getting a 72" sump under a 96" tank

[spwd]

Im facing the same problem for my 9ft,im planning on using my 180g for the sump,its a 6x2x2 so the length is the same and it sounds like you have the same set up with the doors as me.
Mine will be made from steel not wood though,i will be having an open span of 74" as i dont think you need any more gap,also the gap may depend on the width of the doors im using.
In the centre il be having a panel that doesnt open to make up the difference to the size doors that are available if you know what i mean.
If you need all the doors to open then just have removeable uprights which you should easily be able to mount your doors on.


Steve

 

[LowCel]

If necessary you could always do a metal stand and then skin it with wood.

 

[DaveB]

If necessary you could always do a metal stand and then skin it with wood.

Nope, cause I've got to get it built this week, and I have no idea where I'd get metal done in that time.

In fact, I may need to assemble it inside the room, now that I think of it.

To answer another earlier question, I guess I want it removable in case of emergency just because I have no experience running a sump, and also just in case it breaks or starts leaking. The tank itself is 800lbs empty, plus of course I expect it to always remain full of fish.

Sliding it in the end was the initial plan... I was even going to frame a little 2x4 sliding rail/spot for it. But it's just going to look better on the far wall, plus it won't interfere with the projector that way.

(Speaking of the theater - do fish really hate loud music? My acrylic 110 never seemed to have fish that minded a big speaker next to it. But this one is glass - if that matters - and I anticipate louder music/movies in this room now that I don't have downstairs neighbors)

 

[LowCel]

(Speaking of the theater - do fish really hate loud music? My acrylic 110 never seemed to have fish that minded a big speaker next to it. But this one is glass - if that matters - and I anticipate louder music/movies in this room now that I don't have downstairs neighbors)

I have an SVS sub in my living room (106" hd projector screen) and my red devil in that room never even acknowledges it.

Believe me, if this sub doesn't bother them then nothing will.

 

[dawnmarie]

...hand it here, I'll sit on it..

Toby , I have to disagree with you on one thing.
Anyone capable of making a furniture grade cabinet should be skilled enough to construct a removeable brace able to carry the weight of two doors hinged on it.
As an alternative you could always do sliding doors and skip the upright completely.

 

[spwd]

Toby , I have to disagree with you on one thing.
Anyone capable of making a furniture grade cabinet should be skilled enough to construct a removeable brace able to carry the weight of two doors hinged on it.
As an alternative you could always do sliding doors and skip the upright completely.

Now thats a good idea.


Steve

 

[DaveB]

I have an SVS sub in my living room (106" hd projector screen) and my red devil in that room never even acknowledges it.

Believe me, if this sub doesn't bother them then nothing will.

Cool.

Off topic, but can you send me a photo of how the 106 screen looks in that room? That's roughly the same size I was thinking of using... in a small (14x12) room.

I was initially thinking 120" but that might be overkill...

Anyone capable of making a furniture grade cabinet should be skilled enough to construct a removeable brace able to carry the weight of two doors hinged on it.

I'm no engineer, but if it bears a load in the center, wouldn't removing it weaken the structure significantly, even if it's only temporary? Wouldn't that make it vulnerable to sagging, which would then make it impossible to properly replace that brace?

All of that is worst-case scenario thinking, of course. But I kind of want to be prepared for that.

 

[kallmond]

You could cut a hole in the wall and put in an access door to remove the sump from the room next door.

Just adding an option

 

[Conner]

I did two removeable center braces on a 6ft tank stand that I built. Honestly, the stand was probably so over built that it didn't even need the center braces, they were mostly just there for the doors to hinge off of. When I was building the sump, I just removed one of the braces, slid the sump in, and then added the brace back (I used metal corner brackets to attach the brace, so all I had to do was remove 8-10 screws, and I could pop out the brace with my hand or a hammer).

I think if you slightly over built the front top cross brace, then you could get away with a single center brace, that you could build to be removable (maybe its not super easy to remove, but in an emergency you can). that's probably your best option, and makes it so you can still make the stand finish grade. or you could even do several removable braces, depending on the size of doors you want.

 

[DaveB]

You could cut a hole in the wall and put in an access door to remove the sump from the room next door.

Just adding an option

That'd be the best option if there was room. I briefly considered a super tall bio tower, but that would only really work with gravity from the upstairs tanks, and the water input line would block that. The HVAC stuff takes up the rest of the wall. I've got room for up to a 20g hospital tank against that wall but that's it. The piping through the wall can only be for drip system and drainage, unfortunately.

I think if you slightly over built the front top cross brace, then you could get away with a single center brace, that you could build to be removable (maybe its not super easy to remove, but in an emergency you can). that's probably your best option, and makes it so you can still make the stand finish grade. or you could even do several removable braces, depending on the size of doors you want.

Yeah, that'd be ideal, but to span 8 feet without a brace would take a 2x10 or a synthetic joist, I think. And if I go that tall, I get into it blocking access and all that.

I talked with the cabinet supplier today (about matching the kitchen cabinets for a 125 stand that I'd skin long before this one) and he pointed out that to do it right, you want a 3/4" ply face piece to use for mounting the doors. If I want to do it that way, I can't frame the stand and set the tank up pre-finishing, since 3/4" plus trim width would be too wide as excess. So now I need to redesign everything and probably won't end up building this for a while.

Unless someone can teach me more about the many varieties of hidden hinges for cabinet doors that don't have gaps between them, and if there's one I could mount to the 2x4...