DIY Stands Template and Calculator

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Tank is on, and perfectly level along all 4 sides. The top casing is up 1/8" on one corner which kind of threw me off. I bought a pack of cedar underlayment shingles and levelled out the stand on the short sides, now that the weight is on it I'll shim in the gaps and then it's time for a fill test! Woo hoo!
 
Would that be any issue if I followed this design for a 90g with all 2x4, but used a 55 on it? The back or front would be floating, not directly supported by a leg. It looks like the end pieces would still transfer weight to the legs I wasn't covering.

I was also thinking about replacing the boxed in 2x4 legs at one end with a single 2x6 arranged so I can slide a 40l under the stand for a sump.
 
Just an update, I moved everything from the tank that was about to crack into the tank/stand in my house. However I apparently did not do as good of a job as I thought on the stand because you could slide paper in between the stand and tank along the front corners. I noticed this after I noticed one of the seams showing bubbles that were well beyond the 'normal AGA silicone job' type of bubbles. I noticed them on 9am on Tuesday (put everything in the tank on Sunday night) and by 6pm Tuesday, they were worse.

So we tore it down, again, on Wednesday, put a piece of 3/4" ACS plywood down and set the tank on that, and then shimmed between the stand and the plywood. As it turns out, the entire right and left sides were floating off the stand. I did the plywood based on a recommendation from a local reef club member, and it most definitely was the way to go. Thick, rigid, heavy plywood that ACS stuff. Has an orange stripe on one end.

By Thursday, all the other seams started showing little bubbles too. But a few of the ones on the original seam went away, except for the biggest one right at the top of the left front corner of the tank, which is the worst of all. So I put a bar clamp on it. None of the other bubbles have gotten any worse then they were within 24 hours of the re-fill. However the tank is still not full, about 15+ gallons short, just so I could monitor the bubbles. I will be adding 5 gallons per day and watching the bubbles. But the tank is pretty much toast now IMO and when I get this all transferred back to the original owner in a few months, I will basically have to either pay to have it re-sealed or I will have to move it to my garage so that I can test fill it w/o the bar clamp and see if it holds for 6 months, or buy a new tank. Sux.

Bottom line here is that my personal advice to anyone making one of these stands is to make 100% sure that the stand is in full contact with the tank all the way around. The advice I was given was to take the 2x6s and nail a guide to it that was flat and run the other side through a table saw/fence to make one side true, then flip it over and run the other side so that you have a top box that is flat and true on both sides. If you cannot do this, get wood that is as flat and true as possible, build it, plane and sand, set the stand in place and put the tank on, and run a piece of paper all around between the tank and stand. if it goes through for any sections large enough (like 6", and especially on the corners) then you either have more sanding to do or you need to go the plywood/shims route.

Whatever you do, make sure the stand with flat and level, and the tank is in full contact with the stand. Mine wasn't, and now I basically just threw more than $300 down the toilet. That and my wife probably won't let me put another tank up in it's place.
 
I had a very slight crown in the middle of the front piece. I bought a hand planer and took it down but not quite enough, plus I thought I had planed it flat but apparently there was a slight tilt to the planer which meant that as you looked along the front member from the end, the backside (that the side member butted up to) was slightly higher than the front side. This created a point load 1.5" back from the front left corner and caused the front left corner to float. After removing all the water/rock, the tank was still in contact at that point but not along the front from the left corner to about 1/4 of the way along the front. Along the front right, it was off about 12" along the front and the entire right side front to back. When I say "off" I mean I can slide a piece of paper into the gap and move it back and forth without resistance/tearing. With load, the gap closed up a bit, but this was essentially twisting the tank.

From what everyone said, the bubbles were 'normal' but I guess I couldn't be sure myself. The seams looked perfect before, and had bubbles after, and they got bigger. Then I evened out the load and the bubbles appeared on all seams instead of just the one. Again you can't really see them unless you shine a flashlight on them.

Also if you read back I had one heck of a time getting the floor in full contact with the stand. I'm thinking that may have had something to do with it as well.

Also w/r to a question earlier about the floor being able to handle the load, there is actually a structural cross-beam running parallel with the back wall and either directly under that wall or directly under the back edge of the tank. There are 2 jack posts (now covered in drywall) along that structural beam, and one of them corresponds exactly with the position of the 1/4"+ rise in the floor that is located dead-center of the stand.

Not exactly a perfect situation.
 
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How long do you think a stand could be made with 2x4's before I would have to go with a center brace in the front? Could I have 4 feet in the middle with a total length of 55 inches?

Tks

Craig
 
I built my stand for a 40 breeder with frame on the bottom using 2x4's (stud quality kiln dried) and put my tank on tonight. Shining a light from under the tank out there are numerous areas where light shines between the 2x4's and tank frame. So the 2x4's do not have 100% contact with the tank frame since light is getting through.



