Chompers thread has terrified me!
Don’t be terrified, just think about what you are doing. There is a whole lot of that not going on here. If you don’t prepare for the worse that could happen, you won’t be very happy when it does.
It seems that the DIY design checks and balances are limited to looking at what is for sale at the local pet store (junk mostly) and then use what you saw for a 30 gallon tank as the pattern for your 250 gallon tank. The thread was started because an individual with a 700 gallon tank built his stand without any bracing and then declared it California earthquake proof. The results of the math is what was terrifying.
The common practice I have observed here is to build a beefy looking frame just like the last guy and then finish with a unique comment that it is the toughest anyone has ever built. The weight of the tank is a no brainer; no one is thinking of the lateral forces. The bigger the tank, the larger the lateral forces.
Being a I just built a 90gal stand with 2X4 frames mitred into the 4X4 legs which I thought was indestructible. After reading his posts I have added some diagonal cross braces.
You are wiser than most. The cost of the bracing is extremely small compared to the total investment it is protecting. Bracing does not have to be all that beefy either. Plugging your numbers into the equation on the other thread will give you an idea what a tank will need. By the way, skinning your frame with plywood is effective bracing. Glue and screw for maximum strength and never use nails in a fish tank stand.
Has anyone had their DIY stand fail (or any store bought for that matter)?
I have been wondering the same thing. I have also noticed a shortage of comments on failures. I have two unique perspectives on this that I would like to share. I have a friend that works the flea markets on weekends. He and his wife run a pet shop out of the Daytona flea market and he is always getting freebies. He has no less than thirty damaged aquariums in his back yard. He affectionately calls it the fish tank grave yard. Also, my nephew is a garbage man. He sees them on his route monthly at the very least. Each has its own story, and many are the signal to the end of the owner’s aquarium hobby. I have a feeling that anyone who responds with a serious failure will be serious about the hobby and not have everything sunk into one tank.
by the way, welcome to MFK!!!
