Questions on Stand Construction

TheSaint216 · Oct 23, 2013

Just a few questions for you guys out there who are good at building stands. I have a 38 gallon innovative marine tank on order and I'm having a hard time finding a stand. I've read the stand that is made for the tank is junk and Id like to fit my Auto top off container and my controller underneath. The tank is roughly 25 inches wide but Id like to go 36. I'm planning on making this a reef tank and a Anglerfish tank and Id like to get a CPR aquafuge to hang on the side to hold some Macro's I like and hopefully the live food for the fish.

So on to my questions. Ive been looking at 36 inch sink cabinets at Home depot. Sides and back are particle board. I know this stuff swells and gets all jacked up when it gets wet. I wont be having a sump so it shouldn't be getting wet at all. Is there a way to seal it just in case? I was planning on getting a countertop type top on the stand will it hold the weight, Im guessing with water, and rock it could be about 500lbs? Would it be a long process to modify it with 2X4's and seal the particle board?

The other side of it is making my own stand, the questions I have there is how beefy should this stand be? I like the look of tile on the top, would this cause any problems if I used the smaller shower type glass tiles with pressure points on the bottom of the tank?

Current "Power Station" with my controller and ATO

TheSaint216 · Oct 23, 2013

Diamond1 · Oct 25, 2013

I would build one and not mess around with the cabinet stand.
The basic form of the stand is easy enough to build and you can even get the guys at Home Depot to cut the wood to size for you.
Then its just a matter of skinning the stand with the wood you want and you can top it however you like.
Here's the frame I made it cost about $30 in materials. I plan on skinning it with 1/4" oak plywood on the sides and back and then using 1/2" oak on the front. Total the stand will cost less than $150. You can make the stand a bit bigger than your tank and have all the room you need for sump and ATO under it.

Diamond1 · Oct 25, 2013

Here is a link to a stand construction site that you can get a material list for of any size stand you want to build.
AQUARIUM STAND CONSTRUCTION

ReeferBob · Oct 25, 2013

A sink base should work fine for you. The particle board is not an issue. Almost all commercial aquarium stands are made in this manor. You do not need to seal it as long as it comes with some sort of finish on it. Bare wood would need something. Your tank is not heavy enough to cause too big a concern with the stand being slightly smaller then the tank. Once you put the top on you should be fine as long as the tank frame is within 1" or so of the sides of the base. Ideally the sides of the tank will have support down to the floor however.

Diamond1: I hope the picture you posted of that stand is not completed as it is not proper stand construction. You are using the sheer strength of the nails/screws to support the weight of the tank if so. This is a big no-no. You need to add 2x4 support between the top frame down to the bottom frame preferably 2 supports at each corner. The single board you have already should act as the nailer board for the actual tank supports, nothing more.

cdness · Oct 25, 2013

Building a stand is really easy, even a cave man can do it. Use the calculator mentioned and get a parts list. Get it all screwed together and skin it as needed. This way you can get it to be exactly the size you need.

There are different grades of particle and press board. I am guessing the cabinet base board is really not meant to hold this kind of weight. It all depends on how much risk you are willing to assume in using it. Myself I would rather be safe than sorry and overbuild the majority of my stuff. I would use it for up to 20 gallons, but larger and I would lean toward a better built stand.

ReeferBob said:
Diamond1: I hope the picture you posted of that stand is not completed as it is not proper stand construction. You are using the sheer strength of the nails/screws to support the weight of the tank if so. This is a big no-no. You need to add 2x4 support between the top frame down to the bottom frame preferably 2 supports at each corner. The single board you have already should act as the nailer board for the actual tank supports, nothing more.

What he said... You don't have much support in your pics. Screws will not hold the tank long term.

Diamond1 · Oct 25, 2013

ReeferBob said:
A sink base should work fine for you. The particle board is not an issue. Almost all commercial aquarium stands are made in this manor. You do not need to seal it as long as it comes with some sort of finish on it. Bare wood would need something. Your tank is not heavy enough to cause too big a concern with the stand being slightly smaller then the tank. Once you put the top on you should be fine as long as the tank frame is within 1" or so of the sides of the base. Ideally the sides of the tank will have support down to the floor however.

Diamond1: I hope the picture you posted of that stand is not completed as it is not proper stand construction. You are using the sheer strength of the nails/screws to support the weight of the tank if so. This is a big no-no. You need to add 2x4 support between the top frame down to the bottom frame preferably 2 supports at each corner. The single board you have already should act as the nailer board for the actual tank supports, nothing more.

No its not complete I just put the basic frame together and it will have the supports between the top and bottom frame just haven't cut the wood and placed them yet.