Anyone ever doublestack tanks 180 or larger?
- Thread starter Tokay
- Start date
I have been to see arapaimag's tanks and he was showing me the steel tank stands that he has and where they have rusted through. I was saying that the wood stands would be much better long term then the metal stands.
We are way into dangerous territory here. A stand and the necessary flooring to support an assembly like that is no trivial challenge. Dont be too hasty to build something until you fully undertsand the load requirements.
There are some excellant posts on the site that cover this topic already.
There are some excellant posts on the site that cover this topic already.
i would check out the floor befor evan thinking about the stand design because if its not going on a concrete slab its going to have to be reinforced and altered to hold that big weight.
It's certainly possible. I have a 150 and a 75 stacked no problem. But that is with a reinforced floor and a very strong stand. If you make sure your stand and floor are strong enough, than it should be fine.
concrete basement type floor....I would say go for it.....................but if you are contemplating a 2nd story or higher just go buy an enormous sump pump to clean out your flooded basement after it crashes throuh the floorboards...........
And yes go for a nice reinforced wood frame stand...............double up on the 2x4's or maybe even go for the 4x4's for vertical support............
And yes go for a nice reinforced wood frame stand...............double up on the 2x4's or maybe even go for the 4x4's for vertical support............
Ive measured things out and think i could fit the double stack setup in my room and also the floor and stand should be strong enough. Frist of all here is a picture of my 180 glass on a stand i made with 4 x 4's real simple at a 3 foot height. I was planing to do the same stand but make it alot shorter.
The next picture is of my 250 acrlic. It is alot lighter then the glass and 1 foot longer then the 180 glass. So i was planning to put the 4 x 4's around the 180 so it would be pretty much two seprate stands. One short one and a tall stand that would be around the 180 but not structraly supportive of eachother. Prob about 4 4x4's on the back side of the tank and 1 or maybe even two 4x4s at the corners in the front (depending if i make the tank viewable from the front only or also from the sides, but prob jsut front and close the sides). Then i would have to construct a strong frame to sit on top of those 4x4s and be stiff enough to prevent the 250 from bowing in the middle since i wont have support in the front of it because it would block the view of the 180. I have enough friends that work with wood that i could easily find strong enough metal to use. I was planning to use 4 thick metal poles the whole was across. And space them out so they are closer to eachother where there is less support. Attach those to a wood framing that the tank will sit on and make sure the frame is sittig properly on top of the 4x4s and not attached or hanging on them.
After that i would use ply wood to flush out the entire thing so it jsut looks like one big box, and make the tops portions between the tanks and roof detach so i can work on the tank. Maybe even the sides as well.
As for my floor, its a single store house with concrete flooring. Im sure it is fine, i dont see the weight destroying or cracking the substucture of my house. And since the stands will be totally seperate all i will have to worry about is to make the taller stand stronger and supported for the extra height.
I almost forgot i might put in wood floor. Would the weight crush or make the wood uneven? I could imagine if the tanks were on one stand it would, but since it will be tow right aroudn eachother im hoping it would be to bad....
My most techical issue i spent talkin to my friend about for 30 min is the height of my room. Saddly its only about 8 feet high! not very high , just an average room height. The 180 is 2' high, the 250 is 2.5' high leaving me with 3.5' in between the tanks and roof. 3.5' for the stand space, piping, room to roof and to work in the tank isn't much and the hardest to think out. Im going to put the filter to the side of it (well i pretty much have to) so it can be big, easy to get to, and not have to squeeze it in there. Going to have the top tank drain into the wet/dry to the side (prob even flush it with the tank if i want) and since the 180 will be so low to the ground im hoping that gravity will push the water up a lil bit so it fall into the wet/dry if it happenes to be higher then the drains. But if its to high ill just pump it.. I think it should work out fine. Im just worried about how much space i need to work in the tank after they are complete. I was thinking to make all of the sides along with the front upper panles pop off so i can work in it. Because if i have around 1' to work with between and about the tanks, im not sure how it will be so easy working in the tank. Especaily when ill be keeping arowanas and aligator gar , large cat etc.
I was also thinking that the width of the wood and metal from the stand would take extra height that i would make the gap in between the two tanks in the middle the smallest. And since the bottom 180 gal is 6" wider then the 250 above if i was to make access to the bank of the tank it would be easy to work in the tank and add remove fish then in the front. Especaily if i had a small gap there, the extra half foot in back would prob be enough.
i believe ive gather enough information from mfk and personal friends that its very possible to do it and have it fit in my room. I was hoping someone would have a picture of a similar setup.
The next picture is of my 250 acrlic. It is alot lighter then the glass and 1 foot longer then the 180 glass. So i was planning to put the 4 x 4's around the 180 so it would be pretty much two seprate stands. One short one and a tall stand that would be around the 180 but not structraly supportive of eachother. Prob about 4 4x4's on the back side of the tank and 1 or maybe even two 4x4s at the corners in the front (depending if i make the tank viewable from the front only or also from the sides, but prob jsut front and close the sides). Then i would have to construct a strong frame to sit on top of those 4x4s and be stiff enough to prevent the 250 from bowing in the middle since i wont have support in the front of it because it would block the view of the 180. I have enough friends that work with wood that i could easily find strong enough metal to use. I was planning to use 4 thick metal poles the whole was across. And space them out so they are closer to eachother where there is less support. Attach those to a wood framing that the tank will sit on and make sure the frame is sittig properly on top of the 4x4s and not attached or hanging on them.
After that i would use ply wood to flush out the entire thing so it jsut looks like one big box, and make the tops portions between the tanks and roof detach so i can work on the tank. Maybe even the sides as well.
As for my floor, its a single store house with concrete flooring. Im sure it is fine, i dont see the weight destroying or cracking the substucture of my house. And since the stands will be totally seperate all i will have to worry about is to make the taller stand stronger and supported for the extra height.
I almost forgot i might put in wood floor. Would the weight crush or make the wood uneven? I could imagine if the tanks were on one stand it would, but since it will be tow right aroudn eachother im hoping it would be to bad....
My most techical issue i spent talkin to my friend about for 30 min is the height of my room. Saddly its only about 8 feet high! not very high , just an average room height. The 180 is 2' high, the 250 is 2.5' high leaving me with 3.5' in between the tanks and roof. 3.5' for the stand space, piping, room to roof and to work in the tank isn't much and the hardest to think out. Im going to put the filter to the side of it (well i pretty much have to) so it can be big, easy to get to, and not have to squeeze it in there. Going to have the top tank drain into the wet/dry to the side (prob even flush it with the tank if i want) and since the 180 will be so low to the ground im hoping that gravity will push the water up a lil bit so it fall into the wet/dry if it happenes to be higher then the drains. But if its to high ill just pump it.. I think it should work out fine. Im just worried about how much space i need to work in the tank after they are complete. I was thinking to make all of the sides along with the front upper panles pop off so i can work in it. Because if i have around 1' to work with between and about the tanks, im not sure how it will be so easy working in the tank. Especaily when ill be keeping arowanas and aligator gar , large cat etc.
I was also thinking that the width of the wood and metal from the stand would take extra height that i would make the gap in between the two tanks in the middle the smallest. And since the bottom 180 gal is 6" wider then the 250 above if i was to make access to the bank of the tank it would be easy to work in the tank and add remove fish then in the front. Especaily if i had a small gap there, the extra half foot in back would prob be enough.
i believe ive gather enough information from mfk and personal friends that its very possible to do it and have it fit in my room. I was hoping someone would have a picture of a similar setup.
