diy 125 gallon stand help

[beex215]

here is the measurements of the tank. i want to make the stand 28 inches tall. i found out that 2x4 lumber are not 2x4 inches. they are 1.5x 3.5. i had to re-do some calculations after finding that out. correct me if im wrong.

125g tank
L-- 72.25
W-- 18.25
H-- 23.25

the stand
L-- 72.5
W-- 18.5
H-- 28

im basing the stand idea off this guys. forgot his name but this was his stand in the pic. i marked the pieces with letters and how long they should be. is everything looking good and is there any suggestions?

HIS NAME IS NEWFE

A= 15.5 in X 8 pieces
B= 28 in X 6 pieces will be made from 1x4 board
C= 25 in X 10 pieces
D= 72.5 in X 4 pieces

 

[Newfe]

Make your stand 1" wider and 1" longer than your aquarium. That will give you a 1/2" grace all the way around. That is what I did. That stand in the pic, is the one I built. Your tank is 72.5" go 73.5" for your stand, it's 18.5" wide go 19.5" high.

A = 16.5" x 8 pc
B = ( I cut those a little short) but you are fine with those
C = depends if you are laying them flat or turning them on thier end.
Flat = 25" on it end = 21" (mine are on the end)
D = 73.5" x 4 pc.

Remember to build a box first. Start with the 2 D pcs and put 1 A pc at each end first. Then add the other two. Do that first for the top and the bottom. I used a box of 50 3" # 8 screws and a box 100 + 1.3/4" # 8 screws. Every Screw was pre drilled with a 1/8 drill bit. My thread is 108 tank stand. Any questions I will be only too happy to answer.

Good luck

 

[beex215]

yes i edited your name when i was browsing around. i thought .25 inches around would be good enough but .50 sounds good. i dont understand the flat or end thing you are talking about. looks like you can only put it one way.

 

[Newfe]

2x4 on its flat is 1.5" high. 2x4 on its end is 3.5" high. If you added a .25" grace add another another .25" you will need a 1/2" all the way around. If your tank is 72" go 73" long if its 18" wide go 19" wide. You will be glad you did. Also if you drill all the screw holes the wood won't split up on you. Thats why I did it.

 

[beex215]

i see what you meant now. i did have an error. i was suppose to be 21in not 25. ok everything seems right and ready.

thanks

 

[Newfe]

My stand was 30" high, but when I added 3/4" plywood top and bottom it went to 31.5". So if you are adding plywood after be sure and deduct that, or your stand will be higher than you want. I added the 3/4" plywood top and bottom to keep everything from twisting. Good luck.

 

[beex215]

im not gonna be adding anything to the skeleton. maybe a door at most. is it ok to use pressure treated woods? those seem to be the cost effective. what wood is recommended if pt is a no no?

 

[Newfe]

I don't think I would want pressure treated wood inside the house because of all the chemicals in it.

 

[beex215]

good. i got the regular pine 2x4. it took 3.5 hours of HELLo to get my 7 pcs of 2x4. so much stalling and thinking and stalling and calling. i still need the 1x4 fasteners. as long as i didnt waste a trip empty handed. my hands were so full that i left my drink behind. thats a whole dollar or more wasted. i left a man down and im sad.

 

[Newfe]

I always made sure each piece was square before I started measuring & cutting.