What do you all do to waterproof the stand, do you just do it to the inside? I'm looking at staining and clear coating the front but I'm not sure if I should do more to seal it, or what is the best way to seal the inside, weither to use wood deck waterproofing stuff or kilz or something else.
DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter RocketEngineer
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Ok here we go got some pictures of the stand, I recently ordered this tank, and the stand was a good price from the same people so I ordered it too, and later I found why its a good price, it has, as far as I currently see it, insufficient supports. Here are the details and some pictures
The tank is a glass tank, weighs around 1200 lbs can't be much more 6 guys lifted it but it wasn't fun. Dimensions are 96x36x24 LWH
The Stand is 96x36x36 with a 35x35 inside height and width, I haven't measure the inside length but I imagine its something like 95 based on how the height and width came out. The oak ply skin on it is 3/4 inch thick so its not exactly thin stuff. The little wooden boards you will see everywhere are 2 1/4 inch wide and 3/4 inch thick, not 2x4s or 2x8s as I would prefer, but then that might be overkill if they were all replaced that way, they are secured to the 3/4inch oakply with what look to be penny nails or carpenter/furniture nails, you know the thin ones, and appear to be held there with quite a handful of them, about 1 every 1inch or so down the board, I don't see any glue but that doesn't mean they aren't glued there as well, I'll attempt to contact the builder and ask today.
I plan on running a wavebox, well 2, on this tank so I also need to prevent swaying as well, so I probably need to add additional supports for that as well or connect all the braces I'll be putting in both to each other and to the oak ply skin. Ok time for the pictures
Better shot of one of the 2 2x4s and the only 2x8, it could be a 2x6 I didn't measure come to think of it.
here is a picture of the other 2x4, pretty sure its a 2x6 now, and how they are placed together, I'm not seeing the screws/nails or glue on how they are connected to the ply or each other but there is some molding on the front that could be blocking me from seeing that, but they weren't moving when I was pulling
Outside of the stand, with my sump on top of the stand, yes I'm using a brand spanking new 125 long as my sump
A shot of my pretty 375g tank
Here is a long shot of the tank, 2 corner overflows both with 2x 1.5 inch drains
And the real perspective shot, my 125g sump, the same size as my largest running tank different dimensions, sitting on the stand
The tank is a glass tank, weighs around 1200 lbs can't be much more 6 guys lifted it but it wasn't fun. Dimensions are 96x36x24 LWH
The Stand is 96x36x36 with a 35x35 inside height and width, I haven't measure the inside length but I imagine its something like 95 based on how the height and width came out. The oak ply skin on it is 3/4 inch thick so its not exactly thin stuff. The little wooden boards you will see everywhere are 2 1/4 inch wide and 3/4 inch thick, not 2x4s or 2x8s as I would prefer, but then that might be overkill if they were all replaced that way, they are secured to the 3/4inch oakply with what look to be penny nails or carpenter/furniture nails, you know the thin ones, and appear to be held there with quite a handful of them, about 1 every 1inch or so down the board, I don't see any glue but that doesn't mean they aren't glued there as well, I'll attempt to contact the builder and ask today.
I plan on running a wavebox, well 2, on this tank so I also need to prevent swaying as well, so I probably need to add additional supports for that as well or connect all the braces I'll be putting in both to each other and to the oak ply skin. Ok time for the pictures
Better shot of one of the 2 2x4s and the only 2x8, it could be a 2x6 I didn't measure come to think of it.
here is a picture of the other 2x4, pretty sure its a 2x6 now, and how they are placed together, I'm not seeing the screws/nails or glue on how they are connected to the ply or each other but there is some molding on the front that could be blocking me from seeing that, but they weren't moving when I was pulling
Outside of the stand, with my sump on top of the stand, yes I'm using a brand spanking new 125 long as my sump
A shot of my pretty 375g tank
Here is a long shot of the tank, 2 corner overflows both with 2x 1.5 inch drains
And the real perspective shot, my 125g sump, the same size as my largest running tank different dimensions, sitting on the stand
Fishcrazy06
New member
Going to be building a stand for a 72 bowfront and was wondering a couple of different things. I bought all the 2x4's and am going to be cutting things now. All I Want to know is do you glue the butt joints together for the top and bottom frames? Are screws enough to hold them together? Or would you suggest adding some L brackets in each of the corners as well for some more support? Or would you suggest something all together different?
