Tank Stand Plans Anyone ?

[aquaman04]

Just bought a 24 x 24 x 18, 45 gallon. I have always bought stands for my other tanks, but wanted to make one for the new tank.

Was thinking a 30 x 30 x 40 inch frame skinned w/ MDF, trim pieces & a solid piece top. (Maybe a large 30 x 30 marble, granite tile)

Any ideas out there ? ? show me some pics

 

[Cynister]

I'm not much help but I'm in the same boat. I started building a 24x24 stand last night. I built a steel frame and now I'm looking for ideas for covering it. I am considering something similar to your idea with the 30x30 top, my frame is 37" tall.

Here's a pic from my phone (terrible quality) of the rough frame, the stand is overkill but the materials were cheap

 

[aquaman04]

I like the idea of a steel frame - how in the heck did you make it, I'd like to see plans so I could duplicate. Talk about maximizing space. You could easily make some lightweight removable panels to cover the exterior.

I made an MDF stand which i intend to cover in MDF. It looks good, but am a little worried about the moisture issue - although a covering of formica should forclose any problems.

 

[an-sps]

For the metal stand you could get some type of decorative flat panels. Like a specific color of acrylic or even some nice stained wood. Cut them to size and glue magnets to the back of the panels and attach. That way the panels can all be easily removed.

 

[tall_jason79]

I built one for the 30 gallon breeder using the presanded plywood from home depot to skin it. It was stainable

 

[Cynister]

I went to Shapiro Supply off of Natural Bridge, they have an unbelievable amount of DIY goodies and the people there are great. I bought 32' of 1 1/4" x 2 1/2" rectangular tube steel (i think it is 14 gauge). My grand total was $60, would have been better price but I forgot to take cash

I didn't draw any plans up, I just measured and cut with an abrasive chop saw to make a 24 x 24 top. Next I cut the legs and welded them on and then put the braces in between the legs. I had my friend Kenny weld it while I held a framing square on each piece. The stand turned out more square than the tank is.

I can draw a diagram of how I cut the pieces if you like, your cut lengths may be a little different depending on the thickness of your material.

Here are some more high quality pics from my phone I took while we were building the frame. They will probably do a better job of explaining the process than I did

Don't stare at this pic, it will burn your retinas...

 

[an-sps]

Awesome. So what size tank will go on top?

 

[Cynister]

I will be topping it off with a 60 gallon cube, 24x24x24 from Glass Cages.

Aquaman here are a few pics of a stand idea that I like, it is easily accessed. I can't remember who this belongs to or I would give credit.

 

[serius77]

looks good Jason. Has the tank arrived already?

 

[Cynister]

Yes, actually the tank is sitting on the stand now. I ground the welds down flush and painted the stand black last night. The stand looks good in black, if my house was more modern I would probably keep it like this. I should probably start my own build thread soon.

 

[aquaman04]

Those are some awesome ideas. Mine is just a basic cube made from MDF which I intend to top w/ granite. My new tank will not arrive from Glasscages until 1/17. I had one delivered in December but they delivered the wrong one - Not rimless. I'm not sure if I will keep the MDF stand or do another. I liked the metal frame idea & the other that you posted. Its nice to have access on all sides if need be - something usually gets screwed up. Thanks for the replies - the photos of the weld job rocked.

 

[Cynister]

Thanks, usually I forget to take pictures until I'm finished.

I like your idea of the solid surface or tile top. You could use a plywood top then tile around the tank. That would make it easier to drill through for plumbing also you could create an inset by raising the tile enough to cover the edge of the glass on the bottom of the tank. Just some ideas.

 

[aquaman04]

Stand Done

Stand Done

I finished the stand. Ultimately, as the tank is only a 45 gallon, I went with an MDF stand, ADA style. I scrapped the granite / tile top in lieu of the more sleek look. Epoxied the hell out this thing, but ultimately I think it came out ok.

I do have somewhat of a problem. The stand was built on level ground & was levelled to a "T". Now that is in my 60 + year old basement (with a slope like a swimmng pool), and in place it of course is level with the assistance of 1/4 inch plywood running the front base of the stand. The back & sides of the stand are weight bearing, so my thought is this is not ok to have approximately half of the sides of the stand not touching the ground. Do I shim the heck out of this thing ? Do I pour a levelling concrete slab ? What to do, I need some thoughts.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1170&pictureid=7312

 

[bradleym]

If you built a frame and skinned it like you mentioned at the start, the frame will be what actually transfers the weight to the floor. The sides are just for show. Based on that I think you could get away with just shimming/putting blocks under the supports of the frame.

