I'm sketching up a stand for my 38 that I plan on building this weekend. I want the tank to be close to eye level, so my planned height of the stand is 36"- I noticed that many commercial stands and some other DIY stands have a height of 28"-30". Will my deviation make the stand less stable in terms of center of gravity? The stand will be a basic 2x4 frame job with plywood sides added around the sides and back. I'm thinking about leaving the front open and putting shelves in to hold fish food and supplies. The bottom of the stand will have and additional ring of 4x4s to provide a bigger base and give the pedestal effect to be more aesthetically pleasing. I was also thinking about building a little niche in the bottom of the stand to hold a 10g for fry or quarantine feeders. Would that help the center of gravity? Would I be ok sealing without the added weight of the 10g at the bottom? Still on the fence as to whether to close it off and make a cabinet type stand or to leave the front open and to put in shelves above a 10g
DIY stand height
- Thread starter Druu
- Start date
Druu;2035143; said:
The face doesnt matter that much. With that kind of height, you would need to make the stand wider. That way it doesnt rock on you back and forth.
6"-8" of extra height for that small (vs a 200g) of a tank won't be of concern.
If you glue and screw the back & sides you can just frame the front and leave it open. You can also make the shelves an integral part of the stand for added strength.
The 10g won't hurt the center of gravity , just that the leverage is higher now.
You don't plan on people leaning on or trying to push this thing do you?
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Keep us posted,
Dr Joe
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If you glue and screw the back & sides you can just frame the front and leave it open. You can also make the shelves an integral part of the stand for added strength.
The 10g won't hurt the center of gravity , just that the leverage is higher now.
You don't plan on people leaning on or trying to push this thing do you?
()Keep us posted,
Dr Joe
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I knew the face wouldn't do much as all of the weight rests on the legs and top and bottom framing- I just wasn't sure which look I wanted to go with. Do you think the ring of 4x4 around the entire base is enough? I'm not sure I want to add much more than that.RexFish;2035248; said:
Could you elaborate on the leverage part? I'm not quite clear on that point. I just thought the additional weight on the bottom of the stand would help lower the center of gravity and make it less likely for it to tip over.Dr Joe;2035272; said:6"-8" of extra height for that small (vs a 200g) of a tank won't be of concern.
If you glue and screw the back & sides you can just frame the front and leave it open. You can also make the shelves an integral part of the stand for added strength.
The 10g won't hurt the center of gravity , just that the leverage is higher now.
You don't plan on people leaning on or trying to push this thing do you?
Keep us posted,
Dr Joe
.
I don't think it
ll be pushed or bumped into at all- the plan is to have it in a corner of the room.
As for the updates, I'll post as soon as I start building (and find the cable to my camera). I did do schematics of the stand, so I will scan them and post those here as soon as I finish rechecking the numbers.
hmm i also built my DIY stand and the height of it is 36" and this is for my 135 Gal now would mine be fine since the tank itself is really heavy enough that no one can really push or bump it hard enough that it will rock lol...
Druu;2036380; said:
Basically, the taller it is the easier it is to push over. Since it's in a corner you should be good.
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fish-boy13;2036874; said:
With large loads you have to good lateral support or the stand twists and crushes, pushing or bumping just starts everything in motion
.Dr Joe
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It lacks diagonal support. Put bracing in the corners. Triangles are a wonderful thing. If you skin it with 1/2" plywood and glue & screw it on every 4" you should be ok.
It's going to be holding up approx. 1500 lbs, so you want to do the best you can.
Dr Joe
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It's going to be holding up approx. 1500 lbs, so you want to do the best you can.
Dr Joe
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Where should i put the diagonal braces? I kinda want to leave the back open for a large sump tank to fit it...
What i can do is put like small braces in each corner, including middle post. Like possibly 10-15" braces. So a total of 8 will go in the back and ill still be able to fit tanks in and out just carefully maneuvering it around the braces i guess. Would this work to stabalize my tank more?
Oh and i can also fit two on each sides at the very top of it, to add more support on the sides.
What i can do is put like small braces in each corner, including middle post. Like possibly 10-15" braces. So a total of 8 will go in the back and ill still be able to fit tanks in and out just carefully maneuvering it around the braces i guess. Would this work to stabalize my tank more?
Oh and i can also fit two on each sides at the very top of it, to add more support on the sides.
fish-boy13, hijack much? Here you go: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=30
Update: I cut all of the wood for the basic framework today. Have not cut the trim or the 4x4s yet. I've decided to go with 8 legs, 2 at each corner so I can keep the middle of the stand open. Right now it's looking like the standard small tank stand: the basic rectangle with middle braces on the top and bottom. Top and bottom were made to the exact dimensions of the tank (width and length) plus a quarter inch so there's 1/8" extra room on all sides. I figure there should still be 1-3/8" wood for the rim to rest on, so it should be fine. Planning on using 4" lag bolts to build the rectangles, 6" lag bolts to attach the legs to the top and bottom framework. I'll be picking up the 4x4 and hardware tomorrow. Tomorrow night's update should be posted after everything's been screwed together. Now to contemplate the canopy...
Update: I cut all of the wood for the basic framework today. Have not cut the trim or the 4x4s yet. I've decided to go with 8 legs, 2 at each corner so I can keep the middle of the stand open. Right now it's looking like the standard small tank stand: the basic rectangle with middle braces on the top and bottom. Top and bottom were made to the exact dimensions of the tank (width and length) plus a quarter inch so there's 1/8" extra room on all sides. I figure there should still be 1-3/8" wood for the rim to rest on, so it should be fine. Planning on using 4" lag bolts to build the rectangles, 6" lag bolts to attach the legs to the top and bottom framework. I'll be picking up the 4x4 and hardware tomorrow. Tomorrow night's update should be posted after everything's been screwed together. Now to contemplate the canopy...