TheFishMan65
New member
i was thinking that maybe you might set a quarantine tank on it. But good thoughts I could see children climbing up there for a better view 
DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
racefan
New member
Got my stand finished. Thanks to the help from the fine folks here it was a piece of cake. Here's the latest pics.
I put a side door in to make sump maint. eaisier. & two doors with a wide access in front.
Here's the inside. I painted it white to reflect the light when I get my sump & start Cheato growing. I got the cheapest 12"x12" peel & stick floor tiles from Home Depot(36 cents ea) to use on the floor so when water spills it can be easily wiped up or evaporate for those lazy moods.Mounted a power strip in a easy to reach spot & made a GFI gang box & mounted to the rear wall. Next addition is going to be one of those white shower caddy baskets mounted to the inside of one of the doors.
Just another inside view.
I put a side door in to make sump maint. eaisier. & two doors with a wide access in front.
Here's the inside. I painted it white to reflect the light when I get my sump & start Cheato growing. I got the cheapest 12"x12" peel & stick floor tiles from Home Depot(36 cents ea) to use on the floor so when water spills it can be easily wiped up or evaporate for those lazy moods.Mounted a power strip in a easy to reach spot & made a GFI gang box & mounted to the rear wall. Next addition is going to be one of those white shower caddy baskets mounted to the inside of one of the doors.
Just another inside view.
canesfan44
New member
looks good
Virtuoso
New member
Well, after reading all the threads and all the posts in this chain, I figured I'd give it a shot. When I first heard about DIY Stands I thought you all were crazy. So much weight on a stand built by myself? Ha!
The plans are great. Unfortunately, I feel like I don't have the skill or the tools for the job. I was using a pretty terrible circular saw that made cutting all the pieces to the exact same size a pain, so I sanded them down and made them as even as I could. Putting it together I think I did an okay job, but here is the result and some problems I think I have.
Shot of the stand -
Right front corner. I am concerned about the overhang and the fact that the tank is not resting on the wood.
Left front corner. Overhang. At least this side is touching the wood.
Left back corner. Overhang. Also touching the wood on this side, good thing.
Right back corner. Overhang, not touching the wood.
Is the knot in this wood going to be a problem?
I am a little concerned that the 2x4 in this corner is not as tight and "straight" as the other 3 corners. Does this look like a problem?
And my first "full tank shot" for those of you kind enough to get this far. Thank you!
I am starting to realize that woodworking may not be my forte. My initial thoughts are that the overhang is going to cause structural problems with the tank and is not safe. Would putting a sheet of plywood around it so the tank is sitting on the 2x4 and the plywood be acceptable? Or maybe putting an extra 2x4 frame on all the sides? I don't know. Do I need to stat again? I think that the tank not quite touching on one side may be easily solved as I think the middle 2x4 on the top is a little too high and the tank is slightly resting on it. If I lower it I think the tank may be even enough that I can sand down any tall spots.
Really appreciate any feedback. Been a long day and I am kind of frustrated. Thanks again.
The plans are great. Unfortunately, I feel like I don't have the skill or the tools for the job. I was using a pretty terrible circular saw that made cutting all the pieces to the exact same size a pain, so I sanded them down and made them as even as I could. Putting it together I think I did an okay job, but here is the result and some problems I think I have.
Shot of the stand -
Right front corner. I am concerned about the overhang and the fact that the tank is not resting on the wood.
Left front corner. Overhang. At least this side is touching the wood.
Left back corner. Overhang. Also touching the wood on this side, good thing.
Right back corner. Overhang, not touching the wood.
Is the knot in this wood going to be a problem?
I am a little concerned that the 2x4 in this corner is not as tight and "straight" as the other 3 corners. Does this look like a problem?
And my first "full tank shot" for those of you kind enough to get this far. Thank you!
I am starting to realize that woodworking may not be my forte. My initial thoughts are that the overhang is going to cause structural problems with the tank and is not safe. Would putting a sheet of plywood around it so the tank is sitting on the 2x4 and the plywood be acceptable? Or maybe putting an extra 2x4 frame on all the sides? I don't know. Do I need to stat again? I think that the tank not quite touching on one side may be easily solved as I think the middle 2x4 on the top is a little too high and the tank is slightly resting on it. If I lower it I think the tank may be even enough that I can sand down any tall spots.
Really appreciate any feedback. Been a long day and I am kind of frustrated. Thanks again.
Virtuoso
New member
Bump for the morning crew. At this point I guess I should just start the stand over? I figured out the problem on the overhang. I did the stand to the measurements of the tank, not the measurements of the tank + brace. Need to add like 1/8 an inch on each side to account for the brace.
TheFishMan65
New member
How big is the tank. IMHO 3/4 plywood top will be fine for an 1/8 overhang. I was hoping someone with more than an opinion would chime it. 3/4 plywood should spread the weight enough.
Virtuoso
New member
Thanks for the feedback either way. The tank is 90g. My first thought last night was plywood, seeing as some people build their entire tanks out of plywood, but at this point I am not against rebuilding the thing from scratch. It is a pain, but it is not exactly expensive and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot. Anyone else with thoughts?
