Have you though about putting the 60s on the bottom shelf? That would reduce the weight on top, lowering the center of gravity down, making it more stable?
Building stands for multiple tanks???
- Thread starter Hybridfish7
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yes, though this runs into some minor issues, as I feel like having the 60s on the bottom will not leave as much room for vertical supports for the 40s
If height is becoming a concern you can glue and screw 2x4s back to back and they will become about as strong as a 2x6 is. You can also turn your uprights on edge and block between the horizontals with 2x2s to save space and money. A vertical 2x4 will hold a staggering amount of weight, up to a thousand pounds by itself. That's because there is no span and minimal grain issues to combat. As others have said, it's the unsupported span that will flex or break. Especially with dimensional lumber that's full of imperfections. Hers a couple impromptu shots to help explain. Please excuse the mess
very interesting, I may redesign the whole thing to see how it turns out with this in mind.
The first pic I put up is my 48" 120 gallon over 75 gallon stand. I didn't want to use 2X6s and I couldn't have a center vertical in the front because of 75 that used to be beneath. The doubled 2x4s solves that. The board on the inside isn't directly supported by the uprights but it doesn't need to be the front one is. The inside board is just screwed to the uprights and fully glued and screwed to the board in front laminating the two into a 3" wide by 3.5" tall beam. That eliminates any possibility of flex in that 42" span. 24" is the max you should ever expect a single 2x4 on edge to span. Sure it will go farther if your live load is evenly distributed over the uprights but that's a big risk considering one ill placed knot or crack you cant see could cause that board to flex more than your glass.
It's been mentioned but you really need to find a way to secure the top to the wall in as many places as you can and the bottom corners to the floor or wall. It not only keeps this very tall very live load from toppling forward but it will also keep it in square left to right. Enough empty tanks here, full tanks there and this thing could scissor shut. I might hear that from my house.
It's been mentioned but you really need to find a way to secure the top to the wall in as many places as you can and the bottom corners to the floor or wall. It not only keeps this very tall very live load from toppling forward but it will also keep it in square left to right. Enough empty tanks here, full tanks there and this thing could scissor shut. I might hear that from my house.
Working on the 2x6 version, but here's the semi complete version of the 2x2 vertical support version. Pretty nice, cuts down an entire foot of length. More supports will be added for the 20s on the bottom, and the 60s on the top, and the top shelf will have doubled up 2x4s. I'll put that in the "blueprint" later. I'll see how the 2x6 version turns out, and then just for fun I'll make one out of 2x6s supported by 2x2s. Thoughts on the viability of this one for now?
Edit: more supports
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Yep, now that we are up to the Mark 47 or Mark 48 version this thing seems to be looking pretty solid. 
I think I may have mentioned it earlier, and I don't think anyone else has, possibly because nobody else thinks it is worth doing, but...adding a couple of diagonal braces at the back would be a fast, cheap and easy way to add a great deal of strength to this design, specifically a resistance to "folding up" or doing an imitation of an accordion if lateral forces are applied. A simple piece of 2x4, attached at a 45-degree on the back at each end between the top and middle horizontals, would be a must-do for me. I'd be inclined to add another one at each end, running diagonally from front to back, but if the assembly is attached to the wall for stability that makes the end pieces somewhat dispensable.
I think I may have mentioned it earlier, and I don't think anyone else has, possibly because nobody else thinks it is worth doing, but...adding a couple of diagonal braces at the back would be a fast, cheap and easy way to add a great deal of strength to this design, specifically a resistance to "folding up" or doing an imitation of an accordion if lateral forces are applied. A simple piece of 2x4, attached at a 45-degree on the back at each end between the top and middle horizontals, would be a must-do for me. I'd be inclined to add another one at each end, running diagonally from front to back, but if the assembly is attached to the wall for stability that makes the end pieces somewhat dispensable.
