Help with tank stand design

[expat701]

Hi, I have 4 rectangle boxes made out of 2.5cm (1”) thick Australian hardwood. I intend to stack them into 2 columns and make it into a tank stand. The hardwood is very strong and stacked this way each column is strong and reasonably heavy. They are about 35cm (14”) deep and 80cm (32”) high. Please see pic.

I intend to screw and glue one box on top of the other and skin the back of each column with plywood.

I need to put a top on it for the tank to sit on. Any suggestions on how to make a top? I was thinking of using 2”x2” timber’s laid about 2” apart between the columns and placing a sheet of plywood on top of this.

I’d like to support a 90cm x 35cm x 45cm (36”L x 14”W x 18”H) tank with this stand. Do you think it will be strong enough?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

How one supports a tank depends upon wheyher it has a frame or not. A tank with a frame does not benefit from plywood as the bottom glass will not rest on the wood. What needs to be supported is directly under the frame. I have mede several stand s for tanks from wood, This includes stands for a 150 and 125 gal. tanks. The perimeter of the tank rests on 2x4 lumber on edge. However, this does not mean one cannot use a sheet of plywood, but the glass wont ever touch the ply on a framed tank.



You cannot see them in the pics but there are three horizontal piexe of 2x4 that act to keep the top frame straight. Because dimensional lumber like 2x4s are not finished wood, the edges can be a bit uneven. I use foam insulation weather stripping on top of the 2x4 one which the frame rests. The foam compresses to create and even surface when the heavy tank rests on it. I do this for all my homemade wooden stands. The stripping is self adhesive and is available in an assortment of widths and thicknesses, Tjhe bigger the tabk abd the wider and thicker one you should choose.
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Hardware-Weather-Stripping-Foam-Tapes/N-5yc1vZc3e3
(see Frost King High-Density Rubber Foam Weatherstrip Tape)

 

[Rbishop]

If an unframed tank, i'd prefer a more horizontal placement of the tanks, for the most surface area to contact the bottom glass. I also prefer a solid one piece of top wood to contact the tank, framed or not instead of multiple 2x lumber and gaps.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I know with my standard plastic framed 55 and 75gal (four foot) tanks, it seems the majority of the weight of the setup is concentrated at the corners of the tanks.