60 gallon cube build

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Djbeasley05

New member
Figured I would start a thread on my new build. While waiting for the cube to be built, getting the stand together. I had an old 40 breeder that I wanted to use as a sump so had to get creative with my stand. Let me know what you think!

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Cutting doors in the front. Would sump maintenance be easier if I put doors on the sides too?


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Looks good so far. I would definitely put doors on the sides. Wish I had a door on at least 1 side. I would make the bottom hold water. Mine will hold 3 inches of water before it spills onto the floor. I also raised my Stand with 1x2 strips so I could get a towel or airflow underneath it in case of a spill.

Is your tank drilled?
 
Badams75 said:
Looks good so far. I would definitely put doors on the sides. Wish I had a door on at least 1 side. I would make the bottom hold water. Mine will hold 3 inches of water before it spills onto the floor. I also raised my Stand with 1x2 strips so I could get a towel or airflow underneath it in case of a spill.



Is your tank drilled?
Click to expand...



Good idea about the drip pan for water! What did you use to catch the water? The cube that will go on the pedestal will be drilled in the back so plumbing will be behind the tank.


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Mine just had 1/4 plywood on the bottom. I sealed the seams with liquid nails and put 3 coats of exterior white paint on the inside. Sump is also 1/4" off the stand floor. I look in there every day so it will buy me a few hours at least to save my floors. Will make maintenance easier the lower the 40g is also.
 
I'd be worried about the tank, since it's not being supported along the edges. Water is around 9pounds/gallon. You're going to have 600 pounds or better pushing on the edge of the platform, if the tank is constructed like most glass aquariums. It looks like it's a 3/4" piece of softwood the tank will be sitting on. I'd think over time,the weight of the tank, will want to warp that wood into a convex shape (relative to the bottom of the tank). It may put stress on the tank's seams. Maybe a continuous slab (not edge glued) of 5/4 rock maple may hold up, but I don't know about any species of softwood. Now, if you could get your hands on a slab of granite...:thumbsup:
Same for the setup for the sump. I don't know if I'd trust that tank being supported just on the ends solely by a couple of 1x's laying on their side, with no support directly underneath them. I'd be afraid the humidity would surely warp them.
But I tend to overbuild things.
 
I think he'd be OK if he used the same concept on the top, but instead of the supports in the middle, make sure there's a solid piece of wood around the perimeter and one or two in the middle. The pine should be OK if it's got plenty of area to carry the load underneath.

I agree that the sump is going to need additional support. He'd actually be better off just letting the sump sit on the floor.

DJ - search for RocketEngineer's stand design on here. You'll find that you're really close to what he designed, but you need some additional support in the middle of your tanks.
 
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Also the 40 breeder was on this stand for years only supported by the sides which is why I built the sump brace like that.


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There's a big difference. There are load carrying boards built into that tank. Notice that they've got a board on each end of that support piece running down to the bottom of the stand. That means there isn't anywhere for that support piece to go. It's not going to bow in the middle.

In your current design the only things taking the weight of your tank are the screws connecting your support to the frame. There's not a lot of wood in those 1" pieces to hold those screws when they'll have all that weight on them. I'll bet if you pushed real hard on those boards you'd hear them cracking.

You'll be fine if you put some blocks under those boards. I'd put one on each end and probably two in the middle, just because. You could probably get away with one support in the middle, but why risk it.
 
EDJFA said:
There's a big difference. There are load carrying boards built into that tank. Notice that they've got a board on each end of that support piece running down to the bottom of the stand. That means there isn't anywhere for that support piece to go. It's not going to bow in the middle.



In your current design the only things taking the weight of your tank are the screws connecting your support to the frame. There's not a lot of wood in those 1" pieces to hold those screws when they'll have all that weight on them. I'll bet if you pushed real hard on those boards you'd hear them cracking.



You'll be fine if you put some blocks under those boards. I'd put one on each end and probably two in the middle, just because. You could probably get away with one support in the middle, but why risk it.
Click to expand...



Completely missed that! Good catch!


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Final coat!

Still have to brace the sump and pedestal. Then I have to wait a week and a half for the tank!


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