How much overkill is too much?

Hope_WA

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2014
106
0
16
Washington State
I'm putting together a 150 gallon glass tank with a 55 gallon sump/refugium for my motoro stingray. It will be sitting on a concrete slab floor, so I'm not worried about weight on the floor. I know I have a tendency to go a bit overboard on things, but I wanted to get some feedback on my designs.

Just for reference sake, the orange color is wood, the light blue is the main tank, and the darker blue is the sump which will be sitting underneath. The areas with the \\\ are regular 8”x8”x16” cinder blocks and the areas with the xxxx markings are 4”x8”x2.25” cinder blocks. The main tank is 6’L x 18”W x 29”T and the sump is 4’L x 12”W x 21”T. I’m planning on using 4x6’s for the wood. The small squares on the plans are 1"x1" with 1'x1' reference markings. Here are my plans in order of preference (so the first one is the idea I like best):

Design 1:
Plan 1.jpg

Design 2:
Plan 2.jpg

Design 3:
Plan 3.jpg

The first design hides part of the filtration and pump area in the sump but shows the refugium. The second design only hides part of the refugium and the third one only shows a small window into the refugium.

So...will my plans support the weight of the tank? Am I using way more support than I need?

Plan 1.jpg

Plan 2.jpg

Plan 3.jpg
 

Hope_WA

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2014
106
0
16
Washington State
I really could use some feedback. As a newbie to the DIY aquarium scene, I'd rather learn from other folks than by painful experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

fuzzlebug

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 3, 2014
419
62
46
scotland
The cinder blocks are fine In Design 1, they can hold a lot of weight, and as your tank isn't too wide there won't be a lot of sag in the middle. My idea would be to be build a frame out of the 2x6s but screw 2 together so it's double thick on all sides, then take sum 2x4s and every 6 inches put them across front to back(put them on side on so there's less sag) then glue a 2inch thick plywood base on top. That's overkill, but you will be able to sleep easy.

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anarekist

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 4, 2011
2,177
9
38
Los Angeles
overkill?? this is monsterfishkeepers.com dude. its all about overkill.
 

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,693
1,227
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San Francisco
I've used cinder blocks, 2x4's and plywood on a concrete floor before. Just my 2 cents.


1) If you use 4x6, use a 3/4" plywood panel to cover. You can use screws or nails to make sure it acts like one single top. You don't need to countersink them, but the heads should be flush to the top. I'd not use 2" plywood as it would be quite expensive, and is really overkill with 4x6.

2) use standard masonry construction cinder blocks and place them aligned so the open sides face up (creating a "tunnel" if you look down a column.) Do not go more than 3 high.

3) use a 3-4 foot level and be sure the top is level everywhere. Concrete floors are sometimes built with very slight slopes to help drain water and the slopes are quite gentle and hard to see visually.

4) the tank should not overhang the table top. And if the tank is fully on the table top (no overhang), the table top should not extend too far beyond the cinder blocks, although no extension is preferable.

5) a third column (in the middle) can use narrower (half size) cinder blocks for added stability and to reinforce the center. In reality most of the weight will go down the 2 side columns.
 

Hope_WA

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2014
106
0
16
Washington State
2) use standard masonry construction cinder blocks and place them aligned so the open sides face up (creating a "tunnel" if you look down a column.) Do not go more than 3 high.
Thank you!
Why not more than 3 high? The reason I ask is that I want to have room to access the sump underneath.
 
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