help with DIY "Stand" for Biocube 28/32

[cmross13]

so my plan was to just set this tank on top of a wine cooler in kitchen, but it would overhang 3/4" on the sides and nearly 3" in the back(the 3" bit is due to the way the hinge is on top roughly 3/8"" high.if it didnt have the hinge it would only hang over maybe 1/2-1" in the back.

so i thought "what if i take a piece of 1/2" butcher block or something else pretty sturdy and roughly 1/2" thick and simply cut it to roughly the dimensions of the GLASS bottom of the tank(NOT the plastic frame) and cut a notch in it where the hinge is with a jigsaw, almost giving the appearance that the tank is 'floating' on top of the wine cooler?"

is that something thats safe to do? can you sit a tank on the glass? or does it HAVE to be on the plastic frame? or do i need to do some fancy routering so its sitting on the glass AND plastic?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Tough question.

It's probably better/safer sitting on the frame.

I might be fine sitting on the glass bottom. But I'd like to know how thick the bottom glass is, and I'd want something to 'cushion' the glass... like a layer of foam from a yoga mat.

 

[38bill]

I'd cut the top to match the outside edge of the bottom tank frame. Then just glue some small thin blocks to the top matching the inside dimensions of the bottom frame. This will lock the tank on the stand top so it cant slide off. I have built several stands for biocubes using high quality veneer plywood and iron-on wood edging and they have lasted a long time. How are you going to anchor it to the wine cooler?

 

[cmross13]

I'd cut the top to match the outside edge of the bottom tank frame. Then just glue some small thin blocks to the top matching the inside dimensions of the bottom frame. This will lock the tank on the stand top so it cant slide off. I have built several stands for biocubes using high quality veneer plywood and iron-on wood edging and they have lasted a long time. How are you going to anchor it to the wine cooler?

i thought about cutting a nice piece of wood 1/4" over the Outside dimensions of the plastic and gluing a thick yoga mat to the inside dimensions of the plastic to support the glass, along with a piece of eggcrate inside the tank below the sandbed to distribute the weight, even though this seems like overkill since the OE stands on the Coralife and JBJ units dont have such padding and tanks dont come with said eggcrate. Just seemed like peace of mind.

as for anchoring it to anything, again, the Coralife and JBJ units have no suck anchor, so it never even crossed my mind, so long as the top of the cooler is level. its not on wheels or anything

 

[38bill]

The frame is meant to support the whole tank. I do not see any need to add support to the glass too. I think it could actually create additional stress. Eggcrate is typically used to support the rockwork to keep it from shifting, nothing more. A photo of the cooler would help.

 

[cmross13]

I’m glad you said that as I was on the fence about the foam. As for a pic, it’s not in my house so I don’t have one readily available but I’m fairly certain it’s this one. You can see the exposed hinge in the front right corner, that’s the only place I won’t have frame support.