Aquarium stand design O.K.?
- Thread starter wanabedriver
- Start date
i would jsuggest some drawers or shelves on the side to keep supplies. i did something like this that fit my 29 and 5 on top and a 10 on the bottom with shelves to keep my stuff in.
I had thought building a stand would be cheaper... :hitting: Also, I wanted one that would have space for my sump, and it seems like many stands are made out of particle board, which I thought does not work well with water. Also the 3/4" ply looked nice, but $$$$$.
If the proposed floor is not level (funky tiles), is there some work around such as using something to level/shim the tank, or should I just find a new location?
Drawers and shelves would be nice, but I am in a rush to get this stand built, so all focus is on structural integrity. Plus, I have no space work with sheets of wood:
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
If you check my recent post you'll see the stand I built that holds four tanks total for 100 gallons and it uses a lot less wood than your design. I've got two double 55G stands that are built lighter than that. You've got nothing to fear provided you used good screws. I repaired a homebuilt stand I got at a garage sale that had screws so short they barely went a 1/4in into the joint.
As long as you get your platforms level you'll be good to go even with reasonably uneven floors. If you're worried about tiles like those in the picture you may want to put down a board bigger than the base of the stand so you don't have a leg punch through the tile or crack one.
As long as you get your platforms level you'll be good to go even with reasonably uneven floors. If you're worried about tiles like those in the picture you may want to put down a board bigger than the base of the stand so you don't have a leg punch through the tile or crack one.
No room in the apartment complex where I could get away with it. Ended up working anyway.
Did you glue your joints at all? I did cause I was a bit wary that the screws wouldn't be strong enough or would (eventually) rust out. I did use 2.5" screws each with 3 per joint.
So funny(ish) story about being level. I pretty much gave up on the tiles since they're entirely different levels, so I put it on a carpet, which ended up not being level either... And since my craftsmanship doesn't have a high degree of accuracy, my legs were ever so slightly different heights. I ended up shimming several legs using slices of a 4x4.
Here's a finished picture. I am planning on cleaning up the wires to be a little safer...
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
looks pretty good. You might want to find a more long term shim solution, as a generalization the end grain slice of a board is going to crack.
The bottom frame is actually level with the floor, it's just the corner legs that are shimmed. I am hoping the majority of the weight is being held by the frame, rather than the leg/shim... Will keep an eye out for cracking.
I was paranoid when I got one second hand. Reinforced with 3/4 plywood ripped to size, glued, and put in place with stainless steel screws. Let me sleep that night....
I built a stand for a 60g out of 2x4 i used a bit of my trade being a carpenter and joiner and used halving joins and mortice joins plus I also notched any timbers I couldn't join. My friend now uses it as an engine stand for his workshop, hes dropped big motors on it and it still hasn't cracked.
