DIY Stands Template and Calculator

[Triadguppies]

All painted and set up in the house. I can not believe it but I broke both of the 36 Watt PC bulbs taking them out of the housing last!!!!! Cost me $64 to replace them locally!!! there goes 3 frags! Well it is in place I have all the plumbing in the overflows done. Just need to pick up 12" of tubing to connect the spray bar. Next I have to do the plumbing below the tank and set up the fuge. hope to have sand and water in it by the middle of the week. Enjoy the pic's!

 

[MVlk]

Triadguppies, can you post a closer photo of the trim detail. I am still gathering ideas and your looks nice.

 

[buccard]

Very nice Triad-

 

[RocketEngineer]

serum153,

Pandafish had the exact same problem. If you look at the second to last post on page 9 of the original thread you will see how the plumbing was accomidated.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1169964&perpage=25&pagenumber=9

 

[MVlk]

serum153, I am still hoping to get an official blessing of my design fix from RocketEngineer, but would my design work for you? I have a double support on the back of my stand. With this, the back has no supports in the way other than the outside frame. The tank will sit on the inner frame and leaves plenty of room for plimbing as long as it is inside the 1 1/2" of the frame.

 

[RocketEngineer]

MVlk, that will work just fine.

 

[MVlk]

RocketEngineer thank you for the reply... will help me sleep better tonight

 

[serum153]

Hey Rocket. I have a 75 right now, but will be upgrading to a tech 120 within the next year. I was just curious to know if I build a stand for the 120...Can my 75 sit on it for the time being? What would you suggest I do? Thanks in advance

 

[Triadguppies]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14566605#post14566605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by buccard
Very nice Triad-

Thanks a lot. As soon as you walk in the door it yells; HELLO!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14566443#post14566443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MVlk
Triadguppies, can you post a closer photo of the trim detail. I am still gathering ideas and your looks nice.

Page 5 of my build thread has pics of the trim work.

http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=73593

 

[Reefer2727]

I am done the frame and have a few questions about the next steps.

1. Would 1/2" plywood be ok to put under the stand. The tank is 75 gallons. I would like to cut down on the weight of the stand. My tank is rimmed so I don't need one I just thought it may take case of some minor imperfections and help with leveling.

2. I have read and hear many different answers for what to use to paint/waterproof the floor and inside of the stand. Any exterior or waterproof primer/paint?

3.

 

[JDL]

I used this great thread to build my stand. It is for a 120g (4x2x2 tank). In my work area, the stand is perfectly level, but now it seems to be 1/4 off on the one side. Not sure if it is the floor or something else.

Is it ok to put a 1/4" piece of plywood under the stand on the bottom 2x4's to level it? Or will this cause structural issues?

 

[spsfreak]

plywood on the bottom is fine, however in your case I don't think it will fix your problem. Reason being is if it is the floor that is unlevel, then adding a piece of ply to the bottom of the stand will only make your stand 1/4" taller, and still have the same issue. It would quite frnakly work the same way if your stand were the problem. If the bottom frame of the stand is off by a 1/4" it will still be off the same amount after aplying the wood to the bottom. A thicker piece of ply may "true up" the stand on the bottom, but them the top may be out of wack. Generally the best thing to do is shim the bottom with wood shims. Just my two cents.
HTH Matt

 

[Reefer2727]

Rocket or anyone else..

My stand is for a 75 gallon. The glass tank has black trim on the bottom. I built my stand to be 48.5" x 18.5". Wondering if I should have built it with the extra half inch including the black trim. My calcs were based on the glass being 48"x18". The tank is almost the identical footprint of the top rail of my stand. There is only about 1/8" of an inch of top rail showing both sides and the end. It doesn't hang over anywhere though. I sort of pictured it being more in the middle of the top 2x4 rails.

Anyway, looking for a thumbs up on the safety factor.