Hi everyone, I have used the original poster's plan to build several stands for tanks in my house. Everything from a 40 Breeder up to a couple of 75 gallons. I recently purchased a 125 gallon and I am starting to plan out the stand but have a couple of modifications I would like some input on. I am looking to create a stand that is approximately 8" longer in length and 4" wider. Basically for a 4" wide ledge around the whole tank. I did this on my last 75 gallon, here are some pictures.
As you can see in the frame picture the corners were not supported yet. I eventually added supports to all four corners using 2x4's. My main reason for this plan was not to get the ledge around the tank but was to have a larger area for sump and equipment under the display tank. I ended with a stand that is ridiculously heavy an way overbuilt. Although it served its purpose.
I am looking to do something similar and was wondering if there is a way to support the 125 gallon display while leaving the interior of the stand free of supporting legs. I hope this makes sense. I have been staring at plans for the last couple of days trying to figure out if there is a way to do this. Any suggestions would be awesome.
Thanks,
Miike
As you can see in the frame picture the corners were not supported yet. I eventually added supports to all four corners using 2x4's. My main reason for this plan was not to get the ledge around the tank but was to have a larger area for sump and equipment under the display tank. I ended with a stand that is ridiculously heavy an way overbuilt. Although it served its purpose.
I am looking to do something similar and was wondering if there is a way to support the 125 gallon display while leaving the interior of the stand free of supporting legs. I hope this makes sense. I have been staring at plans for the last couple of days trying to figure out if there is a way to do this. Any suggestions would be awesome.
Thanks,
Miike
IMO you have two options with this stand. The first is to put 3/4" plywood around the outside and make sure it is flat and even at the top all the way around with a piece of plywood on the bottom underneath so that everyting sits on the plywood. Glue and screw the plywood skin and it should be fine imo. Second just put a piece of 3/4" plywood on the top the same size as the tank. The Oceanic stand that came with my 156g 3/4" glass tank only has support directly under both ends and a couple of weak braces across the back. The front braces are back well over an inch from the front edge of the plywood the tank sits on. Personally, I would do both. Skin the sides so the tank sits on the plywood and the 2x frame and put 3/4" plywood on the top and bottom of the stand.
This is just my opinion however and pretty much what I did on mine by design, however I'm not a structural engineer so take it for what it's worth.
Edit - after re-reading your post if it's only sticking out 1/8th of an inch on each side I think it would be fine as is, but I'd probably still skin it like I said above only you could get away with 1/2" or 1/4" plywood for the skin. I'd still use 3/4" on the top just to be safe.
TheFishMan65
New member
According to the OP the whole thing can be 2x4s no 2x6s are needed.
Virtuoso
New member
Thank you for the feedback. I think now that I know what I am doing I am just going to build a new frame. Measure things properly and rent a miter saw so everything is a bit more accurate. Would rather do things the right way, we are only talking about a few hours of work and $30 in wood.
Virtuoso
New member
Rebuilt the stand yesterday after renting a miter saw, and let me say that was much easier. The wood was much more accurately cut and it made it a lot easier to put together. Also added half an inch on the width and the depth and now it fits perfectly.
Going to be coating it with Killz one night this week, then hopefully doing the skin and plumbing next week.
Thanks again RocketEngineer for this awesome thread and everyone else for their help and contributions.
Going to be coating it with Killz one night this week, then hopefully doing the skin and plumbing next week.
Thanks again RocketEngineer for this awesome thread and everyone else for their help and contributions.
How long is too long for Acrylic?
How long is too long for Acrylic?
Mr. Rocket,
Im Concerned, I am in the planning stages of a new 400+ gallon display. The final dimensions are not confirmed but looking to be 120"L x 30"W x 30"T. My concern is I have not seen any one build a wooden 10 foot stand before. My filtration will not be kept under the tank so vertical supports are no issue. The concern is deflection on 10 feet as the display will be Acrylic. Do you feel there should be concern here and not go with a woody and go with a steal stand? My plan is to build a wall unit, wall to wall again, only storing small stuff under the tank. What size rail do you recommend here for that span?
Thank you for your help here!!!
How long is too long for Acrylic?
Mr. Rocket,
Im Concerned, I am in the planning stages of a new 400+ gallon display. The final dimensions are not confirmed but looking to be 120"L x 30"W x 30"T. My concern is I have not seen any one build a wooden 10 foot stand before. My filtration will not be kept under the tank so vertical supports are no issue. The concern is deflection on 10 feet as the display will be Acrylic. Do you feel there should be concern here and not go with a woody and go with a steal stand? My plan is to build a wall unit, wall to wall again, only storing small stuff under the tank. What size rail do you recommend here for that span?
Thank you for your help here!!!
DGlove904
New member
How did you get your skin like that. Do you have any build pictures, or build thread available . Thanks
mine so far..:
bottom so far:
canopy so far:
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