DIY Stands Template and Calculator

[kgross]

From reading the numbers above, I would be a little concerned. With the distributed load the beam will deflect ~.15 inch, so the center of the tank will not have any support? What percentage of the weight of the tank will be on each corner verses spread out across the whole edge of the tank. It would seem that a over an 1/8 of an inch droop in the beams of the stand on a 210 gallon tank would not be supporting the tank very evenly.

Kim

 

[vinc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11968835#post11968835 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RocketEngineer
Haxer,

If we assume the full weight of the tank is 3000#s, each red rail will take 1500#s. Pushing on a 2X8, that load applied all at the center of the rail creates a deflection of ~.25 inches and if applied as a distributed load the beam will deflect ~.15". Now since I don't see a glass pane 26 inches tall deflecting by over an eighth, the load doesn't all go into the rails. Instead, its transfered into the stand in the corners directly over the legs and from there into the floor.

vinc,
Only the red and yellow pieces need to be 2X8s. Everything else can be 2X4s. No need to make the stand heavier then needed. BTW, do you know Camp Tadma?

yes I do it is on the next street from me. I haven't been there since I was a scout 20 years ago. fun thing you asked about boy scout camp. about 6 months ago I took back roads to where lake of Iles is to see if I could remember what it looked like. But I couldn't with the golf course there. I saw the house where Lucky use to live but you can't tell. you must be from around this area where are you from

 

[drpo21]

ok question, for the green peices, do those have to be 2x4 or can they be 2x2 or 1x4s? because my design is crazy with angles, i need to figure out the best way to do this. the angles are 105 degrees in the front and 75 degrees in the back. any suggestions? can i use metal brackets instead?

 

[Pandafish]

Here is a version of Rocket Engineer's Stand for an Oceanic 120 with allowances for Plumping.

Tank dimensions (L 48.5 x W 24.5 H 25) Oceanics stand is (L 49 x W 25 x H 32)

The over flow is 18x4 centered with 15 inches on each side. Note that if you need more clearance for plumbing replace the Purple with 2x8 and adjust the orange and yellow accordingly.

 

[RocketEngineer]

kgross,
That number is based on having the load able to move up and down. In reality, the panes of glass in the tank will take a good portion of the load anyways as they are much stiffer then the stand. The idea here is to place the crown of the boards up such that as the tank is filled and the stand is loaded, the crown is pushed flat and the tank is supported along its whole length.

vinc,
I grew up in CT. Our troop stayed at Tadma during most of our regular camping trips. Several of the guys in my troop worked there. We stayed at a campsite that we called S.T.B.Y. as it was the furthest out from the center of camp. Great campsite but one heck of a walk to get to anything else.

drpo21,
The green pieces are screwing strips so they can be smaller if necessary. A 2X cut down to match the angles would be acceptable. If you skin it with plywood, then the screw strips can be relatively small. If no skin, then the screw strips work to keep the stand square and should be larger.

Pandafish,
Thanks for posting this. There are many different ways to adapt this design. Yours is a great example.

 

[vinc]

well I figure I post a picture of the stand I am working on it is not done yet but you probably can put a bus on it and it won't fall apart

I used all 2x8 except for the frame that sits on the floor

 

[Paul_PSU]

Vinc,
Nice stand! or are you building additional foundation for your house :lol: . Nice work!

Paul

 

[new92]

I have a question, I am starting a stand for a 75g following these plans. I have a 30g for a sump and I will have to double check the measurements but it looks like the legs will be about 2 inches too close together to slide the sump in from the side.

- Would it be possible to make the stand 1.5-2" wider and use 3 braces across the top rather than 1 connecting the 2x4 rails, and then putting 3/4" plywood on it? The 75g then would be about an inch inside of the rails instead of directly over the corners and rails.

I am kinda thinking the braces and the 3/4 would be strong enough, but at the same time am not 100% sure.

If you dont think it would be safe, I can just make the front removable, or the doors bigger and put the sump in from the front.

 

[new92]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11904641#post11904641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeddy576
I am going to build a stand for a 20L It measures 30X12X12. I want to have more space under my tank for a sump so I was thinking of making the stand 40X16X36. Do i just add 2X4's on the top frame where the tank will sit?

Thanks

This is kinda related to my question too. Just not as much extra area in mine, only an inch roughly.

 

[uncleant]

hey rocket. im redoing my tank and moving it and i thought that now would be a great time to make a nice stand so i dont have to look at the crappy metal one. My uncle is a carpenter and he said he would do it for me as long as i give him good plans. I would like the stand to be 74'' long 34'' high and 19.5 wide. Can you make a diagram for me please.

 

[jerryz]

You mean like the diagram on page 1?

