DIY Stands Template and Calculator

[C-Rad]

I've read that on other stand threads, and I don't think there's any need, in most cases, to use horizontal pieces to distribute the weight across the floor. I think the lower cross members give the box structure rigidity. The base of a cut 2x4 leg distributes weight across 5.25 sq in, which is much more than the leg on any other heavy piece of furniture typically kept in a house (gun safe, couch with three 250 lb football fans on it, etc) except maybe a water bed. Floors themselves are designed to distribute weight, and if they aren't a concrete slab, they are made of 2x12's, 16" apart, with at least thick plywood subflooring over them. A leg would never be more than 7 inches from a joist under the sub flooring; could it really cause the subflooring to deform over time? I suppose in an extreme case, or in a place where the building code is lax, there could be a problem, so maybe it makes sense to play it safe and make the base of a tank stand as strong as the top, but I suspect that 99% of the time, it's overkill. Maybe a contractor could chime in and give us an idea of how much weight a floor is designed to take, and how concentrated that weight can be before the subfloor deforms.

[TheFishMan65]

You might be right especially for small builds. But your couch example is a 100 gallong tanks (8 lp/gallon) which for some people is a small tank. I read an article somewhere and there maybe a link several pages back. But IIRC one of the highest ration they measured was a lady in high heels. 1/16th square inch carrying 100 lbs, but I don't think you can generalize up to an inch carrying 1600 lbs. Also for big tanks which way the joist runs make a big difference. And IIRC against a wall can take more weight than the center of the room.

[C-Rad]

I'll probably keep building my stands with 2x2's around the bottom, unless I find myself with an exceptionally large tank and an exceptionally weak floor, but because this thread amounts to publishing building standards that could (blindly) be used my anyone in any situation, it makes sense to play it safe and recommend that the base horizontal pieces always be as strong as the top horizontal pieces. I guess guarding against the one in ten thousand chance is where building codes come from.

[TheFishMan65]

Another important aspect is the quality of the wood. i have seen some pretty bad studs in my life. Ratings are based on average wood. Same with the stand, but we probably use better wood since we hand pick a few pieces.

One thought on the 2x2 bottom. If that will act as a shelf for a sump you may want to reconsider. If the floor is uneven then since the 2x2 is flexible it won't be flat. This might place bad loading on the sump which would be bad.

[C-Rad]

Both good points.
You are right to point out that we can't depend on a floor to be perfectly flat (or level), and using substantial lumber for the base can help compensate for those flaws, and allow shims to do their job better.

[spllbnd2]

This is another stand that is based off RocketEngineer's design. This will be for a 65H AGA tank with a 20L / 3 chamber sump. I'll be posting a build thread for this in the near future from start to finish and with all the specs.

Cheers,
Alex

[levischilz]

Im looking to do the same setup at the previous page. I have a 210g glass aquarium that im looking to have a 48" opening in the front. I built the top out of 2x6's already and have not started on the rest of the stand. Do you think a 4ft opening is ok on 2x6's? I was thinking I could fab a center brace I could just slide in tight and screw with no glue and remove it later if needed to remove the sump. Thanks Levi

[iceh]

So, two questions...

Who is covering the back of their stand? Can't decide between covering it in ply or leaving it open.

And who is caulking the inside?

[RocketEngineer]

levischilz,
You would have no problems spanning a 4' opening with a 2X6 top rail. No need for a center brace if you have legs on either side of the opening. Consider making it just a touch wider say 49-50 inches wide so you don't have to fight to get the sump in/out. Glass sumps with the trim are a little wider than the base dimensions. Give yourself room to work.

iceh,
The back of my stand is open which allows me to run my wires and plumbing without worrying about cutting holes or fishing for wires. The problem is the light from my fuge is visible a night. Otherwise, its what I prefer. If you design you system properly, there should be very little risk of flooding so caulking the stand doesn't make sense to me. Also, since my stand has the sump on top of the base frame, any leaks would flow out onto the floor anyways so why bother.

RocketEngineer

[rkaragozler]

I decided to build a stand for my 450 gallon glass tank, 96x36, from what I calculated the weight is around 6000lbs. I would like 1 center support, I would use 2x10 for the top rails, and 2x4 for the bottom, I am a little confused with the support sizes (legs), do I use the same size as the top rails? also the top cross braces can they be 2x8. sorry if i missed this reading the thread.

[prop-frags]

Originally Posted by C-Rad

I've read that on other stand threads, and I don't think there's any need, in most cases, to use horizontal pieces to distribute the weight across the floor. I think the lower cross members give the box structure rigidity. The base of a cut 2x4 leg distributes weight across 5.25 sq in, which is much more than the leg on any other heavy piece of furniture typically kept in a house (gun safe, couch with three 250 lb football fans on it, etc) except maybe a water bed. Floors themselves are designed to distribute weight, and if they aren't a concrete slab, they are made of 2x12's, 16" apart, with at least thick plywood subflooring over them. A leg would never be more than 7 inches from a joist under the sub flooring; could it really cause the subflooring to deform over time? I suppose in an extreme case, or in a place where the building code is lax, there could be a problem, so maybe it makes sense to play it safe and make the base of a tank stand as strong as the top, but I suspect that 99% of the time, it's overkill. Maybe a contractor could chime in and give us an idea of how much weight a floor is designed to take, and how concentrated that weight can be before the subfloor deforms.