Eric
Eric
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
jsl6v8,
I can understand why the stand makes you nervous. With the strongest support in the middle, I would be worried also. Personally, I would copy what was done in the middle support to both ends and run stringers between the ends and the middle to make a box frame all the way around. Make sure the legs to through the bottom plywood to the floor. Between the plywood and the supports, everything should stay in place for years to come.
ebrabender,
For a bowfront, are you making the stand square or curved? If you're making it square, how do you support the curve of the tank properly? In the corners, the screw strips act to hold everything together while the weight is transfered straight through the legs. If you screw from both sides of the corner into the screw trip, I don't see anything needing additional support. Facing with plywood will help immensley to keep things square.
I can understand why the stand makes you nervous. With the strongest support in the middle, I would be worried also. Personally, I would copy what was done in the middle support to both ends and run stringers between the ends and the middle to make a box frame all the way around. Make sure the legs to through the bottom plywood to the floor. Between the plywood and the supports, everything should stay in place for years to come.
ebrabender,
For a bowfront, are you making the stand square or curved? If you're making it square, how do you support the curve of the tank properly? In the corners, the screw strips act to hold everything together while the weight is transfered straight through the legs. If you screw from both sides of the corner into the screw trip, I don't see anything needing additional support. Facing with plywood will help immensley to keep things square.
I was given lots of tanks for free and they are not the size I planned so I changed the stand project so I could use them.
The tanks are now 60x30x40 cm (close to 24x12x16") - 72 liters (~19 gallons). Each level would hold 4 of these tanks and I was thinking on using 2x4 on everything.
Here is the new sketch with the measures,
Front:
Kind of a side view
Questions:
1 - Can 2x4 as "top rails" and "ends" hold that weight (288 liters = 76 gallons) with only corner uprights ? I´ve increased the load but the rails are shorter...
2 - Can 2x4 be used as all the corner uprigths (even the bottom ones) ? I was thiking the bottom ones would be on more pressure and, maybe, should be 2x6.
3 - What kind of wood is recommended for a stand like this ?
Thanks!
Anderson.
The tanks are now 60x30x40 cm (close to 24x12x16") - 72 liters (~19 gallons). Each level would hold 4 of these tanks and I was thinking on using 2x4 on everything.
Here is the new sketch with the measures,
Front:
Kind of a side view
Questions:
1 - Can 2x4 as "top rails" and "ends" hold that weight (288 liters = 76 gallons) with only corner uprights ? I´ve increased the load but the rails are shorter...
2 - Can 2x4 be used as all the corner uprigths (even the bottom ones) ? I was thiking the bottom ones would be on more pressure and, maybe, should be 2x6.
3 - What kind of wood is recommended for a stand like this ?
Thanks!
Anderson.
Fishcrazy06
New member
Was going to make the stand square. Was going to bring one extra 2x4 out to the distance of the front of the bow. So my two side pieces on the top of the stand frame would be a bit longer and then I Was going to run some braces between the two front 2x4's. I dunno if this makes sense or not.
Eric
Eric
mcclandy
New member
anyone ever build a stand for bowfront aquarium? I was going to build a standard square stand and add a bowed top to it. However, I am kinda baffled by the bow; and would like a stand that follows the bow too. Maybe i will just used slats all the way around the front bow, but i am still confused by making the bowed section.
just looking for some input! thanks
just looking for some input! thanks
Siffy
New member
You could try bowing the wood yourself. Or buying it with your eyes closed at Home Depot or Lowes. Odds are you'll grab one that's already bowed for you!
