Building an aquarium stand... help!

[Heady]

Later this year I would like to get a larger tank (75-100 gals), but I cannot afford a new tank and a stand as well as all supplies, so I want to build my own stand from lumber from the hardware store.

Do you know how to do this? ... Or maybe do you know of books/websites that tell you how to do it?

 

[TomFromStLouis]

The Krib has something on DIY stands IIRC.

Building a stand is just some basic carpentry/woodworking. If you don't care what it looks like (in other words, just focusing on strength), you can screw together some 2x4 posts and 2x4 rails and come up with a stong frame. Then just wrap it with plywood or something. Your primary goal is supporting weight, so make sure the posts go all the way from the ground up to the stand's top (which might be a sheet of 3/4" plywood. the 75 gallon stand I am now building has a total of eight posts (2x2 hardwood, not construction grade pine), so the rails do very little supporting and mostly keep the posts in line.

You need to secure the joints well enough that the whole thing does not collapse into a parrallelogram by using either a diagonal brace or good joinery (like a mortise and tenon or half lap joint). The point of good joinery is to get a mechanical connection between the pieces and not just a connection whose strength relies on screws. Find someone who knows woodworking to help design your stand.

An easier answer is to build up something with concrete blocks and lay a stiff thick top over it - just make sure that board is supported every 8-12 inches or so! Cover the whole thing with fabric and voila! Aquarium stand. Good luck.

 

[JSchmidt]

For stands in my fishroom, where looks don't matter:

I use cinder blocks to raise the tank to whatever height I want. I build a frame out of 2x4s or 4x4s (depending on tank size and what's handy from my most recent project) that is the size of the tank's footprint. I try to make the frame as flat and rigid as possible; my goal is for the tank and fram to act as one unit.

I put the frame on the cinder blocks, level it with shims, then put the tank on. (I then put a thin layer of foam or corrugated cardboad between tank and frame, in case there any high spots that might be pressure points.) I then fill the tank, recheck level, and if necessary I drain it adjust the shims.

Building a more attractive stand is a bit more of a task....

HTH,
Jim

 

[Heady]

I took shop class in high school but not much woodworking since then.

I looked at the krib and they said never to use nails, just screws or nuts & bolts.

I'm planning to get a 100 gal 60"x18" tank, are cinder blocks able to support the 1000+ pounds of aquarium? How many cinder block supports do you think would be best?

Is there a site or book that has simple suggested plans in it for wood stands?

 

[JSchmidt]

I agree that nails should be avoided. I use screws, generally.

Cinder blocks will easily support the weight. I lay mine horizontally on the floor (in the same orientation they would be if they were in a wall) and put one stack under each corner. Since each cinder block is about 8" tall, you just divide the desired height by 8 and round up to the nearest whole number to get the needed number of blocks.

e.g. for a 24" stand, you'll need 12 cinder blocks

HTH,
Jim

 

[Dwarfnut]

My take on it would be how do you want it to look? I have made several stands, all different, depending on where they were going and how they were to look. For a 100 Gal, I'd suggest just using some 2x4s (I use pressure treated) and basically building a box with a top on it. There are many sites with various plans, mostly I just modified someone else's plans to fit my needs. Let me know and I'll try to get some pictures if you are interested.

Good luCk,
Bill C.

 

[SBee]

stand

hey I'm in Vancouver Canada, not too far from you, and I've got a stand that I'm looking to get rid of...it held a 90 gal...


it's not the most attractive piece of work, but it could work as a frame of sorts, to which you could build upon. It doesn't have any cupboards.....but I think it would be easy to build like a cabinet around it. I will try to take a picture if you're interested at all.

 

[Heady]

Hm, thank you, but that would be a 2-3 hour drive one way. I think I'll try building my own.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[SBee]

no prob!! best of luck!!

btw, it only takes 1.5 hours each way at least from here to safeco field it does.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I'm in the cabinet making business...what exatly did you have in mind?