DIY Stands Template and Calculator

im going to set up a 75 gallon in the next year or so, but until then i want to get my 40 breeder off of the poorly engineered stand it is on now. can i build the stand for the 75 and put in some 2x4's to support the corners of the 40, then i would pull out the supports when i want to set up the 75. would it be ok to only support the three sides of the aquarium but all 4 corners? if not how would i put in a brace? Would plywood on top work? i would also like to put a ten gallon tank or so on the remaining space on top for ATO. Eventually the 40 would become the sump/fuge for the 75 but until then the 40 is sumpless. Sorry for the long post thanks for any suggestions.
 
btw Necsaws that is off level by more than a hair i think. im not an expert at fish tank stands, but as far as carpentry that ive been paid for, the little bubble should never fall outside or even onto the line. you may be able to visibly notice your tanks water level being off. especialy if your water is below the top frame of the tank or it is rimless.
 
anyone esle on the level pics?

so if the level is off by that much would it just be water line in tank look off or will it stress the tank and possibly bust?
 
I personally would shim the stand to level. I think most tanks bursting are a result of un-level stands putting a load on one area of the tank. I just did mine and laser leveled the stand in place, even then I still need to shim it about 1/16 of an inch on the back to be perfect. Not taking any chances.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14888833#post14888833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Necsones
anyone esle on the level pics?

so if the level is off by that much would it just be water line in tank look off or will it stress the tank and possibly bust?
Click to expand...
Don't know about the tank busting but I have a 15, a 29, and a 45 gallon tanks that are not quite level (floor out of level). The only think I have noticed is the water line being off. I am building a stand for a 180 g and onces I start to set it up I will make sure it is a level as possible. From what I understsand, you need to shim the stand, not the tank. HTH
 
fast noobie question here...

im just about to buy the wood for my 65g, by looking at the template and other peoples stands, i was wondering if any of the purple uprights are nailed to the bottom or top frame? or are they being held by the green screw strips alone? by looking at other peoples stands, i cant find where they screwed them together.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14889925#post14889925 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fonzer
fast noobie question here...

im just about to buy the wood for my 65g, by looking at the template and other peoples stands, i was wondering if any of the purple uprights are nailed to the bottom or top frame? or are they being held by the green screw strips alone? by looking at other peoples stands, i cant find where they screwed them together.
Click to expand...

the screw strips are attached to the legs & the upper & lower side rails. the other option is to attach the legs to the upper & lower side rails via pocket drilling the legs for screws. if you do this make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you use screws that have a flat edge on the backside of the screw head (like a T) instead of a V shape. using V-shaped screws will cause the wood to split & the joint to fail!!!

HERE is the pocket drilling jig i have. it works great!!! since it has the clamp built-in it is very easy to use.

THIS one is cheaper, but doesn't have the clamp, so you have to furnish your own....but it works if something is already assembled & you then decide you need an addl pocket drill hole
 
james, thank you for the response.

so are you pocket drilling from the outside to in, or vice versa?

last question..i promise...well maybe not haha.

thank you again.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14890364#post14890364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fonzer
james, thank you for the response.

so are you pocket drilling from the outside to in, or vice versa?

last question..i promise...well maybe not haha.

thank you again.
Click to expand...

mine are pocket drilled on the inside. i did them so i would have the most room inside the stand

mine was done a combination of drilled thru attaching & pocket drilling. pocket drilling also works good for the canopy

another tip....when doing the drilling thru attaching method, pre-drill the hole 1st to keep the wood from splitting. this is especially true of thinner material

i used one of THESE to do it. it pre-drills the hole & countersinks for the screw head to be below the suface at the same time. this is especially useful for putting a skin on top of the frame afterwards
 
james, thank you for the explanation and pics. it all makes more sense now. ill buy the pocket drill and the countersink tomorrow.



:D
 
Hi all, been awhile since I posted on this thread, but I'm finally picking up my stand construction project again after stowing it in the corner of the basement for the last few months.

I finished my frame awhile ago but only brought it upstairs to test it on the floor it will sit on and put the tank on it today. The first thing that I noticed was that there is a gap between the tank and the stand on the front right hand corner.



Now in the original post, Rocket Engineer says to make sure any bow in the wood is up, which I tried to do, and that the weight of the tank would push it down. Should I be worried about this gap, or should I try test filling the tank to see if it straitens out the wood? Even that makes me nervous as the entire front left corner of the tank is currently unsupported. I recall someone else posting something similar in this thread a long time ago and him breaking the seals on his tank...

The crappy part is that everything is level, and the tank doesn't rock or anything, so I'm not sure how to go about fixing it. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14901040#post14901040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by albertan22
Hi all, been awhile since I posted on this thread, but I'm finally picking up my stand construction project again after stowing it in the corner of the basement for the last few months.

I finished my frame awhile ago but only brought it upstairs to test it on the floor it will sit on and put the tank on it today. The first thing that I noticed was that there is a gap between the tank and the stand on the front right hand corner.



Now in the original post, Rocket Engineer says to make sure any bow in the wood is up, which I tried to do, and that the weight of the tank would push it down. Should I be worried about this gap, or should I try test filling the tank to see if it straitens out the wood? Even that makes me nervous as the entire front left corner of the tank is currently unsupported. I recall someone else posting something similar in this thread a long time ago and him breaking the seals on his tank...

The crappy part is that everything is level, and the tank doesn't rock or anything, so I'm not sure how to go about fixing it. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

if it were mine and ever thing else was level and square,I'd mark the top of the stand the same as that low corner and saw off the rest to match that low corner.

I'd sure be afraid to fill the tank with it that way
 
so i finished my frame for my 65g, put the tank ontop, to find it slightly off between the tank and top frame. the bottom frame to the floor is level however. so i start sanding the top frame to make the tank flush and i still cant get it perfect.

basically i look for the highest point on each side, mark it with a pen and use a palm sander. then another side is off. i mean im almost there, but it isnt flush on all sides. if i dont point it out to anyone, i dont think anyone would notice. but from hearing the stories of unleveled tanks, i dont want to take the chance.

im afraid if i sand it too much my 2x4 is gonna become a 2x3. whats the easiest way to fix this?
 
Try going corner to corner, not along the sides. Get the corners level, then take the high spots along the sides. And don't worry about making the 2 x 4 into a 2 x 3 it will still hold up the tank. The reasoning behind that is off topic for this thread.

Good luck,

Jim
 
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