hi guys so i bought this 40 g aqueaon breeder from petco since they r havin the $1 per gallon sale at petco.....great deal so i went to set it up n now the table it is on is shakin not on its own but wen i slightly bump it it shakes..so i looked at prices for stands and realized holy crap:eek1: ima student so i dont have that kinda a money ...can neone gimme ni deas of a replacement table That can suppport the full 458lbs!!!...of the tank or suggestions to make this situation better thanks....
40g breeder stand help please!!
- Thread starter marinerfr
- Start date
ya tha thing is i have no experience with carpentry and am terrified of it i never have done it.
agreed have u ever done this??? if so could u gimme directions?
Reefman29
New member
I have seen people do it. I have 10 gallons on that design. I helped build it. Anyway, you will need a saw, a circular saw. A piece of plywood, if you want it to look nice then get stain or paint or whatever. You will need 2x4's for the legs. Determine how high you want the tank. If you want if kind of low then you could cut the 2x4's in half and use it that way. My stand has 6 legs. 1 in each corner, and 1 in the middle on each side.
hmm ya i would like the stand to be 0nly 15" high..wad do u think about my current stand??
Fsurocks99
New member
Hey I am in the process of building a stand for my 40 breeder so far so good. This is also my first carpentry project. I can pm you what did a little later, if you want. Would do it now but I'm in a summer class.
The Punisher
New member
Yeah, I would get it off of that table as quickly as you can. That's an accident waiting to happen.
greech
New member
That table is really not suitable for the weight of that tank! The tank filled with water alone weighs >360 lbs alone. It doesn't look like there is anything in it so I would drain it ASAP. If you have rock in there you can keep it in a bucket with a powerhead until you get a stand.
I had zero experience with building a stand but followed this thread and within a few hours I had the frame built.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964
You can do this yourself if you have a circular saw, a drill, a few C-clamps and a couple of larger clamps to hold the frame together and some screws. I didn't have a saw so I had my Lowes cut the boards for me. The cuts were not perfect so I had to even them out. It's really very simple and the stand is solid.
I had zero experience with building a stand but followed this thread and within a few hours I had the frame built.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964
You can do this yourself if you have a circular saw, a drill, a few C-clamps and a couple of larger clamps to hold the frame together and some screws. I didn't have a saw so I had my Lowes cut the boards for me. The cuts were not perfect so I had to even them out. It's really very simple and the stand is solid.
+1
If it can go wrong... it will.
And until then, drop the water level as much as you can without affecting your filtration, or exposing your heater.
A typical college aquarium stand is some cinder blocks stacked up with some plywood or 2x construction lumber. Very cheap and extremely strong. You can paint it or cover it. If you wanted to get fancy for a little additional cash, paint the cinder blocks white or black and buy some 8 quarter oak boards for the top and sand and varnish them.
Another inexpensive solution that doesn't look all that bad. Get some 4x4's and 2x4's. You'll need a drill and a saw. Hand saw will work, renting a cutoff saw would work, and you need a cordless drill anyway, all men do, order one from Harbor freight, probably $10.
Cut the 4x4's to the desired height of your table. Use the 2x4's for spanners. Span the desired lengths with 2 2x4's on each of the 4 sides. Attach the spanners by driliing holes through the 4x4's and spanners and attaching them with carriage bolts. (I would go with 3/8 inch). Be sure to put a washer between the nut and wood. On a glass tank, no top is necessary, but you could if you wanted by getting a "hobby" panel of MDF, Melamine, or plywood and home depot. You should paint it.
Cut the 4x4's to the desired height of your table. Use the 2x4's for spanners. Span the desired lengths with 2 2x4's on each of the 4 sides. Attach the spanners by driliing holes through the 4x4's and spanners and attaching them with carriage bolts. (I would go with 3/8 inch). Be sure to put a washer between the nut and wood. On a glass tank, no top is necessary, but you could if you wanted by getting a "hobby" panel of MDF, Melamine, or plywood and home depot. You should paint it.
Agree with the above posts with regards to internet searched for complete plans and using places to cut the wood to length for you (warning, you get what you pay for...).
I just build a 40 breeder stand for a buddy of mine, took me about 2 hours to construct everything.
2x4s and 1/2 inch plywood was all I used.
double 2x4's on the corners (perpendicular to eachother). Put some cross braces at 16" on center to support in the middle". Should have some 2x4s that run thow whole length from top to bottom besides the parallel ones to the ground (top and bottom rectangles).
I know what I said probably doesn't make much sense since you are not looking at plans, but i do know there are many detailed plans with cut lists available online.
Also take into account if you want a sump below the tank and how you are going to get that sump into the stand and service the sump. I.E. through the back or front to pull the sump tank out...
Good luck. Best case is ask around and find someone who does carpentry work, buy them a pizza and some beer and have them help you.
-Justin
I just build a 40 breeder stand for a buddy of mine, took me about 2 hours to construct everything.
2x4s and 1/2 inch plywood was all I used.
double 2x4's on the corners (perpendicular to eachother). Put some cross braces at 16" on center to support in the middle". Should have some 2x4s that run thow whole length from top to bottom besides the parallel ones to the ground (top and bottom rectangles).
I know what I said probably doesn't make much sense since you are not looking at plans, but i do know there are many detailed plans with cut lists available online.
Also take into account if you want a sump below the tank and how you are going to get that sump into the stand and service the sump. I.E. through the back or front to pull the sump tank out...
Good luck. Best case is ask around and find someone who does carpentry work, buy them a pizza and some beer and have them help you.
-Justin
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