Seriously on the bowing yourself. A 4x4 cut to the correct length placed in the center of the board and apply light tension to the ends of the board and increase that tension slightly over time until the board produces the curve you need. You may need a lil more to it like side boards to prevent warping in an undesired direction and possibly wetting the board. You should be able to google for more information, people have been making wood match a curve for centuries. By the end of your reading I'd guess you'd be able to make chairs too.
Seriously on the bowing yourself. A 4x4 cut to the correct length placed in the center of the board and apply light tension to the ends of the board and increase that tension slightly over time until the board produces the curve you need. You may need a lil more to it like side boards to prevent warping in an undesired direction and possibly wetting the board. You should be able to google for more information, people have been making wood match a curve for centuries. By the end of your reading I'd guess you'd be able to make chairs too.
fishnugget
Active member
I know tthis is a stupid question. It seems very easy to build for my 90 gallon acrylic tank. Is everything nailed or screwed together. If screwed , what type? Are there any other things used to keep wood tight & together?
Siffy
New member
Screwed. Any exterior/coated wood screw will work fine. If you're willing to pay extra for them a hex/allen or robertson head will save some headache since those styles prevent camming out. And if you're willing to spend the extra time, pilot holes will help as well. You could run a seam of wood glue between the legs, but it shouldn't be necessary.
How does a person go about making the ends of the stand curved? I have a Tenecor acrylic with the front corners rounded and would like my stand to match it. The only way I can think of is to use a router and make the edge of a 2x4 have a similar curve and then use 1/8" thick wood to curve around it. Even with soaking the wood I think it might break. Any other ideas on how to build the curved ends?
rkcca
New member
I used coated deck screws from HD.
Anywhere there is a joint, add wood glue. As I understand, glued joints are stronger than the wood itself.
Microlam beams, like plywood, have more strength than a single piece of wood of the same dimension.
Click on my red house if you'd like to see my build. The stand is a little different since it is not a standard box.
burton14e7
New member
Is it an issue if you extend the depth of the stand more than the tank? Or is it an issue if the back of the tank does not sit directly over the red beam?
fishnugget
Active member
I have a 90 gallon acylic that i need to build a stand for. New at this. I see the plans. I guess I need a plywood top and base for sump. 60 day temp situation. don't need to cover with skin.
Could you give me any input? Materials needed, Proceedure etc.
Tank measures 48.75 wide, 18.25 deep
Could you give me any input? Materials needed, Proceedure etc.
Tank measures 48.75 wide, 18.25 deep
This is a VERY informative thread- thanks to everyone that contributed. I have a question regarding stand height. I am planning a 100g tank with 55g sump (partially filled) on the bottom, and hopefully a couple of drawers in between (I would like the drawers at the bottom, but I want the center of mass of the entire unit as low as possible). Am I correct in assuming that if I can get distance from the floor to the center of mass to be lower than the half the depth (front to back) of the stand, the whole thing could not tip over? In Mykaye's equation, that would mean h < b/2. If so, how do I determine the center of mass of the entire unit (stand, tank, sump)? If I have 75% of the weight 45 inches from the floor, and 25% of the weight 10 inches from the floor, is it the same as having 100% of the weight 41.25 inches from the floor? If that is correct, and the display tank is 900 lbs and the sump is 315 pounds, the base could be a minimum of 13.5" deep and not tip, correct?
TIA,
Jim
TIA,
Jim
Oops- I was a bit confused in my calculations (my 13.5" base was based on Mykaye's calculation, but would have to be 82" to be 2x the height of the center of mass). I guess I still need confirmation that the center of mass of the tank and sump is a weighted average of the 2.
Jim
Jim
burton14e7
New member
Does anybody know if it's ok for the back end of the tank to not sit directly over the back beam.
gary faulkner
New member
It will crack if it doesn't sit perfectly on the stand. I know from experience.
HTH
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