230 gallon glass tank project

[_erik_]

Hey!

Im starting this thread to share some about my ongoing project. There will without a doubt pop up some questions for the tank building masters on this forum aswell!

So Im building a 230 gallon glass tank measuring 72"x40"x20" (lxwxh). Will be eurobracing and building the tank "sides-on-bottom"-style.
Im excited and also a bit scared since Ive never built a tank larger than 20 gallons. But Im going to be extremely meticulous and really take my time with this project.
Im almost done with the stand. Its built with 2x4s with 3/4" melamine shelves on top and Im planing on adding foam or some similar product between the tank and stand.

My biggest problem at the moment is that the floor is very uneven. Especially a bump in the middle of the floor where the tank is standing is problematic.
Im trying to counter this with each leg being able to be raised individually by using perforated metal sheets as shims (see pic below). Not sure if its a great solution though.. Opinions on this would be great!

Also, the most important thing when leveling a tank is to make sure the corners are level right? A very slight "sagging" along the sides are fine as long as the corners are level and therefore do not twist the tank?

 

[TheWolfman]

I would add some diagonal bracing and a bottom frame. You don't have anything to stop the stand from twisting. If the stand twist it could blow a seam on the tank.

 

[_erik_]

I would add some diagonal bracing and a bottom frame. You don't have anything to stop the stand from twisting. If the stand twist it could blow a seam on the tank.

I have used a total of 72 angle irons (aka corner brackets) so I wouldnt say that I dont have anything to keep the stand from twisting, but I will certainly look into diagonal bracing! Thank you for your comment, its great getting feedback! I actually started working on a bottom frame today (pic below).

Im planing on putting a sump in the left section (the section closest to the wall) and use the middle section for acces to the sump. The right section will be used, atleast initially, as a storage area. I will be adding the same kind of melamine shelves that I used for the top of the stand in the left and right section.

(Why not put the sump in the right section for the easier access? I want to keep that section open since I cant decide if I want to put a couple of smaller tanks next to the big one im curretly building. If I do decide to move my smaller tanks I wanna keep their cannister filters in the big tanks stand.)

 

[Backfromthedead]

Gonna have to agree with TheWolfman on this one. Those angles will not stop the 2500 lbs from twisting or racking if the situation arises. They are simply anchored in wood. I think you will need some crossbraces and perimeter bracing before putting a full 230 gallons on it.

 

[_erik_]

I would add some diagonal bracing and a bottom frame. You don't have anything to stop the stand from twisting. If the stand twist it could blow a seam on the tank.

Gonna have to agree with TheWolfman on this one. Those angles will not stop the 2500 lbs from twisting or racking if the situation arises. They are simply anchored in wood. I think you will need some crossbraces and perimeter bracing before putting a full 230 gallons on it.

Okay! How would you do the bracing? Would be great if I still could fit a sump in the stand.. If there is a guide somewhere for bracing large tank stands I would appreciate if someone could post a link!

 

[BIG-G]

The bracing can be as simple as a 2x ran diagonally from corner to corner.
It can be cut to fit inside the existing vertical. Or you could attach it to the inside ran diagonally

 

[TheWolfman]

Okay! How would you do the bracing? Would be great if I still could fit a sump in the stand.. If there is a guide somewhere for bracing large tank stands I would appreciate if someone could post a link!

A lot of us use the king of diy's design for stands, it's pretty much the gold standard. He has videos on you tube. The way you currently have it setup you could cut triangles and screw them into the top left and right corners of the stand to keep the stand from contortioning. I would do that on all sides.

 

[_erik_]

A lot of us use the king of diy's design for stands, it's pretty much the gold standard. He has videos on you tube. The way you currently have it setup you could cut triangles and screw them into the top left and right corners of the stand to keep the stand from contortioning. I would do that on all sides.

I really appreciate that you are taking the time to give me advice and maybe Im a bit stubborn now or are misunderstanding something, but...
If I were to upgrade to real heavy duty, thick and reinforced steel corner brackets would I not achieve the same effect as using wood triangles? Both options would in the end rely on the strenght of the screws which hold them in place?

 

[Backfromthedead]

Gonna have to agree with TheWolfman on this one. Those angles will not stop the 2500 lbs from twisting or racking if the situation arises. They are simply anchored in wood. I think you will need some crossbraces and perimeter bracing before putting a full 230 gallons on it.

The top frame looks great, i would take that off, build one just like it for the bottom, and connect them with overlapping 2x4s and supports ("king of diy" design). Heres one of my recent stands. I'll actually be building a tank and stand similar to the dimensions you are using soon too.


Edit: meant to quote you E _erik_ not myself lol

 

[_erik_]

A lot of us use the king of diy's design for stands, it's pretty much the gold standard. He has videos on you tube. The way you currently have it setup you could cut triangles and screw them into the top left and right corners of the stand to keep the stand from contortioning. I would do that on all sides.

The top frame looks great, i would take that off, build one just like it for the bottom, and connect them with overlapping 2x4s and supports ("king of diy" design). Heres one of my recent stands. I'll actually be building a tank and stand similar to the dimensions you are using soon too.

Ive actually watched alot of King of DIYs (Joey) youtube-channel (not just regarding stand builds) and now I kind of regret not doing it his way from the start. What I really cant get my head around is that in Joeys builds the guides really dont support any weight.

A couple of questions:

1. So the real purpose of the guides is to stop the weight-bearing legs from twisting?

2. If were to redo the build as suggested, King of DIY-style, can/should I do it with 6 legs (with guides) instead of the 12 I have now?

3. If I do rebuild, should I skip the 2x4 in the center of the top-part going the lenght of the stand? (see pic) Just use 2x4 supports for the width of the tank?