Building an aquarium stand, which plywood to use for 96” x 24” x 30” Acrylic tank ?

[chopsteeks]

just like the title says, which is your preferred plywood ? I had previously used a Luan plywood, but I was not pleased with Staining results. I had to do lots of extra work as some pieces turned darker than others.

Should I use oak ? Birch ? Others ?

Thanks.

 

[TUCCI]

I wouldn’t get fancy with the type of wood, however I would use regular pine 2x4s with 3/4” particle or ply for the base. I’m a firm believer in a solid full length base plate. Once it’s all painted (black) the type of wood won’t matter. What were you thinking?

 

[Jexnell]

I would use Marine grade plywood at least.
It has fewer to no voids in the center layers, also uses a different glue that won't blow apart with moisture.

 

[TUCCI]

I’ve built them with ordinary pine from Home Depot and painted them with latex black paint and moisture never phased them. But, by all means spare no expense.

 

[Backfromthedead]

If you're looking for good results with staining, you'll need to reach for the pricy stuff. Sanded birch or poplar will give the best character and grain but pine is good for uniformity and it should be a little cheaper. Ive found that lately availability has been a problem with furniture grade plywood though, and sometimes I see the wildest prices on it like $200 a sheet or more.

Since the price hikes on wood products in the past few years I've sometimes found that bonded wood "project panels" can often be found at better $/sqft and more convenient sizes at the big hardware stores. These are sanded and will take a stain well with little to no prep as well.

 

[chopsteeks]

Thx for suggestions.

Yes, plywoods are quite expensive these days. Price of Sanded Birch & Oak plywoods is around $90 per 4’ x 8’. How about Maple ? These are price a tad lower here.

The tank & stand will be a centerpiece item in our basement. So I wanted to build the stand using plywood. I have built stands both using 2x4 lumber and plywoods. I had always painted until the last build where I stained the stand. I am a newbie in the world of staining….

I started using plywood when I invested on a table saw. I actually find it easier & simpler using plywood vs 2 x 4 lumber. From my previous research plywood are as strong, if not stronger than 2 x 4’s.

The person building the Acrylic Tank did give me tips on building this stand. The highlights from his numerous tips, ‘floating’ base for acrylic tanks. This is a piece of plywood where the tank will sit. This is addition to the actual plywood base that is attached to the frame.. ’Floating’ because you don’t permanently attach this to the stand. As plywood rarely are 100% flat, use can level everything using shims to level the bottom out.

He also suggested to use styrofoam between the tank. & stand.

Anyways, back to the stand.

Per my initial calculations, this is what I came up with.

a. 3/4” 4’ x 8’ Birch/Oak @ $90 each = $270 (3)
b. 15/32” 4’ x 8’ Radiata Pine @ $50 each - $100 (2)
c. General Finish Dye Stain @$20 a pint $40 (2)

So roughly the whole project will be around $450

 

[Backfromthedead]

If it's going under an acrylic tank I would just go with sanded pine. No need for a stain. If you wanted to protect it from water a quick coating of wipe-on polyurethane would be adequate imo.

I guess the jury is still out on foam under acrylic tanks. I've heard people say to use it or you don't need it and I've heard people say explicitly NOT to put foam under acrylic. But if it's gonna come down to your tanks warranty you better go with what the manufacturer says I guess.

I don't know how to build a plywood stand properly for a 300g tank so I can't even comment, past my carpentry skills. I will say that I could build a 300g stand+canopy for half that much with 2x4s and 3/8" sanded plywood on 3 sides though.

 

[jjohnwm]

Have you considered simply building a typical frame-type stand out of 2x4's and 2x6's, and then simply sheathing it in thinner (and less expensive) plywood of your choice?

Spending this much money, and using 5 sheets of plywood, to create a stand only (no canopy?) seems wasteful IMHO.

I would be willing to believe that a properly-constructed plywood stand could be equivalent or even superior to a 2x4 frame one...maybe...but a 2x4 frame encased in plywood would beat them both. But really, once it's strong enough...who really cares if one is far stronger than the other?

 

[Backfromthedead]

Have you considered simply building a typical frame-type stand out of 2x4's and 2x6's, and then simply sheathing it in thinner (and less expensive) plywood of your choice?

Spending this much money, and using 5 sheets of plywood, to create a stand only (no canopy?) seems wasteful IMHO.

I would be willing to believe that a properly-constructed plywood stand could be equivalent or even superior to a 2x4 frame one...maybe...but a 2x4 frame encased in plywood would beat them both. But really, once it's strong enough...who really cares if one is far stronger than the other?

I'm guessing the biggest plus would be more space inside.

 

[jjohnwm]

I'm guessing the biggest plus would be more space inside.

I thought so as well, but I'm not sure if an all-plywood stand would require some sort of internal bracing that would negate some of this advantage?

On an 8-foot tank, a 2x4 framework stand uses up about three inches of length at each end; nothing excessive.