Advice needed DIY 75 gallon stand

[Lukas75]

Conservatively vertical load capacity is 36,000 lbs. realistically 58,000lbs.

One 30" 2x4 has the vertical strength to hold up a truck. Load isnt the issue with these stands, torsion is.

danged if I can figure out torsion resistance of this stand without a phd in material physics.

As others have said torsion isn't and shouldn't be an issue. Go into a store and take a look at the stands that tens of thousands of tanks are successfully being used on. The first time I seriously looked at the construction it floored me and made me realize how insanely overbuilt my stand is.

 

[wickette]

I had a 13" piece of scrap 2x6 I used to space inside posts. Since its s perfect fit, I cut them so its theyre 1.5x3" blocks attached them half up the inside posts with wood glue, and eyeballed pocket holes in each join. wont add much. but still adds some some extra twist support.
t

Go into a store and take a look at the stands that tens of thousands of tanks are successfully being used on. The first time I seriously looked at the construction it floored me and made me realize how insanely overbuilt my stand is.

Don't be floored, the sub $500 stands fail from the slightest thing going wrong.
Case and point, my cat peed on an MDF 10g standI got from petsmart. The stand soaked up pee before I noticed and cleaned it (4 hours max). The next day that edge felt squishy, within a week a 5" section had crumbled leaving just the veneer and a pile of wet sawdust.

 

[Lukas75]

I had a 13" piece of scrap 2x6 I used to space inside posts. Since its s perfect fit, I cut them so its theyre 1.5x3" blocks attached them half up the inside posts with wood glue, and eyeballed pocket holes in each join. wont add much. but still adds some some extra twist support.
t

Don't be floored, the sub $500 stands fail from the slightest thing going wrong.
Case and point, my cat peed on an MDF 10g standI got from petsmart. The stand soaked up pee before I noticed and cleaned it (4 hours max). The next day that edge felt squishy, within a week a 5" section had crumbled leaving just the veneer and a pile of wet sawdust.

Yeah those are terrible I was referring to like an aqueon pine stand or marineland stand not particle board garbage.

 

[wickette]

Yeah those are terrible I was referring to like an aqueon pine stand or marineland stand not particle board garbage.

Do Marine land stands have a good reputation?
I bought the $300 75 gallon marine and stand/tank/light kit. When I took it out of the box 75% particle board, top/back/bottom all unfinished wood/particle board I took it back. 1/4 of the pieces warped. No way to level. Took it back.

Ive never paid more than $12 for a new store bought stand (whenever petco/petsart puts them on sale I buy 1), I was expecting much much more from the stand it came with.

 

[Cmedeiros]

Do I need more braces connecting the front and back of the frame, or am I done?
(photo labeled, self explanatory)

(yes I know I went overboard with load bearing)

Yeah bro looks good. You for sure went overboard [emoji38]

 

[Cmedeiros]

Yeah bro looks good. You for sure went overboard [emoji38]

I’m a farmer by trade so yeah man it looks strong enough make sure you use screws and use two or there’s per stud connection.

 

[Cmedeiros]

Also u can do this take styrofoam board and place it on top, cut so it’s flush. Then take a 1by4 and place it around the boarder of the top about half an inch above the styrofoam so it creates a boarder and hides the styrofoam

 

[Lukas75]

Do Marine land stands have a good reputation?
I bought the $300 75 gallon marine and stand/tank/light kit. When I took it out of the box 75% particle board, top/back/bottom all unfinished wood/particle board I took it back. 1/4 of the pieces warped. No way to level. Took it back.

Ive never paid more than $12 for a new store bought stand (whenever petco/petsart puts them on sale I buy 1), I was expecting much much more from the stand it came with.

I haven’t looked too hard at Marineland. The store bought stands I have are aqueon pine stands. And I prefer to stay well clear of the big box pet stores for everything. But Marineland warranties their tanks for life, but only on their stands. The pine stands that I have are made of 3/4 inch boards, nothing larger. I had a 75 set up in my basement on it that was 1 degree off level. I only tore it down after a year to consolidate tanks. I don’t suggest doing this. This is how I found out my basement floor isn’t level.

