Cinder Block, Concrete and I Beam Stand?

[griss]

Has anyone here ever build a tank stand for a large tank using cinder blocks, concrete and I-Beams?

I am going to be ordering a 450 gallon tank in the near future and would like to use this type of stand. But, I have no idea how to go about making sure this type of stand will be level. Any suggestions?

TIA,

George

 

[SaltwaterNovice]

Griss:

I have never built a stand out of the above materials but I have been involved in some home construction with concrete walls and steeel I-Beam supports.

I think building a stand with these materials would be realitively simple and follow the same principles as home construction.

I would build three parts of the stand (out of either concrete or cinder blocks with concrete poured in the holes) (i.e., right side, back and left side).

I would leave a square notch in each front side wall to set the steel I beams into. The Steal I Beam would be placed perpendicular to the side walls as the front support. Then simply shim the steel I Beam with metal shims availabe at most lumber yards to level it with the side walls. (This is how they do it in home construction).

You then simply build a front facade with large doors for access to your under tank area.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck,

Brian

 

[Nagel]

I think Brian nailed it on the head. It was suggested to me to make my stand that way by some co-workers at the shop, but I've always been a woodworker, so I did a 4x4 frame.

If I only had access to the concrete slab beneath this floor, I would have done it this way...

 

[1Floyd]

Hey,

I-Beam stands are great!

Look at our www site for I-Beam and cement block for a 180g tank.

This stand design has evolved for our 600+ which you can see pictures here :

http://home.comcast.net/~k.howitt/

I love both stands, the room they afford is wonderful.

As to making the stand level it is pretty easy. Saltwater novice has got the right idea ... just shim.

I'd never build a traditional stand after having both of these ...

Good Luck !

 

[griss]

Thanks guys. I am a little challenged when it comes to carpentry, which is why I thought I would give the cinder block / I beam a try.

However, I have never worked with masonry, so I am not sure of my abilities to build this thing. My biggest concern is how to make sure a 6' x 4' stand is level

George

 

[dgasmd]

Thanks guys. I am a little challenged when it comes to carpentry, which is why I thought I would give the cinder block / I beam a try.

However, I have never worked with masonry, so I am not sure of my abilities to build this thing. My biggest concern is how to make sure a 6' x 4' stand is level

George

George:

I read an article in one of the fish magazines a few years back about this guy (I believe it is Greg Schimer) that build what you ahve in mind and then had a 500g glass tank built inside the house on top of it. It looked prety simple even for someone that has never worked with these materials. IIRC, he built just 2 parallel walls so to speak and put 3 I beams running from one end to the other He then put a sheet of plywood and the tank was built on top of it. It has been a while, so I don't have details fresh in my head.

Regardless of how permanent you think this house/tank will be, I would still build it out of 6x6 for the 4 corner posts and 2x6 for the other 2 middle ones. Much easier to work with. Just measure 6 times before cuttinf and error in the side of a few mm too long, so you can always sand it off. I ahve never done either, but I think this woould 10x easier to do. Plus, you don't ahve to wait for it to cure properly.

 

[DerekW]

Yeah, I remember that, I think it was in one of the marine and reef annual magazines, I'll have a look for it, and scan some pictures

 

[David MC Lee]

Griss:

Thanks for the letting CIMA view your setup a few weeks ago.
I plan to use floor jacks to level my 900G tank.
Try and Google this:
+"floor jack"+adjustable
May give you a few ideas. They are cheap and can hold a lot of weight, come in all different sizes.

 

[Energy]

I have built 4 in wall tank stands out of CMU. ( concrete masonry units) Verify if your floor is level using a 4' or larger level. If your floor is not level some shimming may be needed. I simply dry stacked my units and then laid Green treated 2x12" over the cmu blocks. I covered the green treated 2x 12" with a waterproof membrane to resist deteriation by the salt. I currently have a 220 and a 150 gallon tank built into the wall resting on this kind of stand. It is very simply- not carpentry skills needed. It is very inexpensive. Both stands cost about $90 to make total. I put them togehter in about 3 hours. Carefully place your blocks to allow access beneath your tanks for storage/ sump etc. The blocks take up space which is the drawback with this kind of stand.

 

[120bamaguy]

I would worry about using wood shims. with the mass of a 450 gallon tank pressing on them, I think they may compress a little. Causing the tank to go out-of-level after a few months. (Just a though)

 

[griss]

George:

I read an article in one of the fish magazines a few years back about this guy (I believe it is Greg Schimer) that build what you ahve in mind and then had a 500g glass tank built inside the house on top of it. It looked prety simple even for someone that has never worked with these materials. IIRC, he built just 2 parallel walls so to speak and put 3 I beams running from one end to the other He then put a sheet of plywood and the tank was built on top of it. It has been a while, so I don't have details fresh in my head.

Regardless of how permanent you think this house/tank will be, I would still build it out of 6x6 for the 4 corner posts and 2x6 for the other 2 middle ones. Much easier to work with. Just measure 6 times before cuttinf and error in the side of a few mm too long, so you can always sand it off. I ahve never done either, but I think this woould 10x easier to do. Plus, you don't ahve to wait for it to cure properly.

dgasmd,

Yeah I have that issue of Marine Fish and Reef USA. I had actually forgotten about that stand Greg made until Nagel reminded me of this type of stand in a conversation he and I had.

I also PM'd Greg asking for some tips, but have not heard back from him.

 

[griss]

I have built 4 in wall tank stands out of CMU. ( concrete masonry units) Verify if your floor is level using a 4' or larger level. If your floor is not level some shimming may be needed. I simply dry stacked my units and then laid Green treated 2x12" over the cmu blocks. I covered the green treated 2x 12" with a waterproof membrane to resist deteriation by the salt. I currently have a 220 and a 150 gallon tank built into the wall resting on this kind of stand. It is very simply- not carpentry skills needed. It is very inexpensive. Both stands cost about $90 to make total. I put them togehter in about 3 hours. Carefully place your blocks to allow access beneath your tanks for storage/ sump etc. The blocks take up space which is the drawback with this kind of stand.

If I cannot access the area under the stand, that will not be an issue. I plan to butt one of the 4' ends of the tank up against the wall of my soon to be fish room and have the tank viewable from 3 sides. I will have a 300 gallon fuge and a 100 gallon sump in the fish room, so no need to access under the stand at all

 

[gwrulzmylife]

keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Energy]

Shimming with wood is not the way to go. I also thought of skim coating with a floor leveler. I don't think this is the way to go either. The floor leveler would be to thin to support any weight. I have shimmed using ceramic floor tiles. They are durable and do not degrade like wood. The trick is finding floor tiles with the right thickness to shim with.

 

[zooqi]

griss :
any pictures of your stand and how you did it?

 

[Justjoe]

Some info on Greg's stand in this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=730564

Joe