The biggest gap is around 1/20th of an inch with most being able to slide 1 or 2 playing cards through the gap.



I think if I just screwed on a plywood top it would conform to the 2x4's and Id still have gaps.



Tank is sitting now about 3/4ths full, and Ill let it sit overnight to see if it settles at all. Between the wood having slight variations, and I doubt the plastic frame on the tank is 100% straight, either, are slight gaps ok? I tried to sand down the high spots but can't get it any better.



I tried flipping the stand over and both sides have gaps in between the wood and tank frame. I'd have loved to have been able to use a planer on the 2x4's but dont have that type of equipment. Next time Im just paying to have a steel frame welded up....
 
I got a pack of cedar underlayment shingles that are basically big shims that thin way out at the end, $16 at Menards. Just push them in snug by hand, score with a knife and they snap off. I wouldn't think you would need to worry much for a 40B.

FYI after my experience, I learned that one framed glass tank manufacturer says that for a 120 like mine 2x2x4 that all you really need to support is 6 inches from each corner. Explains some of the really scary looking stands that manufacturers sell with their tanks.
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
I got a pack of cedar underlayment shingles that are basically big shims that thin way out at the end, $16 at Menards. Just push them in snug by hand, score with a knife and they snap off. I wouldn't think you would need to worry much for a 40B.

FYI after my experience, I learned that one framed glass tank manufacturer says that for a 120 like mine 2x2x4 that all you really need to support is 6 inches from each corner. Explains some of the really scary looking stands that manufacturers sell with their tanks.
Click to expand...





I think I am just going to throw some plywood on top, and use liquid nails. Let the plywood settle it out on top of the LN for a day, and Ill just live with how the tank sits on the plywood.
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
I got a pack of cedar underlayment shingles that are basically big shims that thin way out at the end, $16 at Menards. Just push them in snug by hand, score with a knife and they snap off. I wouldn't think you would need to worry much for a 40B.

FYI after my experience, I learned that one framed glass tank manufacturer says that for a 120 like mine 2x2x4 that all you really need to support is 6 inches from each corner. Explains some of the really scary looking stands that manufacturers sell with their tanks.
Click to expand...

I had a similar experience. For a four foot framed tank 6 inches at each corner or just the ends. They said that not till you went over 4 feet did you you need better support for the front. Not sure I would build that way, but that is what I was told.
 
Quick question based on what I posted above. Instead of using an entire sheet of plywood I was going to just use 2" wide strips of 3/4" plywood, and make a rectangle out of it to sit on top of my 2x4 frame I already built. I would make it in a manner where each strip sat on a corner.


So basically my frame is 37x19, and the two long strips would be 35 and the two short strips would be 17.


Id glue this 2" wide plywood rectangle together, let it dry, and then float it on liquid nails onto the 2x4 frame. Let it sit overnight, and then tack id down with a couple counter sunk screws into the 2x4 frame. I can also put a strip in the middle of the plywood rectangle to go into the cross member on the 2x4 frame. Basically replicating the top of the 2x4 frame just in 3/4th plywood.


Im just trying to create a flat surface for the tank to sit on. A planer would make my life much easier...
 
I got a hand planer that worked great for about $20. It would have worked better had I paid a little more attention.

As far as your idea to piece together the plywood, I just got a sheet cut for me to exact dimensions on the big panel saw at Lowe's. I think the 4x8 sheet of 3/4" ACS plywood was $30 and cutting was free.

As for the liquid nails part, you can't necessarily count on the plywood being true. The piece I had cut 24x48 was slightly warped so we couldn't shim it without setting the tank on it to true it out. So I'm guessing here, but I would say if you do liquid nails that you should set the tank on it, maybe put a thick piece of plywood on top of the tank too and put some buckets of water on that to weigh it down. Otherwise your plywood top could be out of whack and then you have the same problem, except now it's even harder to fix.
 
Yeah I see what you're saying. The last section of my 2" wide plywood top is drying right now.




Do you think, say, puting my 2" wide rectangle 3/4" plywood on the 2x4 frame with the liquid nails, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then put the tank on (carefully), make minor adjustments, and then fill the tank 1/4 full of water? Let it settle, and then do the shims on the bottom of the frame to make everything level?


Obviously I would get seepage out from the LN but I can just wipe that off as it comes out as water is coming in. I think it would work good to even out the pressure, and by using 2" wide plywood strips glued together it will be able to flex better to take the weight of the tank. Sort of mold everything together to the tank.


My plywood had a slight bow to it, too, but I put all the bowed sides up so right now I could put it on the frame either way. Either high edges or high centers. I was going to put it high edges facing up since Ive seen references numerous times to the corners needing support more than the center.
 
I need to build a stand for my 250g that is being made! The tank is 72X30X26 (LxWxH). Should I use 2x4 or 2x6 or 2x8?? Please help!
 
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