Note to DIY Stand Builders...think about eliminating the center brace

[bbl_nk]

For anyone looking to build a DIY stand for their tank, before you start cutting and nailing think about eliminating the center brace or at least make it removable from the front of your stand. I was just replying on a plumbing thread and it made me think about how much simpler everything would be if I had done that

I know it adds to the whole appeal and can actually hide some irregularities especially when building doors from scratch (warped wood, 89 degree mitres ) but it limits you on the size of the sump you can add plus when you get your skimmer, sump, lumping, electrical, dosers, reactors, etc., now you have to be rubberman or woman to get around in there.

If you look at the commercial stands for large tanks 125+, you see most of the weight supported just around the edge and almost no large lumber like a 4x4 or 2x4. Of course they design these by engineers who are much better at this weight distribution, wood stress thing, than us...but we can take some cues.

When we think stand, DIY, big tank, we start thinking 4x4's galore and that's not bad...but if we overengineer our tank, with good support, solid connections using large bolts and strong adhesives, this should carry the weight quite easily with no sag in the center.

I'm sure there are some carpenters or people who get it more than me that might chime in with some alternatives but all I know is when I was going to try and slide in the 20g tank I bought for my sump, my *&*&#@(*&@! center brace made it about 1/2" too much to get around the angle. Without a center brace, I could even put a larger tank in there, but alas....I'm stuck with an 18g tall tank, looking to add a separate fuge and going with an external skimmer (by choice tho mostly)...lots of cutting, plumbing and head scratching just to make it all fit.

Cheers! I hope this helps someone out!

Brian

[CarmieJo]

I think that this is a good idea.

[rayme07]

Thanks Brian I was thinking about building a DIY stand for my 60 gallon so that will help a lot

[bbl_nk]

Rayme,

If you have any questions, just let me know. I worked out my stand using Google Sketchup which helped out a lot. Of course when I started my stand project I wasn't necessarily thinking of a sump, then thought I could get a 20g for under $20 from my LFS that would be perfect. Then the stand was nearly all together and I went and bought it and guess what? It didn't want to make the final turn in the stand.

I wish I still lived down in San Diego. I have a friend who is a welder and what would have been perfect would have been for him to weld me of a frame and then just skin it with wood. 4x4's, 2x4's and even 2x3's take up a LOT of space underneath and what I discovered was we all LOVE stuffing lots of goodies and gizmos underneath, besides just getting in the way for plumbing too!

I think the one factor to consider are doors. Are you going with stock cabinet doors? If your plan calls for those, you can probably pick us some pretty cheap. We have a Habitat for Humanity resale shop in town and they have TONS of cabinet doors for maybe $5 a pop. My stand was going with clean lines so I build my doors from scratch with 3/4 hardwood ply with pine edges to get rid of the ply look on the sides.

I also just have hand power tools, so my cuts and angles aren't perfect but was able to hide a lot since I went with a black paint finish. But then again with black, it shows more imperfections than you think

Let me know if I can help you out in any way!

Brian

[rayme07]

If you have any questions, just let me know

I deffanly will.

I think the one factor to consider are doors. Are you going with stock cabinet doors? If your plan calls for those, you can probably pick us some pretty cheap. We have a Habitat for Humanity resale shop in town and they have TONS of cabinet doors for maybe $5 a pop. My stand was going with clean lines so I build my doors from scratch with 3/4 hardwood ply with pine edges to get rid of the ply look on the sides

my dad has a lot of pieces of plywood that i will probly be using for the doors my dad used to make cabniet doors so hopfully we wont have a problem.

I also just have hand power tools, so my cuts and angles aren't perfect but was able to hide a lot since I went with a black paint finish. But then again with black, it shows more imperfections than you think

my dad also has powerd tools that he said he would let me borrow with his super vision of course some i dont know how to use so it will be great to lern both how to build a stand and how to use power tools. also I know what you mean by black shows everything my dad has a black car and it shows every ding he has in it also all the dirt.

Thanks again for your help when i start on it ill let you know or start a thread mabe

[poppin_fresh]

i would have to say that the biggest issue I've had with building stands is not the center brace, but rather the space for the overflows.

If you have a "Reef Ready" tank, you need to be extremely careful about the space required for the bulkheads to clear the stand. Most people like to double up the 2X beams supporting the perimeter of the tank, but the stock drilling on most tanks wont permit clearing such a beam. In some cases using 4 x 4 posts in the corners wont allow for clearance either.

My tip would be to make sure you measure and make a template so you know where the tank needs clearance...then double check it!

[lReef lKeeper]

the only parts of a tank that really NEED support are the ends. i have a LFS that has 2 180g display tanks ... and both are ONLY supported by concrete blocks on the ends of tanks, and they have been that way for the last 8 years or so.

if i ever set up another big tank ... thats how i am gonna go.

[bbl_nk]

If you look at the commercial stands you see they just carry the weight around the edges too. I wish I would have thought of all these things before starting out, but figured I'd go hefty just to be safe. You can get creative with the bracing for sure to keep it from the lateral movement. Good point on the reef readies and bulkheads, you don't want to start cutting and drilling once its nearly done!

Remember my motto...Measure once, cut twice, drive to Home Depot for another piece

[rayme07]

Remember my motto...Measure once, cut twice, drive to Home Depot for another piece

nice motto i love the home depo part its my favorite store that and lows

[Astrivian]

When i built my stand for my (old) 100 i actually had two center braces. I was scared about the weight each would take and decided to take the paranoid way out. However, i made these removable by having small bolts hold the brace in place before the weight of the tank was placed on it. The bolts themselves took NO weight, they just held it vertically. This way, i could remove the two boards to put in the sump then add the boards back before filling the tank with sand, rock and water. While i wasn't limited on the size of the sump i could put in, i could not remove it.

Just my thoughts!