree that putting anything of size on legs is going to be a nightmare in the future. You need to take the total weight of the tank/stand/water/rock/etc and divide that huge # amongst the very few sq. inches and realize how much you are asking of your floors. Your stand might be square and true but your floors may begin to give.
What floor/story is your tank on? do you know where your floor supports are? is it against a supported wall?
My 85 has a stand that runs all the way to the floor: 3/4" play all the way around, 2x4(width wise for max disp.) ring inside that, and 2x4(ditto) runners x 6 inside that. It all sits on a rubbermat that curls up the wall behind the tank so if any water spills it is let out the front side of stand (1/4" hole) where I can get at it. I also rand supports fron the foundation to the floor supports under my tank.
Call me paranoid but we made it through the earthquake(feb 2001) fully loaded.

 

[bethany]

currently i live on a second story apt. Sometime my husband
and i are buying another house. The big 200+ gallon will be going in the house on ceramic tile floors. My 45 gallon I estimate to weight 500-600# is also on ceramic floors. Maybe I should just look for a used tank. If I am going to be paying out the butt for a glass/acrylic pane and need a few, I might as well and save the hassel and buy a used one !

 

[melbournefl]

Good day Bethany! If you're not truly excited about building your own tank, if it's going to be a chore rather than a party, I think you should definately look for a used tank. I loved building my tank, still working on it but still loving it! But it is a LOT of work and time. You can save money by building a tank, over 100 gallons anyway, but only if you don't put a dollar value on your time and sanity.
Just my opinion of course! Good luck in whatever you may decide to do.
Later,
Paul
P.S. Living in Miami, I'm guessing you'll be able to find a good used tank and a good price too!