Wooden Stand for an old 150g

[emartin]

Anybody mind giving me any input on how to build, tools, etc, for a wooden stand for an old 150gallon tank (THICK plate glass) that is 72"x18"x28". I was going to make the stand a few inches longer and wider, so the stand would be something like 80" long and 24" wide.

I do not care about the stand looking nice, but I would like it to be capable for me to make the bottom a cabinet to put the canister filters and such in. The tank is going to be in my garage so the stand is going to be unstained...

And if anybody doesn't mind actually figuring how many cuts of each plank of wood, how many bolts or nails I should need, and a sketch of assembling it that's be greatly appreciated!

The stand HAS to be able to support at least 2,000lbs of weight. The tank itself weighs likely 300lbs just from the glass, and the water weight will be approximately 1,500lbs.

Tools I have (besides hammers and hand saws):
An electric table saw somewhere
Cordless Power Drill
Various wrenches, pliers, etc.
And I think that's it...

Thanks for any help, advice, suggestions, or ideas!
~Ed

[emartin]

Update: Someone on another board reminded me that stands for glass tanks need the support at the corners and that making the stand larger wouldn't be ideal.

So instead what I am going to do is just add ledges on the sides of the stand when I am done making it. Also, the stand dimensions are going to be the exact foot print of the tank with maybe a few centimenters or an inch or so extra to give me a tiny bit extra room to work with.

Thanks,
~Ed

[CJC]

Ed,
I made a stand for my 75G. First I made a frame using 4, 2 X 4's for the legs. I have a radial arm saw so I took a Dato blade and jointed in 6, 2 X 4 cross pieces. You will need a table saw, raidial arm saw, or a mider saw. The cuts need to be precise so your stand is square. I screwed and glued the frame together. The frame is 1 1/4" smaller than the tank as I used 5/8" notty pine as a cover / wrap for the frame. The top cross pieces are the same hieght as the legs to support the tank. I would use 6, 2 X 4's for legs with a 150Gal. This may be overkill but, I'd play it safe. The bottom cross pieces are a couple of inches off the bottom which I used as support for 3/4" plywood floor. I have a 20 long, and a 15Gal under the 75 along with a canister filter. I also made a canopy where I have a dual 250W metal halide light set up. I don't have pic's but could probably put some up if you want.

[emartin]

Ed,
I made a stand for my 75G. First I made a frame using 4, 2 X 4's for the legs. I have a radial arm saw so I took a Dato blade and jointed in 6, 2 X 4 cross pieces. You will need a table saw, raidial arm saw, or a mider saw. The cuts need to be precise so your stand is square. I screwed and glued the frame together. The frame is 1 1/4" smaller than the tank as I used 5/8" notty pine as a cover / wrap for the frame. The top cross pieces are the same hieght as the legs to support the tank. I would use 6, 2 X 4's for legs with a 150Gal. This may be overkill but, I'd play it safe. The bottom cross pieces are a couple of inches off the bottom which I used as support for 3/4" plywood floor. I have a 20 long, and a 15Gal under the 75 along with a canister filter. I also made a canopy where I have a dual 250W metal halide light set up. I don't have pic's but could probably put some up if you want.
Would 2x4s really be enough? I was thinking of even going bigger than that and getting 2x6s... Or even 4x4s... I have no experience with building stands, especially ones capable of holding nearly 1 ton in weight so if you believe 2x4s are more than enough I'll just go with that.

Anyway just so I can get an idea of what I am going to be building, could you put up pics CJC of your stand and everything?

Also, is there any particular wood I should use or is anything but cedar fine? And what size nuts and bolts would I use to put the wood together, and is wood glue necessary?

~Ed

[CJC]

Ed,
2 X 4's are plenty. Just take a look at any pre made stand, my 180Gal stand is a pre-made stand and is made with 1 X 6's. When I 1st saw it, I was like NO WAY!

I bought #1 2 X 4's but, you could use cheaper ones just as well, just pick out the straight ones.

I used screws that they use for shipping creates, they look almost like a dry wall screw. If it were me, I'd use some type of joint in assembling the frame, not that you have to but, it makes for a stronger frame. If you have your table saw, you can but a Dato blade in it. I have a Dato blade you can use, it's a 5/8" arbor, or you can pick one up, there like $40-, $50- for a cheaper one. I'm sure you might be able to get 1 cheaper on-line.

I'll try to get some pic's up this weekend maybe?, I'll try. and Yes, get some good wood glue.

