New tank stand question

Ginu · Nov 6, 2013

Hey guys,
I got a question for today for the DYI woodworking guys.

I currently have a standard 75g tank 48" * 18" * 21" and would like to change the original stand with a DYI stand which will be more custom than the original.
I would like to upgrade to a 140g tank 48*26*26 in the near future and would prefer to make one stand which will be used for this application down the road (always thinking about upgrading). I am thinking to make the top of the frame out of 2*6 and the pillars out of 4*4 connected to the bottom frame which will be out of 2*4 however the 75g tank will have to rest on this stand for a period of time until I upgrade and I'm wondering if this stand will take the weight of the 75 if its resting on the front, middle and two side 2*6's (there will be no center braces holding the 75).

Also I would prefer not to use a center brace in-the front but most likely one on the back of the stand. The top of the frame will have two extra 4*4 feet at the 18" mark connected by 2*6 to hold the back side of the 75g

When the stand will be converted for the 140, I'm thinking of removing the two middle feet and the one 2*6 and replacing it with two 2*6 front to back.

Does this sound sturdy enough to hold the 75 and sturdy enough for a 140 future project or should I change anything?

Cheers,

trido · Nov 6, 2013

Is the stand going to be skinned with plywood? With the design you described you will be fine. I'm not sure if I would remove the center brace on the front with a 140 though.
If you absolutely want to have a no center brace front just use a very straight 4x6 like a window header.

With the dimensions of the 140 I'm assuming this will be acrylic. Id also put a cross brace under the center of the top plywood to avoid long term sagging of the bottom of the tank.

This is going to be a heavy overkill stand. I typically use only 3/4" plywood for custom stands with only minor reinforcing in a couple spots.

Ginu · Nov 7, 2013

trido said:
Is the stand going to be skinned with plywood? With the design you described you will be fine. I'm not sure if I would remove the center brace on the front with a 140 though.
If you absolutely want to have a no center brace front just use a very straight 4x6 like a window header.

With the dimensions of the 140 I'm assuming this will be acrylic. Id also put a cross brace under the center of the top plywood to avoid long term sagging of the bottom of the tank.

This is going to be a heavy overkill stand. I typically use only 3/4" plywood for custom stands with only minor reinforcing in a couple spots.

Thanks for the reply,
And yes the tank will be skinned with plywood (haven't decided on thickness) will have one or two external side doors (for the electronics, apex, modules, dosers, vortech drivers, ato, etc...) and the tank will be three sided starphire eurobraced with a coast to coast overflow.

Coming from a standard store bought 75g stand I would really like to eliminate the center brace, especially since the tank will be 4ft long. Perhaps i will make the entire top frame out of 4*6 resting on 4*4 feet on a 4*4 bottom frame.

In regards to the cross brace under the top plywood I was thinking to have one 4*4 beam going on the 48" length with two beams going to the front and back of the stand which will sustain the 75g in place and once the 140 will be built i will remove the middle 48" beam with only one beam in the middle to prevent sagging (although this step might not be needed)..

redfishbluefish · Nov 7, 2013

First off, don't use 4x4's. They typically are center cut and relatively unstable (they twist and turn as their moisture content changes.) Use the following as a build plan for the dimensional part of the stand.....2x6's for the top frame, all the rest 2x4's. It will easily hold your 140...without any center brace. (I would add a few cross braces on the top frame (blue boards) to assist in supporting the 75 gallon. The top of this stand should be a 3/4 piece of plywood. The skin can be anything, from 1/4 ply to whatever floats your boat. Good luck.