The concerns with being off level is not so much the stand but the tank. If the tank is off level you have water pushing on glass in ways it isn’t supposed to. You will want to make sure it is leveled.

 

[Kurt Hammel]

Do I need more braces connecting the front and back of the frame, or am I done?
(photo labeled, self explanatory)

(yes I know I went overboard with load bearing)

I would ad a 3/4" thick plywood top and ad some screws if you live in earthquake country otherwise it looks good.

 

[wickette]

I put an extra brace on each side And more screws. I think I have to cover this with plywood anyway, too many screw holes.

 

[RobW]

Do I need more braces connecting the front and back of the frame, or am I done?
(photo labeled, self explanatory)

(yes I know I went overboard with load bearing)

No, you're good!

 

[RobW]

Let me ask you this... did you glue any joints or just use screws? When you glue all your joints everything gets way stronger! Or should I say, won't come apart. But, I agree with everyone else in saying that you could set and F-350 Diesel truck on there and you'd be fine. Lol

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I framed houses for a long time. You are already way over built for a 75 so you are fine. as long as it stays level or close too all the weight will be pushing down. don't worry about nailing plywood to it, that wont change anything significant to your load bearing.

 

[wickette]

Let me ask you this... did you glue any joints or just use screws? When you glue all your joints everything gets way stronger! Or should I say, won't come apart. But, I agree with everyone else in saying that you could set and F-350 Diesel truck on there and you'd be fine. Lol

the top/bottom frame and first set of 2x4 uprights have no glue (needed a lot of trial and error to get it plumb), So maybe 1/3 of the joints are glued

 

[RobW]

the top/bottom frame and first set of 2x4 uprights have no glue (needed a lot of trial and error to get it plumb), So maybe 1/3 of the joints are glued

Gotcha

 

[vetteguy53081]

lOOKS nice and Sturdy. I would add a bottom layer of wood for stability and as a stable base

 

[wickette]

A little off topic, but still applicable to the title, I want this thing black to match the rest of the furniture. On a test piece black stain is not doing the trick (too many coats). Krylon spray paint makes it look like plastic. Is there a way to paint it and still have it look like wood?

 

[Lingwendil]

Heavily thinned paint will usually work, something water based usually is best, after the first coat give it a light sanding, then another thinned coat. Works well, but test it first

 

[RobW]

A little off topic, but still applicable to the title, I want this thing black to match the rest of the furniture. On a test piece black stain is not doing the trick (too many coats). Krylon spray paint makes it look like plastic. Is there a way to paint it and still have it look like wood?

How long are you letting the stain sit before you wipe it off? Also, when it comes to stain... you have to stir that stuff well for a while. All of the pigments tend to settle at the bottom of the can. Minwax Ebony stain is pretty dark. If you let is set for a while then give it a very light wipe with a clean cloth it tends to stay dark. But you will probably need 2 coats. Then when that dries you either need to coat it with a polyurethane or lacquer finish. Sanding lightly in between coats with 220-320 grit.

 

[RobW]

Are you staining just the 2x4 stand or did you wrap it with some kind of plywood? Every species of wood takes stain differently as well. If you had a nice cabinet grade hardwood plywood i.e. poplar, maple, walnut, mahogany, cherry, etc. Those have nice grains and take stain well. So it is a bit of trial and error to see what you like. Spray paint from a can is going to give you the worst finish. If you wanted it painted close to black like an espresso brown. You need to prime the wood first with something oil based to seal the wood. Then sand and putty up any minor spots and prime and finish sand one more time with line 320 grit. Then spray it with either a lacquer based paint or like a waterborne-alkyd. Using either an air compressor with an hvlp gun or an airless sprayer with a fine tip.