help building a big stand

trompet3 · May 12, 2005

I just purchased a 60x36x25 tank and now need to get started building the stand. I am a beginner with carpentry, more specifically with the structural engineering part of it but love diy projects and building things myself.
I need suggestions for an ultra sturdy stand that doesn't need any finishing as it will be an in wall tank and won't be seen from the viewing room. If anyone has any plans to post that would be so helpful.
I tried a search but didn't come up with anything, especially because the site change wiped out old pics.
Thanks!

oceana · May 13, 2005

if you dont care about its looks then you have nothing to worry about
simply take a bunch of 2x4 framing lumber and make a very basic frame the size of your tank. the stands i have built are WAY over braced but i like overkill. haha my 29 gallon stand could support the weight of a 220 gallon easy lol

nluchau · May 13, 2005

Check out the garf.org for more info on stand. Just type in your dimensions and your off to buy some wood

trompet3 · May 13, 2005

Originally Posted by oceana
if you dont care about its looks then you have nothing to worry about
simply take a bunch of 2x4 framing lumber and make a very basic frame the size of your tank. the stands i have built are WAY over braced but i like overkill. haha my 29 gallon stand could support the weight of a 220 gallon easy lol
I would like to overkill as well.
Check out the garf.org for more info on stand. Just type in your dimensions and your off to buy some wood
I did check this out, but is this the best way to go? I'm wondering if only 2x4's will hold all that weight. I was thinking maybe 4x4's running vertically and having the two intersecting pieces on top (or bottom) be 2x4's and lay on top (or bottom) of the 4x4 ends. Not sure if that makes any sense in words.

nluchau · May 13, 2005

I would think 2x4s would do the trick. That is what I built my 75 gallon stand out of . I know 220 will be alot more weight. If it will make you sleep better at night I would go with the 4x4 otherwise I think 2x4 would be plently. Some people said my 75 gallon stand is overkill with 2x4's - are they right? Well maybe but I am gonna at least sleep at night.
Also I used garf.org website for the plan. tell me what you think.

stsweene · May 13, 2005

if those are the specs of a 220G tank then your talking about 1700+ pounds of water alone, well over a ton when you add the actual tank and LR, etc. Do yourself a favor and use 2x6's or 4x4's. A simple deck like structure would work well. Preasure treated lumber would also be best since it can handle being exposed to water.

jb rekit · May 13, 2005

If you are confident in your building skills and know what you are doing, use plywood. It will be stronger than solid lumber 1 because of the ply and 2 because it is straighter. Plus, you will have more room on the inside.
All I have on my 180 stand is plywood and that is all that will support my dream 500 gal. 10' wide acrylic tank when I decide to upgrade as well.
The main thing though whatever you decide to use is that you make sure it can't twist.

jlem · May 14, 2005

Here is a plan that I put together that you can modify by getting rid of the trim and the doors. Just add some corner supports ( 2 X 4 ) to make yourself sleep better and you will be set.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=122669

trompet3 · May 14, 2005

thanks, do you by chance have any pictures of the process?

jlem · May 14, 2005

When they switched the Site over to the new look I lost all of my pics. Sorry about that.

pontius · May 14, 2005

I'm pretty much finished with my stand for a 210. the biggest difference in my stand and the garf stand is that I used 4x4 on the corners instead of 2x4. I'm no engineer, but I just don't trust 2x4 posts holding up 2000 pounds of water and rock.

bterry29 · May 14, 2005

Here are a couple of pics of my inwall stand. I think it can support a truck

Hope this helps.

trompet3 · May 18, 2005

bterry29 - Those pics are exactly what I need to see.
I'm also trying to figure out how I want to frame it and started another thread for that. Do you have any final pics of the tank in the wall? Also, it looks like your stand is build behind the wall, then cut the hole in the wall, than put the top on the stand and the top sticks through the wall. Am I correct? If so, does the fact that this top has an "overhang" and is not supported at the end affect the stability? Is the top you put on the stand flush with the other side of the wall?

robchuck · May 18, 2005

bterry,
Your stand has the makings of a very strong stand for a large tank, but right now, the entire weight of the tank would only be held up by the lag bolts holding the 2x6 frame up. The 4x4's aren't really contributing to the support of the tank at all. This can easily be fixed by laminating some 2x4 cripples to the outside of the 4x4's between the top and bottom 2x6 pieces.
Here are some pics of the stand I recently built for my tank out of 2x4's (the first few pics show how I started the stand and the cripples can be seen in the last few; the stand was topped with 3/4" plywood, primed with Kilz, and had several coats of oil-based paint applied):

acrylic51 · May 18, 2005

I like both Bterry and Robs design methods. Both designs or construction methods have pros and cons.... Bterry uses joist hangers and extra screws in the ends and I like the 4x4 for the beefiness, where Rob uses cripple studs instead of 4x4's. I would opt for 2x6's over 2x4's for beefiness of the stand. For my 240 my stand is done with 2x6's and 4x4s. The difference or weakiness i see is that they are relying on the screws to take the weight.... What happens if the screws give??? Robs' design is more solid with the use of cripple studs. When I built my stand I notched the 4x4's that the 2x6's rest on and the 4x4's are actually carrying the load not the screws or fasteners persay.... Again Robs design uses 2x4's but with using cripple studs is more than enough to carry the weight...
I will post pics tomorrow of notching 4x4 if interested!!!!!

nluchau · May 18, 2005

Looks good guys.

little_d · May 18, 2005

Looks good. More buck can go toward the tank :jumping:

bterry29 · May 20, 2005

RobChuck - thanks for the suggestion on the cripples. I may try that. The stand was designed like a deck so I thought it would support the tank but you idea of the cripples would be that much extra.
trompet3 - here are some additional pictures. What you pointed out in the front is the one thing I didn't think about until it was done. There is a space in the front about an inch, maybe an inch and a half which is unsupported by wall or studs. To date this hasn't been a problem. The part that is unsupported is the frame of the tank so it should be sturdier. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hope these help

trompet3 · May 20, 2005

Looks great!
What is this for (arrows)?
Also, is the platform on top MDF? Won't that warp with water exposure? I am under the impression that plywood is the best, am I wrong?
ps - when I took your pic and copied it into paint and saved it, the size was bigger than 500x500, so I had to shrink it to attach it here. How did you post the pic but I had to shrink it to attach it here? Also, how do I get a pic to fit in between the text of my post and not at the end?

bterry29 · May 20, 2005

I used 2x4's to hang the lights. That is what you the arrows are pointing at. I have VHO's now and two sets of 2x4's for them. The stand top is underlayment for floors. I had heard the same about mdf so I didn't use that. This stuff seems stronger than plywood although I've also heard plywood is about as strong as you can get.
I'm not sure why my photo's were accepted. As soon as I clicked the submit reply button I remembered the size limit and figured I'd get an error message but it went through.

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