Tank stand size?

[Lalaallieu]

My grandad said he’d build me a stand for a tank and I think for now I’m going to get a 40gallon. What’s a good height for the tank so that I don’t have to bend down a lot to see. I know currently my 13.5 is sitting on a desk and it sucks. The 40 gallon tank I’m buying dimensions are 36x18x16. So what dimensions would you make the stand?

Lauren

 

[TheOne]

Nice, See if he can build you this one. 36" tall is about perfect.

 

[mike550]

Same. My tank cabinet is 36” tall. I added a 10” top to keep overall height down. If you add a top make sure it has easy access for feeding and also access for water changes or servicing the tank from top.

One other suggestion. Make sure side walls are thick enough to mount controllers etc without risking strength of stand.

 

[BZOFIQ]

My new stand is built @ 46" tall for 2 reasons.

I'm over 6ft tall and bending over is not my thing....and I wanted to have plenty of space to work over my sump.

 

[Greybeard]

My standard is to measure from your armpit to the floor, and subtract the height of the tank. Any higher, you're going to need a step stool to get into the tank.

 

[BZOFIQ]

My standard is to measure from your armpit to the floor, and subtract the height of the tank. Any higher, you're going to need a step stool to get into the tank.

Yes, but I am far more often looking at the tank then have my arms in it, so occasional use of step ladder is just fine.

With a 36" stand for example if you take away 4-5 inches for top board and stands floor, you'll only have 10-12 inches of space above an average sump. That's a major PITA.