DIY Stands Template and Calculator

Hmm no answer, this thread has got slow...

a plywood cabinet with cleats on the inside for the to sit on and cleat around the bottom for the same for a sump shelf is enough For a 75 My 75 Was on a stand like this for 20 years before we moved and built the tank we have now into the wall...
 
Can these same general designs be utilized using pine board as opposed to 2×4's? I'd like something a little more roomy. It'd be skinned in plywood. The size I'm looking at 48"×25"×36" to house two deep blue 20×20 tanks
 
Building an oversized stand for a 48"x24"x24" 120gal tank. Placing a 48" sump in stand so need the stand oversized to house the larger sump. Using the recommended 2x6's for the top frame with 2x6 support legs. Also want no front center brace. Trying to determine ways to reduce weight without sacrificing strength. As opposed to using plywood as an exterior I was going to use 1" pine boards but the added weight is concerning. Still thinking...
 
Quick question....
For a 150" stand, how many vertical uprights should I have for support on both the front and back? And where should I space them?
I'd like to be able to get a 7 or 8' sump in there, so I'd like 1 or 2 to be removable if need be. The upper and lower rails will be 2x8, or should I go 2x10?
Thx
Actually a couple questions. Sorry
 
Planning a 700 gallon 10' x 48" x 30" (LxWxH). Can this formula be used without making any changes for a tank of this size? Two vertical braces on each long side, and probably one on each short side? Top Rails 2x8 (I'd do 2x10) and everything else 2x4? What about supporting the center of the tank? Would I need feet on the interior of the stand, and if so, how would I attach them to the stand? Just attach them to the cross braces? Sorry for all the questions.
 
I'm getting all my supplies ready to build a stand for my 72x27x27 tank. I wanted to ask a couple questions before I do.

I know it's a preference but could someone suggest a good height for the stand? I'm 5'11 but my wife's 5'3, I want a good middle for both of us to enjoy the tank. Is 40'' to tall?

I'm planning on using 2x6's for the top frame and 2x4's for everything else. I'll be adding a center brace and will be eliminating the screw strips by utilizing pocket drilling. Do I have to add a center brace in the front and back of stand since I'm using 2x6's? Should I just use 2x8's instead?

Lastly, can anyone point me to a thread that shows how to do crown molding or any type of trim on a stand? This seems very hard to do and just thinking of hiring someone to do it since I'm still fairly new to this.

Thank you guys and sorry if these questions have already been answered.
 
I'm getting all my supplies ready to build a stand for my 72x27x27 tank. I wanted to ask a couple questions before I do.

I know it's a preference but could someone suggest a good height for the stand? I'm 5'11 but my wife's 5'3, I want a good middle for both of us to enjoy the tank. Is 40'' to tall?

I'm planning on using 2x6's for the top frame and 2x4's for everything else. I'll be adding a center brace and will be eliminating the screw strips by utilizing pocket drilling. Do I have to add a center brace in the front and back of stand since I'm using 2x6's? Should I just use 2x8's instead?

Lastly, can anyone point me to a thread that shows how to do crown molding or any type of trim on a stand? This seems very hard to do and just thinking of hiring someone to do it since I'm still fairly new to this.

Thank you guys and sorry if these questions have already been answered.


I prefer stands near 35" tall mainly just so I have enough room under them for clearance for like skimmers and to work..

At 40" and 27" you will need a ladder to get in the Tank.. At 27" tall you may need one anyway..

Personally I always support a tank in the middle unless it is 3' or less.. lumber when supported on the ends no matter how thick will warp over time even if slightly. They dont have to be in the middle either if you use more braces. It also depends on the length of the tank on how many I would use.. May not be to important with a rimmed tank but it gives me piece of mind.

I am a over designer because it makes me feel comfortable.. I am no expert either again I do what makes me me feel comfortable enough too sleep.
 
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I need to build a stand to house a bigger sump.

My tank is 3/4" glass, it's 48 x 25.5 x 24

My sump is 41x24x20

This tank is also peninsula style and drilled through the bottom. How can I make the stand 30" wide and not sacrafice room in the bottom
 
I searched the forum but I haven't had any luck on this. I am building a 60x36x30 stand and would like to not have a center brace so that I can get the sump out easily. Can this design work if I use 2x6's or 2x8's on the "red" and "yellow" portions of the stand drawings from the original post?

Thanks!
 
I prefer stands near 35" tall mainly just so I have enough room under them for clearance for like skimmers and to work..

At 40" and 27" you will need a ladder to get in the Tank.. At 27" tall you may need one anyway..

Personally I always support a tank in the middle unless it is 3' or less.. lumber when supported on the ends no matter how thick will warp over time even if slightly. They dont have to be in the middle either if you use more braces. It also depends on the length of the tank on how many I would use.. May not be to important with a rimmed tank but it gives me piece of mind.

