Large tank stands

[TampaReefer79]

Just wondering what you large tank owners have in the way of stands? DIY? Steel? Wood?

I'm in the middle of putting together a 500 gallon, 8'x4' tank and the stand is the only thing holding me up from getting water in it. The tank got here a week ago so it's in the garage waiting.

If I was to use wood, would this suffice? A LOT of people told me that steel is the 'only' way to go with a tank this big. I can't understand this since entire building can be made of wood. Any suggestions would be great! (or build threads showing a stand being built this large)

I've PM'd RocketEngineer quite a few times for a hand but have not heard back...so I'm asking here.

HELP!! lol

 

[Rockhead21564]

Well I've always usede wood, but this time I'm using a steel frame wrapped in oak. I'm using the steel to save on space under the stand. I think using steel will allow for additional 4" of width. I usually WAAAY over engineer my wood stands, where I left it to professional welders this time. My thread is the "300 gallon 10x2x2" thread, just posted photos of the new frame. Good luck on the decision.

 

[tom obrecht]

Are you putting the sump under the tank? If so I would recommend steel. If the sump is in a seperate location I have always used wood. My last tank (420 gallons) had a wood stand engineered my our builder. He ran a series of "mini walls" down the length of the tank at about 8" intervals and tied them together with osb panels for lateral support. When finished you could easily drive a car on it. Hope this helps.

 

[jpsika08]

TampaReefer,
Here is link to my thread which I posted a detailed DIY stand build made out of wood for my 275g DT. hope it helps and good luck,

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1921436

 

[PSU REEFER]

All wood for me. Stand was overbuilt by previous owner and has been holding 500g glass tank for almost 4yrs now.

 

[Carpentersreef]

You can order some LVL (laminated veneer lumber) from your local Home Depot that will certainly support a large tank.
I prefer using wood as I find it easier to work with.
I'm just setting up my 600g 8' X 4' tank using 1 3/4 X 9 1/2 LVL with some notched 6 X 6's for legs.

Mitch

 

[bbart12]

As stated above it all boils down to the amout of strength contained in a peace of wood compaired to a price of steal. You can build a stand out of wood but you will need lots more of it.

 

[Bamm Bamm]

If it was me I'd use steel... espeically with how much weight is going to be on it..

 

[TampaReefer79]

Again, with steel it would be built off site and would never fit into the house. If you can tell me how to fit a stand that is 8'x4'x40" through a door then by all means. Regardless, I want wood for a few other reasons. I don't understand the logic behind the theory that wood won't suffice for this project.

 

[bullitr]

My stand is 8x3x42" tall all wood with metal straps

 

[PSU REEFER]

Wood will suffice. Go for it.

 

[quincy2008]

Custom built steel stand was built for my 300. It was built in two parts in order to fit through the door. I really wanted as much space under the stand as possible.

 

[AS]

500 gal 96x36x30

wood stand

 

[polywise]

agree - splitting the stand into two, and bolting it together once inside your house should solve the problem.

 

[ccampbell57]

120x36x30 with 2x150g Sumps under

Stand is made of wood...the structure could support my house (8) 4x4 posts...WAAAAAY MORE than enough

 

[areeftank]

60mm box section supporting 210 gallon 1ith a 75 as a sump

 

[TampaReefer79]

120x36x30 with 2x150g Sumps under

Stand is made of wood...the structure could support my house (8) 4x4 posts...WAAAAAY MORE than enough

God bless! lol

Well the stand is done. Instead of 2x6's for the upper, we used 2x10's. I also changed my mind about the 1 vertical in the middle of the 8' length and went with 2 on both sides. We also used 2 inner 2x4's and 3 outer 2x4's on EACH corner. The other 4 verticals were doubled up 2x4's. I honestly don't think this thing is going anywhere but am looking forward to feedback. And rather than screws that might not last, we used stainless steel screws and glued everything. PITA, but made me feel better.

 

[nyvp]

120x36x30

2x2 squared steel with granite top

$900 for stand

$750 for granite

 

[pmrogers]

If you can tell me how to fit a stand that is 8'x4'x40" through a door then by all means.

That's easy. For our 10' x 4' x 40" stand we had it built in 4 parts: 3 leg cages of 35" x 4' x 38" plus a flat top piece 10' x 4' x 2". In hindsight, the top steel frame was probably unnecessary. No welding or additional onsite steel work required. We placed plywood on top of the leg cages and use wooden dowels to lock things in place and prevent the legs from moving independently of each other when we slid the tank on.

That said, wood can certainly work if you don't need the extra space under the tank.

 

[skanderson]

i would consider skinning that stand in plywood to keep if from shifting under any lateral forces. just use a large sheet and cut out the openings you need.