stand plans

[jaded]

does anyone have plans for a DIY stand. The tank is a 135, it should be 72x18x24 (WxDxH), but I'll confirm that with dan asap. I've got an idea for the stand. I'll put on paper for approval but if there's already tested stand plans, why reinvent the wheel?

[jaded]

kinda what Im thinking

features
solid MDF top and bottom (not shown)
big doors on the front 2'+ wide
doors on the sides
hardwood ply front and sides for the look my wife will enjoy
access to the back but still stable

I'm totally open to critique!!!! This project has to be done fast so please let me know what could be better!!!
http://www.paddletexas.com/images/temp_images/stand.jpg

[seamonkey2]

Jaded, it looks great, but think height, unless you are 4 feet tall, a taller stand will make it easier to look at the tank.
I also have normal size stand and I have to bend a lot to look at my tank( i am 6'2), that is why I am getting a 40" tall stand, live is going to be better :D
yes I hear the peanut gallery saying, "with a tall stand is going to be more difficult to accsess the tank" , this is true my fellow reef/fish addicts, but a small step stool will do just fine, after all the tank height is not changing

[dan]

i think you can do it all in 2x4's. it's going to be hard to cut those 4x4 that way. i build all my stands with 2x4's and 1x4's and never had a problem. i have a 250 and a 350. send me a pm if you want to come by and look.

[GaryP]

The other issue on stand height is access for servicing pumps, skimmers and other stuff. I wish my stand was taller. You never have enough room under a stand for everything you want to do.

My other suggestion is to build in an area for electrical service that is going to be splash proof. Perhaps on the back side of the stand support legs. This area needs to be readily accesible because you are always going to be unplugging things or messing with timers.

[dan]

i took care of that. i have nothing under the tank. all in the next room. YA BABY!!

[GaryP]

Some of us don't have a couple of spare rooms to use for a fish room Dan.

[jaded]

Jaded, it looks great, but think height
The term "not to scale" does apply here. I'm planning on a 36" height after adding the ¾ MDF on top and bottom that will put me roughly at 37½". I'm 5' 10" on a good day so it should be ok... what do ya think?


i think you can do it all in 2x4's. it's going to be hard to cut those 4x4 that way.
the 4x4 cuts are actually quite simple, but if its not neccessary... but then again it couldnt hurt, they wont take up any vital room.


My other suggestion is to build in an area for electrical service that is going to be splash proof.
I was thinking about hanging the ballasts and other electronics on the back walls. I didnt think about splash, maybe I could just make a simple cover

[jroescher]

If you build it as in jaded's plan above using 2x4's, how far can you span across the front without a center brace for a glass tank?

[jaded]

good question... is there a need for extra support on the design I've submitted?

[Andrew]

I use 2 by 6 for horizontal pieces supporting the tank and 2 by 4 for the legs. I wouldn't go more than 36 inches in length without a vertical support.

Andrew

[jaded]

I'm of course trying to get the largest openings for maintenance that I can safely have. This design is going to end up having roughly 24"x32" openings in the front as well as small doors on the sides. My main concern; a stand that is likely to "fold". The main support to keep that from happening will come from the 2 large pieces of MDF/Plywood on the back. Those two pieces will be "well attached".

Since this is my first real "load bearing" structure I was posting to see if their were any obvious flaws in my design. Since it seems that there aren't any glaring faults I'm giong to go with this plan unless I hear otherwise.

Thanks for all the feedback

[Henry]

Jaded, I like the design for the stand. I would make it as tall as you can. also, I used 2x8 as the runners on top and didn't have any vertical supports other than the four corners.

[jaded]

what size is your tank Henry?

[Henry]

180 gal, I think its 6feet long

[brewercm]

This is a plan that I liked and used for my 180 that worked out great. I also built mine 42 inches tall for visual purposes but access is great also.

Hopefully these pictures come out ok to look at. They are not my stand but mine is built off the same principal and extremely stron.

[Henry]

I'll also post some pics of my as well. Not having that center brace in the front is very helpful.

[Polkster13]

I should say so. That thing is built like a tank.

Did you leave the bottom cross bars in yours? How did you put your sump in?

[brewercm]

I didn't have or feel the need for the bottom cross bars when I built mine, I thought those were a little overkill myself.

[Polkster13]

You really don't need the top cross bars either (except maybe one in the middle to keep it square until you put the top on), as I am assuming you put a sheet of plywood on top. All of the weight from the tank is on the edges and you just need to make sure that the top is perfectly flat and square and the stand doesn't rock.

[brewercm]

I didn't use plywood but I did go around the top with 2x4s layed out flat. What I thought afterwards would be cool, would be to use a flat 2x8 or 2x10 and have a cool shelf out front of the tank. A nice place for placing foods, beer, etc. as you watch the tank.

[jaded]

Wow that is a great design... I've alread got a portion of mine done, but I now am thinking about going through the wall into the garage. If I do that I can change the design to match

these are the legs I've cut. I dont think strength will be an issue

[brewercm]

I'm planning on the same thing in the new house. Taking the tank into the garage and just adjusting the stand height if possible, if not restarting with new legs to the correct hight. Talk about the issue of pumps, sumps, lights and other things being a lot less of a hassle then. I'm planning on enclosing a little room possibly if it looks like it might need it to keep contaminants out.

[jaded]

I've chucked the original plan and started over with your 2x8 plan... Its a sweet setup and I'll be able to use the 90 for a sump.

Thanks for the pics!!! That really did it for me

[Henry]

here is a pic of my stand with the front cover removed.

[jaded]

what did you use as your legs? they look like 2x4's... I've already bought and cut 2x8's but I need room badly.

[Henry]

They are 2x4's formed to shape an L

[jaded]

that will help me to open up a larger access to the front... as it is now I think the term "overkill" would not only apply but it would be an understatement

[Henry]

good luck and keep us updated with some pics

[jaded]

the construction is done... this thing could hold my truck without creaking!!! great plans Henry, thanks for the guidance, this is much better than I would have had with my other plan

P.S. I have 4 legs for sale cheap... 4x4 with notches cut out for easy installation, come one, come all!!! :-)

[jaded]

pics

[Henry]

Looks great. Looks very clean. how are you going to skin it. My is skinned with 1/4" plywood held in place with snap clips

[brewercm]

Looks very nice. Great job.
Now you can go into the stand making business.
I should have mentioned ahead but you probably already knew, those 2x4s and 2x6s have to be pretty streight all the way around. I made the initial mistake of cheap wood then went back and spent about an hour laying the better grade out on the floor of HD and finding the straightest ones I could.
Just info for anyone else that may want to attempt.