my idea for a 150 gal tall stand

[AIR-FX]

first off i am an artist......and i dont do mechanical drawings...lol. so i do what i can do and i just freehanded this mock up of what i am planning. the bottom of frame where the sump will sit will have 1/2 plywood floor sunken inside the 2x6's with 2x4's ,then it will get some self stick lino tiles for the plwood and also up the sides of 2x6's and caulked for a seal. that way if sump has a leak or starts to over flow atleast it will hold some water b4 making it to my hard wood floors! the second drawing is actually the whole top rail of the original frame. i just didnt want to muddy up the the drawing of the frame.(it is not a seperate piece) all the little rafter pieces will be apart of the underside of the top rail. when it is complete it will have a 3/4 piece of plywood on the top of it for the tank to sit on so it will spread the weight out a little more. any ideas on making it better or thoughts on overkill would be much appreciated !

 

[AIR-FX]

finished frame i want to look like this

i want the opening in front to have a one piece face that will look like 2 cabinet doors but it will actually be one piece and be fastened by these

 

[Jacwil]

Looks good!

Two things to consider. If you're planning to sheet the outside of the stand with ply, you won't need the two angled support 2x4 braces on the ends.

Next, the pinch brackets I have tried in the past are a significant PITA. You have to get them JUST right to get a snug fit and even then there will be a gap between the panel and the stand. If you plan on having a lit refugium or something under there with a light, the gap and light bleed may annoy you.

 

[AIR-FX]

i knew i could count on hearing from you justin! lol....thanks for your input as always. i really want to do a single pane front so i need to figure out the best way for it to attach and detach. any ideas?

 

[NirvanaFan]

Some people use magnets to attach front panes. Maybe you could recess the magnets in the wood to line up or something. If not, you could use some sort of thin seal (like what is on the bottom of screen doors, or on windows) with the latches you pictured.

If you haven't seen the thread in the DIY section on DIY stands, I highly recommend it. The stand template was designed by an engineer. I've built two of the stands based on that design and have had no problems.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964