Maximum diy stand height ?

[shafs]

Hey there. New to this wonderful forum. I am building my first DIY aquarium stand and was planning to make rocketengineer's design or king of diy (youtuber) stand design.
My main question is how high can I make the stand.
My tank (have not bought it yet. Planning to buy it from https://www.junglepets.co.uk/72---6ft--1830mm--long-all-glass-aquariums-2242-p.asp )
72 x 15 x 12 inch wide
or
72 x 18 x 12 inch wide
Ideally I would like to view the tank while standing up and sitting down. For that for me 46inch high stand works as at that height I can just about see the tank while sitting down.
Is 46 inch too high? My number one concern is strength and would rather not come home to a broken stand and water everywhere.

2 more side questions

Do I need 4x6 in the rocketengineer stand design as my tank is long but skinny so does not hold alot of water

Which design is better? king of diy design or rokcetengineer's design.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hey there. New to this wonderful forum. I am building my first DIY aquarium stand and was planning to make rocketengineer's design or king of diy (youtuber) stand design.
My main question is how high can I make the stand.
My tank (have not bought it yet. Planning to buy it from https://www.junglepets.co.uk/72---6ft--1830mm--long-all-glass-aquariums-2242-p.asp )
72 x 15 x 12 inch wide
or
72 x 18 x 12 inch wide
Ideally I would like to view the tank while standing up and sitting down. For that for me 46inch high stand works as at that height I can just about see the tank while sitting down.
Is 46 inch too high? My number one concern is strength and would rather not come home to a broken stand and water everywhere.

2 more side questions

Do I need 4x6 in the rocketengineer stand design as my tank is long but skinny so does not hold alot of water

Which design is better? king of diy design or rokcetengineer's design.

Thank you all for your help.

I'm 5'6" tall and I would HATE a 46" tall stand UNLESS we are talking a frag tank shorty aquarium.

I went around measuring chairs and couches and here mine range from 16-20 inches tall. My aquarium stands are 33-35" tall.

You are going to need to get over the lip of the aquarium to clean.

If you are significantly taller than me, likely your reach is significantly longer than mine.

Stand height can be personal preference, but since you don't mention extenuating height circumstances I thought I'd mention other heights for consideration.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hey there. New to this wonderful forum. I am building my first DIY aquarium stand and was planning to make rocketengineer's design or king of diy (youtuber) stand design.
My main question is how high can I make the stand.
My tank (have not bought it yet. Planning to buy it from https://www.junglepets.co.uk/72---6ft--1830mm--long-all-glass-aquariums-2242-p.asp )
72 x 15 x 12 inch wide
or
72 x 18 x 12 inch wide
Ideally I would like to view the tank while standing up and sitting down. For that for me 46inch high stand works as at that height I can just about see the tank while sitting down.
Is 46 inch too high? My number one concern is strength and would rather not come home to a broken stand and water everywhere.

2 more side questions

Do I need 4x6 in the rocketengineer stand design as my tank is long but skinny so does not hold alot of water

Which design is better? king of diy design or rokcetengineer's design.

Thank you all for your help.

I'm 5'6" tall and I would HATE a 46" tall stand UNLESS we are talking a frag tank shorty aquarium.

I went around measuring chairs and couches and here mine range from 16-20 inches tall. My aquarium stands are 33-35" tall.

You are going to need to get over the lip of the aquarium to clean.

If you are significantly taller than me, likely your reach is significantly longer than mine.

Stand height can be personal preference, but since you don't mention extenuating height circumstances I thought I'd mention other heights for consideration.

... and regarding MAXIMUM size... on MTV Cribs, some rich couple has a FLOOR that is on automated hydrophilic lifts because stand and tank go to the ceiling so opening floor on home level above tank level is how they feed their fish (they didn't talk about cleaning... I'm sure with their money they let someone else clean tank... I worried fish wouldn't even get fed because that floor contraption was slow and clunky...)

