140g Hex stand

[haxjester]

I just picked up an interesting tank the other day. A 140g hex, 44" from panel to panel across, each panel is 25" long, and the tank is 20" high. It had a plastic strip siliconed to the bottom of the tank to hold a divider that I removed. Just build the tank stand today, still not sure how I want to finish it.

[ani-mal-lvr]

Suhweeeeeet lookin tank, stand and "dogfish"!
So wut else ya gonna stock it with?

[soggysandwich]

thats a cool looking tank

[unstopable4700]

i would finish it by adding center support. thats 1200lbs of water w/ nothin but glass under neith. i wouldnt trust it but, heck i've done plenty of regretable things, so let us know what it cost to fix?

[Jim96Sc2]

i would finish it by adding center support. thats 1200lbs of water w/ nothin but glass under neith. i wouldnt trust it but, heck i've done plenty of regretable things, so let us know what it cost to fix?
Thinking the same thing. I'd put a few crossbraces up there and have the top covered in plywood.

[unstopable4700]

and foam please dont make us see another "my tank exploded" thread. they make me sad.

[haxjester]

Thanks. The larger growing species of bichirs are going to go into the tank first leaving the smaller ones (<14") in the 90g. It will also be a growout tank for my silver arowana that is currently in the 90g. I am going to add 1 or 2 reticulated rays to it after a bit too.

Understand on the center support, didn't think about it until you mentioned it. The previous owner's stand did not have center support, so I did not put it into consideration. When it comes to using plywood on the top, can that be substituted with OSB? And with the foam, how thick of foam should I use, and when cutting the foam, do I want it to sit inside the molding on the bottom of the tank, or cut it to the same size as the top piece (the OSB or plywood top)?

unstopable4700 - what did you mean by "so let us know what it cost to fix?" how much it will cost me if the bottom bursts out, or how much it cost to make the stand?

[unstopable4700]

i was trying to help you understand that, thats a very large span w/o support. my 6' x24"tank has boards every 6" on center for a stand. over built? maybe? but the shape of your tank is more likely to do the funnel effect. where the bottom bows, but since it is for geneeral purpose round the very center will hold more force then the rest of the surface area.

[unstopable4700]

and maybe i was rude but look thru how many stands have caused tank failures.

[dmopar74]

am i seeing things or does that tank have a seam in the center glass?(pic with bottle in it)

[unstopable4700]

i did not see that till you said that!!!!!! holy crap!!!!!!!!! dont put water in that tank w/o center suport. please!!!! if it is 2 piece bottom his stand DID have center support

[haxjester]

No, no, thats not a seam! I would most definitely have added center support if that were the case. That was the plastic divider slot that was siliconed to the bottom of the tank that I removed.

So if I were to add an OSB (waferboard, not particle board) top to it with a "+" crossbrace underneath it should that do the trick? Also about the foam please?

[dmopar74]

oh ok, if its a glass tank, a center support isnt going to do anything as the glass wont even be touching the support.

[haxjester]

Right, that's what I was originally thinking, but then foam was brought up. I thought foam was more geared towards acrylic tanks. Please correct me if I'm wrong though.

[dmopar74]

all my acrylic tanks have foam under em, all my glass tanks that have a frame around em sit directly on the stand. my aga 180g sits on a aga brand stand that is wide open on the top just like your stand,the whole tank rests on the tank frame.

[dmopar74]

i have however used foam under a glass tank once because the tank was ontop of a dresser that was uneven. the foam was under the frame though,not touching the glass.

[unstopable4700]

the foam is there to help w/ imperfections in the stand. doesnt really glass or acrylic i run it on all my tanks.

[kendog1]

if it was me, i would def put some sort of cross brace under the center, even if you shiim it up to the glass, thats a long span and alot of pressure, if the tank fails it will be in the bottom

[Dan Feller]

I have a 65 gallon hex that I used to think was big...

I would add some cross-bracing and put plywood or OSB across the top, more to stiffen up the whole stand than to support the bottom of the tank. Foam couldn't hurt, but I have never used it on my glass tanks.

Enjoy your new monster!

[Maduro]

Did that tank come with a cover?

[haxjester]

Still debating on whether to put a top piece brace on it. As Dan Feller said, I think it would help a bit with structural integrity of the stand, but I don't see it doing much for support for the bottom of the tank, as the glass will not be touching it. Shimming a support up to the glass seems very uneccessary. The foam is debatable too, as all the large glass tanks that friends have locally, and in the aquarium club I belong to, have never used foam. The one thing I am definitely going to do after reading CHOMPERS thread about tank failure is to add some diagonal braces for good measure.

The person I bought it from offered a 6' glass table top that he used as a cover for it when I bought it, but it weighed ~200lbs and was too large for me to use where I am placing the tank. I am still trying to figure out the best material/method to make a top for this as it will be a growout tank for a young arowana, and permanantly house some large bichirs, all are well known jumpers. So a secure lid is not optional. After I figure out how to do the lid, and what style I'm going to finish it in, I will make a matching wooden hood to cover the top of the tank.

[kumdoalan]

It looks strong enough.
Just to make sure I would add a few 2x4s going across the middle to connect one side with the other, but thats about all I would do for adding more supports.

Then just make sure you cover the whole thing, (sides and the top) with plywood.

Use screws, not nails!

I dont know if you really need an added center member that runs up and down.
It couldnt' hurt I guess , but if you cover the top of the stand in plywood then all the weight is kept away from pushing down on the center glass anyway.