Tips on building a 6' long x 4' wide stand

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fastcarsnbigfishies

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 13, 2008
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New Mexico
So my tenecor tank is here, and now I am looking to build a stand for it. I will be hiring someone to do it, so I am hopeful that they will know what they are doing and understand what is needed structurally. However I would like to know myself how it should possibly be built that way I can be sure that it is being done right, and will be strong enough. I see many diy stands here, but most of them seem to be 3f wide or less. I am sure there has to be something extra to support the large width of the tank. I will continue searching but if anyone has advice that would be great :) Thanks!
 
Build a frame out of plywood and fill it with concrete (one solid block is best), just to be sure it's strong enough. Make sure you get the stuff that is reinforced with bits of steel.


Or, build it like normal but put some vertical supports in the center.
 
Any DIY stand you see on this site would expand to 4 feet just fine. The stands you see on this site would hold 10 times the weight people put on them. I think there's a contest as to who can overbuild their stand the most.

If you look in the pet store at tank stands for 200 gallon tanks, you'll see them made out of 1x2's and 1/2" MDF..
 
kallmond;3710073; said:
Any DIY stand you see on this site would expand to 4 feet just fine. The stands you see on this site would hold 10 times the weight people put on them. I think there's a contest as to who can overbuild their stand the most.

If you look in the pet store at tank stands for 200 gallon tanks, you'll see them made out of 1x2's and 1/2" MDF..
Click to expand...
That is true, but you cant blame people for over building though. When you have a brand new acrylic tank, thousands of dollars worth of fish, and the possibility of thousands of dollars worth of water damage are at risk.. you tend to over do it just in case.
 
So I have the stand slowly coming along, the framing and structural parts are done just the outside and esthetics left.
My question is, is it normal to see a minor amount of bowing (just enough where you see the reflection of the light curve on the bottom acrylic piece)?
Here are some pictures, the tank is slightly bowing on the right and left side in the spaces where there are no 2x4 supports

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117.JPG
 
If it's bowing, you umm yeah need more support.

How thick is that plywood? Looks about 3/8"-1/2". I'd either double that or swap it out to a 3/4" piece.

And you need to have at the very least support around the entire perimeter of the tank. The spaces where you don't have 2x4s under the tank walls need them. That's the most basic part of stand building.
 
^^ Agree, More support around the perimeter, and if you are getting bowing between the supports then as stated above either double the ply top or get 3/4. If your double I would recomend spreading glue down between layers of ply to increase the strength and dont be shy with the glue, get a good layer down without over doing it.
 
You need the perimeter framing regardless of what else you do. You want the the walls supported evenly and not reliant on the bottom to carry the weight. Plywood under the bottom is insufficient.

If that plywood is 1/2", I'd double it. If it's 3/8" or thinner, I'd replace it with 3/4".
 
so now the whole perimeter of the tank is supported, and I added 3/4" plywood ontop of the 1/2" that was already there, this has taken care of the bottom acrylic bowing. However now with the aquarium filled about 1/2" from the "top" the middle of the top acrylic piece bows inward(down) into the water. I have heard of the top bowing out due to the sides bowing, but I cant find anything about the top bowing inward. Any thoughts?
 
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