[eggzackary]

Ed,
Here are some pics of the stand i built from 2x4's and plywood for my 75gal. It's really important to make sure the weight of the stand is supported by the wood and not the screws or nails holding it together. I used some good deck screws in my frame.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0406.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0407.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0411.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0409.jpg

[eggzackary]

I used a piece of 1/2" birch plywood across the top of the stand to help distribute the weight a bit
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0415.jpg

Then i wrapped it in some oak ply, added some molding, stained and poly'edhttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0425.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/eggzackary/IMG_0447.jpg

[emartin]

Speaking of stains and such, should I treat the wood with anything or is it fine unfinished? I'm worried about if a leak re-appears and I don't notice it on the tank right away it will weaken the stand enough to really screw it up...

[eggzackary]

A little poly wouldn't hurt, especially if it would help you sleep better at night:)

[chris1932]

I would use decking screws as they are not heat treated, thus they will bend instead of breaking. Those 8 55s you saw were all on 2x4 stands. Its plenty.
Nice work Egg

[emartin]

Before this topic I was told to always use bolts for large stands... So deck screws would work just fine then?

eggzackary do you think if I followed your frame design that the stand could hold a maximum of around 1 ton (I'm estimating the tank will weight up to 1,800lbs) if I make it the foot print for a 150g?

Also is there any type of wood in particular I should buy? I'm not familiar with building or anything and have no idea what woods are stronger, durable, more reliable, etc.

Thanks for all the help everyone...

~Ed

[joe_jaskot]

If you look at most manufactured stands for 125 and 150 gallon tanks (1,400 - 1,800 lbs when filled), the only screws you will find are on the door hinges. They are made mostly out of pine and held together with a bit of glue and finishing nails from an air gun. Most stands made by hobbyists (myself included) are overkill. If you are building a stand to hold over a ton of weight, overkill would be okay.

[emartin]

If you look at most manufactured stands for 125 and 150 gallon tanks (1,400 - 1,800 lbs when filled), the only screws you will find are on the door hinges. They are made mostly out of pine and held together with a bit of glue and finishing nails from an air gun. Most stands made by hobbyists (myself included) are overkill. If you are building a stand to hold over a ton of weight, overkill would be okay.
Good point. I'll just stick with deck screws then.

[mack74]

I used deck screws on all my stands with out any issues

[phillyofish]

I used 2x6s for the cross pieces up top and 2x4s at the bottom. also 4x4s as legs.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/phillyofish/71405a98.jpg

[eggzackary]

If you look at most manufactured stands for 125 and 150 gallon tanks (1,400 - 1,800 lbs when filled), the only screws you will find are on the door hinges. They are made mostly out of pine and held together with a bit of glue and finishing nails from an air gun. Most stands made by hobbyists (myself included) are overkill. If you are building a stand to hold over a ton of weight, overkill would be okay.

Agreed, I'm no engineer but I think my frame design is pretty solid. and it is definitely over built for my 75gal. I don't think you would have a problem if you modified it for a 150 foot print. As far as what kind of 2x4's to use...i just looked for the least knotty and straightest I could find. Maybe Afreakin could chime in and post some pics of the stand he built ( I think he built it for a 120gal) he used a different design that looks pretty cool.

[M. Boona]

Have you built the stand yet?

We just finished building a stand for our 150g AGA (older style tank with very thick glass as well). If the only purpose of your stand is to hold up your tank then you shouldn't need that many tools. Here are a few suggestions:

-tape measure
-level
-hacksaw
-set of horses to cut wood on
-circular saw for cutting 2x4s
-screw gun

For materials, roughly 12 8' 2x4s should be enough to build a stand frame with all the supports like I have pictured for my 72x18 stand frame below (minus the trim panels on the sides):
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h67/VTEC_THIS/Fish/IMG_3467.jpg

And another for reference:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h67/VTEC_THIS/Fish/IMG_3468.jpg

You can always get a few more 2x4s in case you make a bad cut or two.

Deck screws are easy to use and more sturdy then nails and wood glue. They look nicer too. We used a small box (1lb) of 3" screws. The screws ended up being just a tad too long and protruding from the inside of our stand a little bit. Maybe something a bit smaller would work better for you.

Measure twice, cut once. Everyone says this but you would be surprised how much time and frustration you can save by going over your measurements again.

Make sure your stand sits flush to both the ground and your tank - use a level to go over your stand once it is assembled. If one piece of wood is slightly longer, guess what's going to be the first thing to absorb the weight of your filled tank? An electric reciprocating saw will be quicker and easier then a hacksaw, but a hacksaw will still get the job done. Make sure to flip your stand frame over to check both sides!

28" is an ideal height for a stand, IMO. Most store bought stands seem to be around this height anyway.

We have a build thread on here showing our own 150g tank and stand, if we can help you with anything else feel free to ask.

:thumb3d:

[themadhap]

Great idea im goin to finish up my 150 tall which is 5 feet long ,that is easy and fast thanks