Guess maximum can be relative to roof height LOL

 

[shafs]

... and regarding MAXIMUM size... on MTV Cribs, some rich couple has a FLOOR that is on automated hydrophilic lifts because stand and tank go to the ceiling so opening floor on home level above tank level is how they feed their fish (they didn't talk about cleaning... I'm sure with their money they let someone else clean tank... I worried fish wouldn't even get fed because that floor contraption was slow and clunky...)

Guess maximum can be relative to roof height LOL

Thank you for your reply .
I ended up going with 40 inch height.

I am nearly done with the frame

 

[RocketEngineer]

I hope those loose pieces I see in the background are legs going under the top frame. Also, with something that tall and top heavy, it may be a good idea to secure the stand to the wall once finished.

 

[shafs]

I hope those loose pieces I see in the background are legs going under the top frame. Also, with something that tall and top heavy, it may be a good idea to secure the stand to the wall once finished.

yes those loose pieces are for mid support. It has in total 10 4x2 supports. I am also very worried about it being very top heavy and also since its a thin tank (18inch wide) it might fall. Do you think a big sump will balance it out or securing to the wall is still needed? What do you think the best method to secure to wall would be ? My worry is if secure to the wall rigid then if walls have any sort of movement (small earthquake or walls moving due to temperature fluctuation) then the stand or tank might fail

ps big fan of yours. I have used your design to make the stand

 

[TheyGaveItToMe]

My aquarium is also 18 inches wide, I went with 36" high. I personally feel like 40" is too tall, for both maintenance while standing on the ground and viewing while sitting. If I were going to build your stand I would change the design slightly by using a 2x6 for the top rail, shortening to 36", and removing the center support. 3 2x4s in the corner are more than enough to support your aquarium. When standing vertically, such as when it functions as a stud, a 2×4 can hold about 1,000 pounds. So 12 can support 12,000 pounds, while a 2×6x6' on edge can support 900lbs. You can see my recent stand I built in my build thread.

 

[shafs]

My aquarium is also 18 inches wide, I went with 36" high. I personally feel like 40" is too tall, for both maintenance while standing on the ground and viewing while sitting. If I were going to build your stand I would change the design slightly by using a 2x6 for the top rail, shortening to 36", and removing the center support. 3 2x4s in the corner are more than enough to support your aquarium. When standing vertically, such as when it functions as a stud, a 2×4 can hold about 1,000 pounds. So 12 can support 12,000 pounds, while a 2×6x6' on edge can support 900lbs. You can see my recent stand I built in my build thread.

The tank itself is short so reaching the bottom of the tank for maintainence isnt an issue. I agree i shouldve done 2x6 and removed the centre support. Do you think i can modify the tank and only replace the front top rail with 2 by 6 and removing only the front centre brace? My biggest concern is deffo about it tipping forward due to high centre of mass and narrow base.

 

[workhz]

Did notice you were using a tank from their sump tank category. Why so short? Kinda curious.

You can do some diagonal bracing or sheath it with some plywood to keep it from going wonky.

 

[shafs]

Did notice you were using a tank from their sump tank category. Why so short? Kinda curious.

You can do some diagonal bracing or sheath it with some plywood to keep it from going wonky.

I think its the tank category because there is whole another sump category (with baffles).

Have you got an example of the bracing/sheath. I am very new to making stands so not sure what it looks like.

 

[workhz]

Think the back of ikea furniture where you nail a thin piece of wood into the frame. Keeps it from twisting. There’s a million way to do it so Google probably helps a bit here.

 

[TheyGaveItToMe]

The tank itself is short so reaching the bottom of the tank for maintainence isnt an issue. I agree i shouldve done 2x6 and removed the centre support. Do you think i can modify the tank and only replace the front top rail with 2 by 6 and removing only the front centre brace? My biggest concern is deffo about it tipping forward due to high centre of mass and narrow base.

What do you consider as short? Because, My tank is 21" tall and I am 5'10". And, I struggle to touch the bottom of the aquarium when I stand flat footed on the ground.