Thanks

 

[slandis3]

Ok question Im building my stand for my new marineland 250g tank. Its 60"x36"x27"tall. I am using all 2"x6" for everything. i am also going to put removable braces in the front and rear. Im going to try and up load a pic tell me what you guys think. Buys on my local site think its gonna be to week. All joints are dowel pinned and wood glued


http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p100/sarah25_04/2.jpg


http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p100/sarah25_04/1.jpg

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14594834#post14594834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by slandis3
Ok question Im building my stand for my new marineland 250g tank. Its 60"x36"x27"tall. I am using all 2"x6" for everything. i am also going to put removable braces in the front and rear. Im going to try and up load a pic tell me what you guys think. Buys on my local site think its gonna be to week. All joints are dowel pinned and wood glued

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14306804#post14306804 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RocketEngineer (2) Red - Upper Rails: Length = W
These will be sized according to length: 2X4 for 48" or less for smaller tanks (Rule of thumb is 75g-90g); 2X6 up to 72" with 125g-150g being acceptable; For longer spans and larger tanks 2X8s are recommended.

so even though you fall under the 72" length for a 2x6, you have more gallonage...which will cause the 2x6 to deflect waaaaay too much.....or i'd assume so

better to go 2x8 & if you are gonna only do 1 piece for the legs instead of the designed 2 piece legs, i'd probably make them out of 2x10 or 2x12....after all, you will have 2-3000 lbs on there

 

[maypo59]

A brace can not be "removable", if it carries a load, and you remove it, that load is now unsupported.

If that stand is plumb and level, it will carry the load. Guessing the front and rear braces will be centered, not a bad idea.. are you going to top it with plywood?

 

[slandis3]

I am leaving it an open top but i am going to put a solid piece of plywood on the top then cut out the center

 

[slandis3]

i am going to add a second 2x6 leg on each side. not sure what i was thinking. i will post pics when im done and see what you guys think then. i will also skin the out side with oak later

 

[JDL]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14593245#post14593245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer2727
Rocket or anyone else..

My stand is for a 75 gallon. The glass tank has black trim on the bottom. I built my stand to be 48.5" x 18.5". Wondering if I should have built it with the extra half inch including the black trim. My calcs were based on the glass being 48"x18". The tank is almost the identical footprint of the top rail of my stand. There is only about 1/8" of an inch of top rail showing both sides and the end. It doesn't hang over anywhere though. I sort of pictured it being more in the middle of the top 2x4 rails.

Anyway, looking for a thumbs up on the safety factor.

Thanks

interested in this answer as well

 

[maypo59]

Originally posted by Reefer2727
Rocket or anyone else..

My stand is for a 75 gallon. The glass tank has black trim on the bottom. I built my stand to be 48.5" x 18.5". Wondering if I should have built it with the extra half inch including the black trim. My calcs were based on the glass being 48"x18". The tank is almost the identical footprint of the top rail of my stand. There is only about 1/8" of an inch of top rail showing both sides and the end. It doesn't hang over anywhere though. I sort of pictured it being more in the middle of the top 2x4 rails.

Anyway, looking for a thumbs up on the safety factor.

Thanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14600756#post14600756 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JDL
interested in this answer as well

as long as the plastic trim around the bottom of your tank is fully supported you are fine. That "trim ring" is all that supports your tank anyways. When a glass tank with plastic trim is "sitting" anywhere, regardless of filled or not, only the trim supports the tank, the bottom of the tank doesn't touch, and isn't supposed to. Acrylic tanks are a different critter, and they DO need to have a full, flat support underneath in my experience.

edited to add... If you want to have the tank bottom "centered" on the top rail of this type of stand, you have to take into account the "finished/total" deminsion of the foot print of the stand, then as a FINAL outside measuremnt of the stand top you should be the size of the tank footprint + the width of 1 top rail. That will allow the tank, when centered to sit 1/2 the top rail width in from the edges, centered. In the case of this stand in particular (reefer2727) you could build a top frame, and attach it, so it was as much larger as you want.. think picture frame turned flat.