I am in the process of planning an aquarium stand to hold my 75 gallon marine setup. I want to keep it pretty simple, safe and sturdy. The problem I see is having enough room for a sump underneath. The footprint of the tank is the standard 75 gallon at 48 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 21 3/8. The main question is do I use 2x4's or 4x4's?
The problem I am finding is that I need room under the tank for a sump. There will not be ample room to slide the sump in through the sides unless it is undersized and I want at least a 29 gallon sump.
If I were to build without cross braces I could easily put the sump in through the front. Is it safe to build a stand without cross braces? I could put one on the back but for full access up front I would like to avoid one. Above all though, I need the stand to be secure and safe and the cross brace seems fairly critical to me but I am no engineer. I have attached a few plans and pictures for stands similar to what I am thinking.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...tos-first.html
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1169964
Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks