DIY Stand: Span 6ft with 2X8?

[anative]

I currently have a stand that I built a few years ago for my 220 tank (72"X24"X30"). The stand is built with a 2X4 and skinned on 3 sides with 1/2" Plywood. Here is a picture of the current frame:

I want to eliminate the rear center vertical support. At the same time I want to add 4" to the top platform that the tank sits on. My thought is to take out the rear 2X4 that runs the length of the tank and replace it with a 2X8. I would then add an additional 2X4 around the rest of the top platform to bring it to the same level.

Here is what I am thinking:

So the $10,000 question is will that 2X8 support the back of the tank spanning 6ft without a center support?

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Jon

 

[flfirefighter13]

yes it will hold just fine, would be a little better to have the top frame attach by sitting on top of the legs, or at least plan ona solid through bolt to hole it on the side like it is drawn. Id even bet a 2x6 would hold the weight. Ive got a 180 on a 8' stand made out of 2x4 and the center leg is not needed, but I do have a sheet of half inch ply on top of it.

 

[daywn]

my 180 has been up for over a year and it has no front center support.i doubled up a 2X6 across the front.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

doubled up ?

 

[hahnmeister]

he made them into a '4x6' in other words.

I would look into a 2x6 or something along those lines, and then bolt a piece of angle iron or plate steel 6' long and 2-4" thick to the backside of the wood. Then you get a very strong front beam. OR, you could sub out the front beam all together for a steel I-beam.

 

[ruarox]

i just built a stand for my 125. used 2x6for top header with removable center support,so i could get 55g in and out if necessary. before tank was on it and full center support went in and out no problem,but with tank full of water had to lift center (two people) third person pushed in. so i would go 2x8 if no center support going in.

 

[RocketEngineer]

A problem you will have if you only replace one board with a 2X8 (my recomended size) and try to stack more 2X4's on the others is that there will be a 1/4 inch difference in height.

Modern "2X4" lumber is actually 1.5 X 3.5, a "2X6" is 1.5 X 5.5 and a "2X8" is 1.5 X 7.25. So, if you stack two 2X4s on edge, you would only get 7 inches tall, not the 7.25 height of the 2X8.

Instead, look into making at least the entire perimeter box the same size and the boards across the middle can be reused.

 

[hahnmeister]

Thats why I would suggest sticking to 2x4 or 2x6 and simply bolting a metal beam/channel to the backside of the beam for support... Low profile and less deflection.

 

[MSU Fan]

Re: DIY Stand: Span 6ft with 2X8?

So the $10,000 question is will that 2X8 support the back of the tank spanning 6ft without a center support?

My thought is: absolutely (provided the corners will properly support the tank, both from a weight perspective, as well as from a stability perspective).

I have a number of LFS near me that have extremely large tanks with just the ends on cinder blocks, and no middle support whatsoever. I have also seen this in many posts on this site. Glass is just not designed to flex in that direction very easily, so corner support and stability is all that is really needed.

Disregard everything I have just said if this is an acrylic tank. Seriously.

EDITTED to remove HTML link

 

[RocketEngineer]

Actually, I went and ran some numbers on this and a single 2X6 over the 60" span without a center support should do the job. Just make sure its free of knots and you should be all set.

Hahnmeister, not everyone has the tools for working with steel available to them.

 

[hahnmeister]

Im talking about a drill with a metal bit... and some bolts... thats it. If you are building a stand, you should have these already.

 

[spence15610]

like hahn said it is not very hard to do, when I built my stand for my 125 I went to a local metal shop and purchased a 2''x 3'' galvanized rectangle tube with 1/4" thick walls, the shop cut it to size and sold it to me by the foot, I then bolted it to the back side of the front 2 x 6 - very strong span indeed and no worries about bowing

 

[Rhodophyta]

I have a stand holding two 125's made of 2 x4's except for the "legs". It has been holding the two tanks for a couple years +. Not the least bit of deflection or problems of any sort. I have photos, but I'm not sure how to post them here. The member portrait in my gallery shows me sitting on one of the five stands I built to hold ten large tanks after they were nearly assembled but before painting. As you can see under me, no center posts, but I did add the triangles sitting on the ground to the corners for lateral bracing.

 

[Rhodophyta]

I'm not sure you will notice the triangles on the floor since the photo came through blurry after downsizing it, but I am holding one of the triangles in my right hand.

 

[samtheman]

Replace the front header with two 2X6's glued and nailed together with a 1/2" plywood spacer.

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9815552#post9815552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by samtheman
Replace the front header with two 2X6's glued and nailed together with a 1/2" plywood spacer.

2 x 4's are more than adequate for this with the lateral boards sandwiched with the plywood spacer which does more than just space. If it runs the length of the board, the final sandwich is almost as strong as three 2 x 4's glued and screwed together. And nails sometimes back out, so I would use good screws, deck screws with the reinforced shank so the heads won't pop off like drywall screws and poor quality deck screws.

I drop the plywood and inner 2 x 4 down so that I can insert a sheet of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood to make a solid shelf.

 

[hahnmeister]

Its still wood and there can be significant deflection/warping with wood no matter how much you double up... its a 6' span after all, and depending on the maker, this may not be enough. Thats why the center post is there... sure, a regular 2x4 is prolly enough for many tanks, but no matter what you do, its still wood, so its still going to flex in the middle some. Thats why I suggest metal. It ends up being lower profile as well.

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9817141#post9817141 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Its still wood and there can be significant deflection/warping with wood no matter how much you double up... its a 6' span after all, and depending on the maker, this may not be enough. Thats why the center post is there... sure, a regular 2x4 is prolly enough for many tanks, but no matter what you do, its still wood, so its still going to flex in the middle some. Thats why I suggest metal. It ends up being lower profile as well.

It is the plywood core that prevents the deflection/warping. The glue and screws laminate everything together and that can't be done with a metal plate or bar. Plus the metal can rust. Wood can rot. Both should be properly sealed or painted.

As to flexing in the middle, you can see all 265 or so pounds of me perched on the front of the six foot span with no deflection which my son measured for as I climbed on to the stand. My weight is a point load compared to an aquarium which tends to spread its load to the corners.

 

[spence15610]

sandwiching plywood between 2 boards with glue & all still sounds like more work than simply bolting metal channel to the back of the board and no matter how much wood you use it will still not be as strong, I paid $37.00 for the rectangle tube and it took about 15 minutes to drill and bolt on, I would think that as much money & time put in to setting up a tank why would you want to cut corners on your stand

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9818646#post9818646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spence15610
sandwiching plywood between 2 boards with glue & all still sounds like more work than simply bolting metal channel to the back of the board and no matter how much wood you use it will still not be as strong, I paid $37.00 for the rectangle tube and it took about 15 minutes to drill and bolt on, I would think that as much money & time put in to setting up a tank why would you want to cut corners on your stand

"still sounds like more work" are your words, so who is cutting corners? Every place you drilled the rectangle tubing it is effectively just flimsey sheet metal.The wood it is bolted to can still warp and twist even if it were not for the tubing being weakened. Finally if you check into the load bearing, you will see that you are incorrect in claiming the metal is stronger.

I have seen stands made with cinder blocks and black (gas line) pipe. Those are sturdy but not pretty enough for the living room.