DIY Stand for large acrlyic tank

[zenn]

Was doing some searching and couldn't find any information on how to properly build a stand for an acrlyic tank. There's plenty of info out there on building a stand for a glass tank.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

[zenn]

that tank is a 225g acrlyic....60"x36"x24"

[smchais]

I believe that the stand would be the same for both glass and acrylic. The only difference is that for the acrylic tank you cannot have a stand with an open top. I like the size and dimensions that you are building. Make sure to heavily support the corners and the top.

I had an acrylic tank that I built a stand for. When I built the stand I built the top and bottom using a ladder type frame. Then on the top, I had a piece of 1/2 inch plywood, cut for my plumbing. If you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask.

[zenn]

Thanks for the pointers.

The only thing I'm really concerned about is the top part of the stand that I build. I realize you have to put down some plywood and foam to rest the tank on...but how many cross braces should I run width wise across the stand to support the bottom of the tank? One every foot? Two feet? Three feet? That's basically my only real concern.

[olkeller]

I think a stand similar to this would work for what you want
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1345096
It has cross braces and a subtop

[zenn]

thanks for the link.

after reading some more, i've come to a few conclusions. Since my tank is 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, I'll want some good cross brace action going on. I'm going to run three cross braces width wise using 2x6's. These cross braces will be supported by the verticle supports. This will give the stand a cross brace every 18 inches along the length of the tank.

Good plan?

[olkeller]

ya but 2x6 are a bit much and they are going to take up 5 1/2'' of room that you dont need.

[smchais]

In this case, I would err in the side of caution. I would do a brace at least every 12". Your tank is wide. If you are going to use the 2x6's I would raise the total height of the stand because of what olkeller said. I personally love the extra high stand. I have my tank sitting about 42" off the floor. I have all the room under the tank to work as I really need. It is not uncomfortable to do either.

[zenn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12117825#post12117825 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smchais
In this case, I would err in the side of caution. I would do a brace at least every 12". Your tank is wide. If you are going to use the 2x6's I would raise the total height of the stand because of what olkeller said. I personally love the extra high stand. I have my tank sitting about 42" off the floor. I have all the room under the tank to work as I really need. It is not uncomfortable to do either.

Would you suggest supporting each of those cross braces with verticle supports? At 12", I'd have a lot of verticle supports to have to work around.