How tall are everybody's stands?

[Huff747]

I've built a base and top for my 40 gallon breeder but I'm undecided on height. I was thinking 36" because of where I sit in my home office and where I'm thinking I want to put the tank. Is there such a thing of too high or too low?

Thanks for any input.

Chris

 

[Greybeard]

My method... Stand up and measure from your armpit to the floor. Subtract tank height from that measurement, and you've got stand height.

This way, you can get your arm in there when you need to, without resorting to standing on a salt bucket. Note, if you're short, under tank height for sump/skimmer/etc might be a challenge.

Note, my latest tank did not use this method. Shallow, wide peninsula, doubles as a bar... How tall? Well, bar height, of course 34"

 

[prsnlty]

Mine is 39" before the trim and shelf to make it appear inset for a total of 41.5"

 

[Coastie Reefer]

I believe the "average" is in the 30" - 36" range

 

[prsnlty]

Yep, my husband misunderstood my instructions on the stand drawing and was supposed to make it a total of 39 inches but the stand frame itself only 36 inches. Instead he built the frame at 39 inches lol but that's okay I could use the headspace for sure [emoji12]

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Here's my 40B I'm in the process of setting up. When I get a top on it it'll be 36" tall.

 

[Huff747]

My method... Stand up and measure from your armpit to the floor. Subtract tank height from that measurement, and you've got stand height.

This way, you can get your arm in there when you need to, without resorting to standing on a salt bucket. Note, if you're short, under tank height for sump/skimmer/etc might be a challenge.

Note, my latest tank did not use this method. Shallow, wide peninsula, doubles as a bar... How tall? Well, bar height, of course 34"

Had not thought about it like that. With that measurement I'd be looking at 53" - 17" = 36" for the height.

Mine is 39" before the trim and shelf to make it appear inset for a total of 41.5"

Very nice stand. Is the top rim black? I'm looking at doing a white stand as well (won't look that nice I'm sure) because my office has white cabinets but was curious how it looked with a black rim on top. Thanks.

 

[Confuse]

Mine is 38" tall on a 24" tall tank. If I could do it over again, I would have gone 40" because as it is now, it's slightly below eye level. So I have to tilt my head down a bit to see the aquarium at eye level. I do have to stand on a small stepper tool to reach into the tank, but it's not too big of a deal unless I drop something deep into the tank (30" width). From my dining room table, the tank is perfectly viewable at that height. I think 36" or lower is too low and in the past, has not been as enjoyable as viewing the tank from eye level.

 

[prsnlty]

Had not thought about it like that. With that measurement I'd be looking at 53" - 17" = 36" for the height.



Very nice stand. Is the top rim black? I'm looking at doing a white stand as well (won't look that nice I'm sure) because my office has white cabinets but was curious how it looked with a black rim on top. Thanks.

Thank you!

Yes the frames on the tank are black and why we wanted it to look in set so we could hide them. Here's a picture of the full set up with canopy.

 

[RyanCSGO]

my stand is 36" tall. tank is 20" tall.
I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'4" so from a viewing point its perfect for us.

 

[Greybeard]

My new stand... bar height. Eventually, there'll be four lit, glass shelved units in the area under the stand, filled with liquor bottles and glassware.

 

[prsnlty]

If you don't want a canopy you can trim out the edge of the upper frame and paint it. Basically it would be a box with some corner pieces inside for it to hang on the top edge of your frame. Or you could even use Velcro to hold the decorative trim on.

 

[Mrx7899]

I built mine at 37 and 40 inches cuz I don't like to have to bend down and look at the tanks

 

[Huff747]

Thank you all for the responses. Since mine is going in my home office I'd probably be looking at it while seated much of the time so I'm leaning towards the 36" height. Should still be able to get in to clean and I have 2 younger kids so for a few years it'd probably be a good viewing height for them as well.

Some very nice tanks here. Hoping eventually I have some pictures to share.

If you don't want a canopy you can trim out the edge of the upper frame and paint it. Basically it would be a box with some corner pieces inside for it to hang on the top edge of your frame. Or you could even use Velcro to hold the decorative trim on.

I may have to do that. Perhaps I could build it to hold my mesh top to keep any fish from leaving the tank.

 

[prsnlty]

Thank you all for the responses. Since mine is going in my home office I'd probably be looking at it while seated much of the time so I'm leaning towards the 36" height. Should still be able to get in to clean and I have 2 younger kids so for a few years it'd probably be a good viewing height for them as well.

Some very nice tanks here. Hoping eventually I have some pictures to share.



I may have to do that. Perhaps I could build it to hold my mesh top to keep any fish from leaving the tank.

That's a great idea!

 

[DustyXB9Reefer]

The stand I built for my 120 is 50" tall. It's very tall but my buddy has a 180 and his stand is only 36ish" and I feel like I have to bend over to look at anything in his tank. I personally don't like having to do that, so.. tall stand lol

 

[BZOFIQ]

42-44" i optimal for both DT viewing as well as space underneath the tank.

 

[hartin461]

i`m in the 40 in. camp...just happens to be the height i liked best when sitting in my favorite chair relaxing. I think they`re a lot of considerations but in the end it`s what works best for you. Take all these replies and work from there.

 

[David Mc]

I think stand height is going to be determined by the height of the tank and the primary viewing angle. My tank is fairly tall at 32". Using Greybeard's method would result in a 18" tall stand.
The original stand was 26" but very difficult to maintain equipment under the tank in that short space. I could, if required, reach into the tank at that height.
My new stand is 30" tall and I'll need small ladder now.

 

[Huff747]

Thanks for the continued input. Thinking maybe I'll bump it up to 40". I'm probably going to spend most of my viewing time sitting while on conference calls but a little extra height may not be bad.