You can remove both braces and it won't make a difference in regard to tipping, the weight of 40" inches of 2"x4" is not significant enough to shift the center of gravity. And, the only reason I suggested to use 4"x6" is because the span to prevent deflection, both 2"x4" and 2"x6" are capable of bearing the load of you tank when supporting the weight on edge.

As far an example for lateral bracing, in the morning when I get home from work, I will post a picture of the board mounted on the back of my stand that serves as both a mounting location for my electrical equipment and bracing.

 

[shafs]

What do you consider as short? Because, My tank is 21" tall and I am 5'10". And, I struggle to touch the bottom of the aquarium when I stand flat footed on the ground.

You can remove both braces and it won't make a difference in regard to tipping, the weight of 40" inches of 2"x4" is not significant enough to shift the center of gravity. And, the only reason I suggested to use 4"x6" is because the span to prevent deflection, both 2"x4" and 2"x6" are capable of bearing the load of you tank when supporting the weight on edge.

As far an example for lateral bracing, in the morning when I get home from work, I will post a picture of the board mounted on the back of my stand that serves as both a mounting location for my electrical equipment and bracing.

You think i should do removable middle brace? having a middle brace is an annoyance when it comes to sump maintanence. I was planning on having a 4ft by 1ft by 1ft sump underneath. That might help with shifting centre of mass but i am not sure if it will shift it enough.

 

[TheyGaveItToMe]

You think i should do removable middle brace? having a middle brace is an annoyance when it comes to sump maintanence. I was planning on having a 4ft by 1ft by 1ft sump underneath. That might help with shifting centre of mass but i am not sure if it will shift it enough.

You don't need a middle brace.

 

[shafs]

Anyone got any suggestions for any cheap way of wrapping the stand and cheap sheet material for top and bottom

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Anyone got any suggestions for any cheap way of wrapping the stand and cheap sheet material for top and bottom

"cheap" ... a friend of mine uses fabric - maybe it once was a sheet...

 

[Indymann99]

My in-wall stand is 36“ high and I would not want it any shorter for access and maintenance to the sump. I do have to do all tank maint from a stepladder. For me it is perfect viewing angle from the couch.

 

[shafs]

My in-wall stand is 36“ high and I would not want it any shorter for access and maintenance to the sump. I do have to do all tank maint from a stepladder. For me it is perfect viewing angle from the couch.

Thats a very nice set up. Love how compact and organised it looks. What sort of sump system is that?

 

[9975]

I'm 6'1" and have always hated having to bend down to look into tanks so the top of my stand is at 41 1/2". My tank is a 350 gallon 96" x 36" x 24" tall. My stand is extremely heavy but the question is do you really want to chance it giving?

Yes I have to stand on a step stool to do anything in the tank but being able to see into it easily is well worth it.

 

[Rmckoy]

Hey there. New to this wonderful forum. I am building my first DIY aquarium stand and was planning to make rocketengineer's design or king of diy (youtuber) stand design.
My main question is how high can I make the stand.
My tank (have not bought it yet. Planning to buy it from https://www.junglepets.co.uk/72---6ft--1830mm--long-all-glass-aquariums-2242-p.asp )
72 x 15 x 12 inch wide
or
72 x 18 x 12 inch wide
Ideally I would like to view the tank while standing up and sitting down. For that for me 46inch high stand works as at that height I can just about see the tank while sitting down.
Is 46 inch too high? My number one concern is strength and would rather not come home to a broken stand and water everywhere.

2 more side questions

Do I need 4x6 in the rocketengineer stand design as my tank is long but skinny so does not hold alot of water

Which design is better? king of diy design or rokcetengineer's design.

Thank you all for your help.

My stand for my 230 gal is 36” tall
And that is too tall .
the tank dimensions are 27”x27”x72”
And I still need a step ladder to do any in tank maintenance . i personally wouldn’t like 46” tall stand