 

[uncleant]

yeah

 

[RocketEngineer]

new92,
There are 11 inches between the legs on the side for an 18" wide stand. That said, I would think that you could get a 30g tank in from the front or back of the stand far easier then trying to slide it in from the side. The front opening is 38 inches between the legs where as the tank is only 36. Also, there is no reason you couldn't make the stand 19.5 inches front to back, setting the edge of the tank in the middle of the rails, and allowing 1/2" for the frame of the 30g.

uncleant,
Honestly, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. You would need to calculate the lengths of the various pieces but that can be done with a pencil and paper. For any detail work like moldings and doors, that is very personalized/customized. Print off the first page, run the numbers, then talk to him again. You never know what ideas he may have for the finish detailing.

 

[DrkPhx]

Does the tank need to have a skin? I want to use the design for a tank that I am going to be building into a wall. The front of the stand will be covered with drywall, but I would like to leave the sides and the rear of the stand open so that I can have access. I know that the tank will be 72" long but I not sure of the other dimensions yet.

 

[drpo21]

wow, so woodwork isnt my specialty and have been running calculations for my stand recently. i had no idea that a 2x4 is really a "1 1/2 x 3 1/2" ***, noone told me and why would they advertise that, now i gota buy more wood. <---newb in woodwork
im determined though... itll get done

 

[new92]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11997104#post11997104 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RocketEngineer
new92,
There are 11 inches between the legs on the side for an 18" wide stand. That said, I would think that you could get a 30g tank in from the front or back of the stand far easier then trying to slide it in from the side. The front opening is 38 inches between the legs where as the tank is only 36. Also, there is no reason you couldn't make the stand 19.5 inches front to back, setting the edge of the tank in the middle of the rails, and allowing 1/2" for the frame of the 30g.

uncleant,
Honestly, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. You would need to calculate the lengths of the various pieces but that can be done with a pencil and paper. For any detail work like moldings and doors, that is very personalized/customized. Print off the first page, run the numbers, then talk to him again. You never know what ideas he may have for the finish detailing.

Thanks.

I was just thinking that it would be easier as a backup plan to be able to slide it in from the end, I could have the skin of the end of teh stand screwed on since it would not be viewed and then depending on how I end up skinning/finishing eh fron I wouldnt have an issue if I ever needed to get the sump out from underneath (maintenance, breakage, redoing a layout of sump, etc.)

I was just thinking too that the 19.5" might look a little nicer.


Thanks again, awesome plans and explanations. Made the shopping list much easier to come up with to get it all in one visit lol

 

[Pandafish]

Here is s handy link on lumber dimentions:
Common Lumber Dimentions

 

[jeffhaag]

So if I'm understanding this thread right, I can actually build a stand for a my new 500gal tank out of entirely 2x4's? The tank is 120Lx36"Wx30"H. If I put 2 vertical supports along the length dimensions of the tank, that would make the spans about 40" and the front to back span 36"? Am I missing something?

 

[RocketEngineer]

jeffhaag,
When you get into that size tank, there are other considerations then just the distance between the legs. This template was intended for the standard tank sizes most people would encounter (30g-210g). Now, for you case. Lets assume your tank weighs the commonly quoted 10 pounds per gallon or ~5000 pounds full of water. Considering we want to be safe, lets bump that number up to 7500 pounds for sand and rock. Assuming the tank was primarily supported by the long sides, that would make each rail support 3750 pounds. Using your example, we split the rails into three equal lengths of 40 inches each. Making a second assumption that each of these is a single board simply supported at each end and not on continuous piece, each of these would support 1250 pounds. Working that loading for a 2X4 rail, the center of that rail would deflect .1944 inches. Now, this is all well and good but it means that the tank will in reality be subjected to eight localized loads at each of the legs. Now by simply changing the 2X4 top rails over to 2X6, the resultant deflection is only .0501 inches. Going up to 2X8s you would get .0219 inches for a 40 inch span.

Conclusion: THEORETICALLY you could build a stand for a 500g tank out of only 2X4s. The reality is that you would do much better off if the top rails were 2X6s with two center supports or even 2X8s. Making sure you use good quality lumber, ensuring everything starts and then stays square, there is no reason this kind of stand wouldn't work for your application.

 

[jeffhaag]

Thanks for the great feedback and all the information shared in this thread. I built my 210 gal tank using 2x6's and a design almost identical to these drawings over 5 years ago and it's still sturdy as a rock. I was worried about the 36" width and the weight of my new tank on a similar design. I had no idea that the 2x4 uprights could support this much weight.

I had originally started trying to come up with steel designs, but even a basic design with corner tubes and 2 center supports along the 10' span was quoted at $1200 using 2x2 0.120 Tubing. And that was the best quote of 3 down here in Chattanooga, TN.

I think I might go with wood again.