Here is the article mentioned - this gives an excellent primer on structural engineering and "common myths":

Residential Wood Framed Floors and Aquarium Weights

A few things to keep in mind regarding what C-Rad has posted here:

• safely transferring load from the tank to the ground is what is most important. spreading load across as many of the floor joists as possible is much better than isolating it to small spots unless of course the floor is on concrete slab-on-grade. ("where to put the aquarium", just before myth #7)
  
• most residential floors are designed to support 30-40 psf BUT construction materials and codes vary from place to place - all of which can impact the average live load capacity of a floor/structure (myth #9)
  
• there is a difference in "active" live load and long term live load (myth #11)

We recently performed a stand and floor structure reinforcement for our 300g setup. You can find some other useful links and information there.

[morrowss]

ok, heres what i came up with...hidden hinges and no knobs just spring loaded magnets on front and side doors






I still have a trim piece that will go around after the 210 gets set into place.
Art

[TheFishMan65]

Could you post a link to your spring loaded magnets? Thanks

[seahorsedreams]

Originally Posted by morrowss

ok, heres what i came up with...hidden hinges and no knobs just spring loaded magnets on front and side doors


I still have a trim piece that will go around after the 210 gets set into place.
Art

Great job. What stain did you use?

[morrowss]

Originally Posted by seahorsedreams

Great job. What stain did you use?

Thanks, I used minwax red mahogany, wiped on thick with a sponge then wiped excess with a rag...the spring loaded magnets i used from home depot they just press in then spring the doors out so they can be opened.

[PaPa_Johnny]

I have a question for the people with the answers . I have acquired a standard 240 that I am in the process of getting equipment to set up now. I am really considering constructing a new stand using Rocket Man's patterns. My question, if I use a 2 X 8 for the top board and inset uprights 1 foot from each end, will I be ok with a 6 foot opening in the front of the stand? All the stands are such a pain trying to get anything under neath I would like to make the opening as large as possible.

If I do go ahead and build this I also want to add cabinets on either side of the tank.
I'll be sure and post pics when I start this.

This thread is full of great ideas and help, thanks for keeping it going!

[TheFishMan65]

I think you would also need a support for the ends. Are you just trying to get a 6 foot opening in the front? I think you would be ok with 2x8, but I am not positive and don't know the formulas to use. Hopefully rocket will be along soon to answer.

The original post was using 2x8 for a 8 foot span, but had the ends supported. So I don't see why it should be a problem with what you are proposing.

[110galreef]

Papa....

I have a 55" free span on a 250g tank, w 2x8 top frame. (66x36 footprint.) I used 2x6 for the legs. I only have about 1/20" deflection or less if this helps.

I am not fully understanding your post, but hopefully this helps!

[canesfan44]

Originally Posted by morrowss

ok, heres what i came up with...hidden hinges and no knobs just spring loaded magnets on front and side doors






I still have a trim piece that will go around after the 210 gets set into place.
Art

Did you seal the wood on the inside of the stand?

[morrowss]

Originally Posted by canesfan44

Did you seal the wood on the inside of the stand?

Yes i used the same sealer is used on the outside except i didnt stain the inside

[DML08]

what you guys doing for the overflow holes, should I use a hole saw or just cut a square out since I have 3 in a row in a center overflow??. thanks..

[canesfan44]

Originally Posted by morrowss

Yes i used the same sealer is used on the outside except i didnt stain the inside

Good, I figured you did, just wanted to make sure. I figured anyone that would build a stand that nice would remember to seal it.

[PaPa_Johnny]

Originally Posted by 110galreef

Papa....

I have a 55" free span on a 250g tank, w 2x8 top frame. (66x36 footprint.) I used 2x6 for the legs. I only have about 1/20" deflection or less if this helps.

I am not fully understanding your post, but hopefully this helps!

Thanks 110 for the reply, if you look at the stand in morrows's post quoted just after yours there is and example of what I am trying to say. On the front of his stand he has 2 2x's moved in to hold up the top span. This is what I'm talking about and wondering if a 2x8 will take 72" under a 240. The thought is scary when you say it out loud but I imagine it is a non issue. This is all in the planning stages, just trying to gather information. Oh, I do have the tank and a pos petstore stand .'

Thanks!

Johnny

[110galreef]

Originally Posted by PaPa_Johnny

Thanks 110 for the reply, if you look at the stand in morrows's post quoted just after yours there is and example of what I am trying to say. On the front of his stand he has 2 2x's moved in to hold up the top span. This is what I'm talking about and wondering if a 2x8 will take 72" under a 240. The thought is scary when you say it out loud but I imagine it is a non issue. This is all in the planning stages, just trying to gather information. Oh, I do have the tank and a pos petstore stand .'

Thanks!

Johnny

If I understand correct:

You will build the frame out of 2x8"s with the ends supported by say a 2x something" and also have another 2x4 (or such) in towards the middle on each side to make the open span only 72". Like this
_____<____72" span____>____(2x8) frame
|.....|............................|.....|
|.....|............................|.....|
|.....|............................|.....|
|.....|............................|.....|
---------BottomFrame-----------

That may be pushing it a tad much? Do you need the full 72" or can you go a bit less? Or could you go 2x10 for the frame?

Reason I say this is i have almost 1/20 deflection (much less than I thought when I built my stand) and my span is only 55". 72" is quite a bit more. However my footprint is a bit wider 36" as this will probably put a bit more weight on the span than your Longer and narrower footprint. Your tank Glass or acrylic? HOWEVER pg 1 & first post states a 2x8 should suffice??

[funnyguyMI]

Originally Posted by morrowss

ok, heres what i came up with...hidden hinges and no knobs just spring loaded magnets on front and side doors



I still have a trim piece that will go around after the 210 gets set into place.
Art

Awesome stand! Love the clean look. Do you have any pics of the progress from pic 1 to pic 2? I'm interested to see what you skinned it with, and how the trim fit in. Also, what are the doors made out of? Plywood with a veneer on the edges?

Thanks,
-Mike