I am a over designer because it makes me feel comfortable.. I am no expert either again I do what makes me me feel comfortable enough too sleep.

Thanks for the reply! I decided to go 38'' tall on the stand. I will add center bracing. I have to figure out how to skin it with nice molding.
 
I searched the forum but I haven't had any luck on this. I am building a 60x36x30 stand and would like to not have a center brace so that I can get the sump out easily. Can this design work if I use 2x6's or 2x8's on the "red" and "yellow" portions of the stand drawings from the original post?

Thanks!


Standard Size tanks:

Less then 55g:
Should you wish to use smaller materials such as 1X4s the main thing to remember is that a 1X4 is half as strong as a 2X4. For a 55g, I would recommend a 2X4 frame but for the smaller sizes 1X4 is plenty strong enough.

Up to 90g:
For a tank with a 48" X 18" footprint and less then 90g, a standard 2X4 is capable of handling the span without issue.

120g/150g: For a tank with a 48" X 24" footprint, I would recommend a 2X6 top frame.

125g-240g: For tanks 72" long, I recommend a 2X8 top frame to span the full width of the tank without a center leg.

If you are dealing with a larger tank, review this thread for similar setups and if you can't find any let me know and I will run the numbers for you.

See Above... This is for Izzyish too...

I still feel better with a center brace especially with long tanks.

Also depending how you skin it you sometimes can have the skin carry some of the load and act as a brace.

My new stand I am making so I can put a door on the sides to remove the sump.
 
I searched the forum but I haven't had any luck on this. I am building a 60x36x30 stand and would like to not have a center brace so that I can get the sump out easily. Can this design work if I use 2x6's or 2x8's on the "red" and "yellow" portions of the stand drawings from the original post?

Thanks!

For a tank 60X36X30, you need to use 2X8s for the top boards.

I need to build a stand to house a bigger sump.

My tank is 3/4" glass, it's 48 x 25.5 x 24

My sump is 41x24x20

This tank is also peninsula style and drilled through the bottom. How can I make the stand 30" wide and not sacrafice room in the bottom

Since it is a peninsula style, keep the legs under the corners of the tank to keep the load path straight down and just extend the yellow boards to the 30" width.
 
Since it is a peninsula style, keep the legs under the corners of the tank to keep the load path straight down and just extend the yellow boards to the 30" width.

I dont understand what you mean, the stand ideally would need to be 3" wider all the way around to accomplish what I'm trying to do. I wouldnt want it 30" wide and 48" long. I actually need it to be 53" long if I could
 
If you made the red boards so they don't go all the way to the end of the top and instead ended inside the yellow boards, you could make the yellow boards go as wide as you want.

Like this but on both sides:


The ends of the red boards would still be supported by the legs but are now 51" long plus the 1.5" for the thickness of the yellow boards on each end works out to 54" total length. The yellow boards are 30" long as you desire. The tank, being 48" would be sitting directly over the leg because 54" - (3.5"*2) = 47" which isn't much of an overlap but it is enough. The frames would now have four red boards instead of two.

Does that help?
 
I'm getting all my supplies ready to build a stand for my 72x27x27 tank. I wanted to ask a couple questions before I do.

I know it's a preference but could someone suggest a good height for the stand? I'm 5'11 but my wife's 5'3, I want a good middle for both of us to enjoy the tank. Is 40'' to tall?

I'm planning on using 2x6's for the top frame and 2x4's for everything else. I'll be adding a center brace and will be eliminating the screw strips by utilizing pocket drilling. Do I have to add a center brace in the front and back of stand since I'm using 2x6's? Should I just use 2x8's instead?

Lastly, can anyone point me to a thread that shows how to do crown molding or any type of trim on a stand? This seems very hard to do and just thinking of hiring someone to do it since I'm still fairly new to this.

Thank you guys and sorry if these questions have already been answered.

I forgot to ask...since I'll be using 2x6's on the top frame, what size will I be okay with for my center brace? Is a 2x4 for a center brace okay on 72x27x27?
 
If you made the red boards so they don't go all the way to the end of the top and instead ended inside the yellow boards, you could make the yellow boards go as wide as you want.

Like this but on both sides:


The ends of the red boards would still be supported by the legs but are now 51" long plus the 1.5" for the thickness of the yellow boards on each end works out to 54" total length. The yellow boards are 30" long as you desire. The tank, being 48" would be sitting directly over the leg because 54" - (3.5"*2) = 47" which isn't much of an overlap but it is enough. The frames would now have four red boards instead of two.

Does that help?

Haha almost, I would need to see an actual diagram of exactly what I'm supposed to do
 
This should give you a good idea of what I was thinking.
picture.php
 
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