On a side note, the frame should have a support in each corner plus a top and bottom cross member to keep it square. If you didn't put an extra brace across each side down towards the bottom then you can scratch my idea because the sides would be what keep it square in that case. Good luck!

 

[Cynister]

I finished the stand. Ultimately, as the tank is only a 45 gallon, I went with an MDF stand, ADA style. I scrapped the granite / tile top in lieu of the more sleek look. Epoxied the hell out this thing, but ultimately I think it came out ok.

I do have somewhat of a problem. The stand was built on level ground & was levelled to a "T". Now that is in my 60 + year old basement (with a slope like a swimmng pool), and in place it of course is level with the assistance of 1/4 inch plywood running the front base of the stand. The back & sides of the stand are weight bearing, so my thought is this is not ok to have approximately half of the sides of the stand not touching the ground. Do I shim the heck out of this thing ? Do I pour a levelling concrete slab ? What to do, I need some thoughts.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1170&pictureid=7312

Your stand looks good! Mine is still just a black frame sitting here.

Would it be possible to scribe the angle of the floor on the sides of the stand (while it is sitting level) and then trim the bottom of the stand to match the floor? If it is only 1/4" you could probably just use a belt sander. This is all assuming that your base is a frame and not solid.

Jason

 

[aquaman04]

Here is the setup. I used 3/4 inch MDF sides & back with some laminate framing inside, including center support for the top. The weight is carried via the 3/4 MDF sides & back to the floor. I think I may end up creating one big *** shim to match the slope of the floor. The paint for this baby is leftover basement floor epoxy - 4 coats & then another 4 coats of the clear high gloss sealer. It turned out much better than I expected.

I'm hoping to shim this thing & get it plumbed tonight. Then I will start the process of moving everything from my 55 gallon to the new tank. The old tank is a vintage 55g Oceanic that I bought brand new in 1985 for a saltwater tank. FYI if anyone is in the market for a perfectly good 55 gallon Oceanic, let me know.

 

[aquaman04]

Glass Cages

Glass Cages

Instead of waiting for the next delivery date to St. Louis from Glass Cages, I ended up making a trip down to their place. The trip is not too long (5 hr drive). Upon arrival near Nashville, they had recently gotten some snow which somewhat complicated the trip once I left the interstate. Glasscages is about 4 miles off Interstate 40 West of Nashville. Thankfully I had a jeep & could negotiate the snow / ice covered hills leading to their place. Upon arrival, the only person there due to the snow was the Owner of Glasscages. He swapped out the framed tank that I mistakenly received for the rimless & then took me on a tour. He's a great guy (for a Cubs fan) & was very apologetic for the initial mix up with the wrong tank being delivered. If ever there is any problem w/ order etc. he is definitely the guy to talk to. There are lots of employees, but as the owner he took great pride in his craftmanship. They are a no frills operation - you are buying manufacturer direct so there is no middleman to wipe the excess silicone, or package it in a nice Chinese box with packing. If you like aquariums, you'd like making the trip. Typically staffed by 26 people in two separate groups. Glass tank fabrication & the other acrylic. Some of the tanks I saw were massive - destined for a home that could accomodate an 8 foot long tank. Some were headed to an alligator farm down in FL. Overall an interesting trip.

Now back to the stand & setup.

 

[Cynister]

The big shim idea sounds good, and good luck with your plumbing Do you have a sump in the stand or did you put it behind the tank?

 

[fazgood]

That looks awesome. It would be good enough for me to just powdercoat it and leave it the way it is if only you didn't have stuff underneath that needs to be hidden.

Great job...

Faz

 

[aquaman04]

I shimmed it last night with 12 inch cedar shims along the sides. On the front, I have placed 1/4 inch plywood that runs the length of the front. Still not happy with this - there has got to be a better way. Thought of pouring a small pad of leveling concrete ?

As for the plumbing - 1 1/2" spaflex - plumbing with this is like trying to wrestle a boa constrictor - NOT FUN. I'm thinking of making yet another trip over to Home Depot & getting some vinyl instead. I've used this in the past with steel clamps w/o problems. As for the sump, I've made the leap from my custom acrylic that I made to a sterilite container which fits perfectly under the stand. I'm thinking who cares what I use for a sump - besides the copepods & algae. The sump will be placed directly under the stand.