Mattlikesfish36 Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 I am going to be upgrading to a 40 breeder for my shell dweller cichlids and I am planning on building my own stand from 2x4s. My question is, does the aquarium need to line up directly with the legs on the corners? Or can I build it wider than the tank and center it on the top? I would like to build a 5 foot wide stand to fill a space evenly against the wall where it will be going. I am also planning on having a variety of nano tanks on the bottom. Any advice would be much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 im no engineer, but if it were me, and i wanted a stand more than a few inches wider than the tank, i would double up the front and back top 2x4's, just to be sure they didnt sag over time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 Depending on how thick the plywood top is, your present design is probably ok. Thicker plywood will disperse more weight without sagging. Adding a third 2x4 in the middle would work, but I think that @lefty o's suggestion would be easier and faster. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 Thanks @lefty o and @Tanked for the feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots Of Loaches Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 Like Lefty-O, I'm no engineer either! I have built several tank stands though and thought I'd tell you what I've come up with that has served me well over the years. For my top and bottom shelves, I frame them with 2x6 and add 2 supports evenly spaced left to right running front to back. I use 3/4" plywood on stands that are larger than the tank sitting on it. For legs I use doubled up 2x4s. I realize that I'm probably going way over what I need for the tanks but I figure if I do that I'll never have to worry about anything happening to the tanks in the future. Best of luck to you with your project and I hope you will post a picture of what you create with the tanks in place. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 On 12/23/2023 at 3:00 PM, Lots Of Loaches said: Like Lefty-O, I'm no engineer either! I have built several tank stands though and thought I'd tell you what I've come up with that has served me well over the years. For my top and bottom shelves, I frame them with 2x6 and add 2 supports evenly spaced left to right running front to back. I use 3/4" plywood on stands that are larger than the tank sitting on it. For legs I use doubled up 2x4s. I realize that I'm probably going way over what I need for the tanks but I figure if I do that I'll never have to worry about anything happening to the tanks in the future. Best of luck to you with your project and I hope you will post a picture of what you create with the tanks in place. @Lots Of Loachesthanks for all of this info! I like the idea of using the 2x6 pieces. Better to be on the side of overkill than risking things turning out flimsy. I’ll definitely post pictures once things are up and running 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 @lefty o @Lots Of Loaches well I ended up taking the easy way out after seeing a sale at Home Depot. I bought these husky shelves that are rated at 1000 pounds per shelf. I’m feeling confident about the stand and it is up against an exterior wall perpendicular to the joists. The only thing is now I’m a little fearful about the narrow legs compared to the original plan I had for the DIY stand. Hoping it doesn’t go crashing through the floor. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 What do the bottom of those shelves look like, @Mattlikesfish36? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 On 1/4/2024 at 10:54 AM, jwcarlson said: What do the bottom of those shelves look like, @Mattlikesfish36? @jwcarlson here’s a photo I took of the box. I put the plywood over the top for some extra protection 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 You had me moderately concerned because I couldn't tell if it had the steel mesh under it and it looked like you might have had 400 pounds suspended on OSB 😄 I think those are a good option for an out of the box stand. And honestly, they don't look bad. I'm trying to slow-walk putting in a rack like this with some growout tanks. Do you think I'd be able to hide one in my basement right in the middle of the walkway to our oldest's bedroom and the laundry room? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 On 1/4/2024 at 11:00 AM, jwcarlson said: You had me moderately concerned because I couldn't tell if it had the steel mesh under it and it looked like you might have had 400 pounds suspended on OSB 😄 I think those are a good option for an out of the box stand. And honestly, they don't look bad. I'm trying to slow-walk putting in a rack like this with some growout tanks. Do you think I'd be able to hide one in my basement right in the middle of the walkway to our oldest's bedroom and the laundry room? @jwcarlsonhaha I was a little nervous about them without some plywood for reinforcement. I’m sure you could fit one in a smaller spot like that. I think they may have smaller sizes as well but I’m not sure about the weight capacity on the other models Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 I've got space for it, but I need one that my wife can't see. Maybe I can paint it camoflauge. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonkley Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 You know, since you have the space... you could swap it with a 75g, i mean either petco or petsmart is running their eternal 50% off sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 On 1/4/2024 at 9:38 AM, Mattlikesfish36 said: @lefty o @Lots Of Loaches well I ended up taking the easy way out after seeing a sale at Home Depot. I bought these husky shelves that are rated at 1000 pounds per shelf. I’m feeling confident about the stand and it is up against an exterior wall perpendicular to the joists. The only thing is now I’m a little fearful about the narrow legs compared to the original plan I had for the DIY stand. Hoping it doesn’t go crashing through the floor. i think you'll be okay!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 On 1/4/2024 at 11:04 AM, jwcarlson said: I've got space for it, but I need one that my wife can't see. Maybe I can paint it camoflauge. @jwcarlson let me know if you find a paint that works haha that is my issue as well On 1/4/2024 at 11:49 AM, Lonkley said: You know, since you have the space... you could swap it with a 75g, i mean either petco or petsmart is running their eternal 50% off sale. @Lonkley I love that idea but it makes me so nervous about the weight of such a big tank haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots Of Loaches Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 @Mattlikesfish36 The stand looks like it worked out like you wanted in the beginning. They look strong enough to handle the job with the added benefit of being lighter than shelves made out of wood. I'm just curious, how did the price of the shelves compare to what you would have spent on wood to build your own design? Just in case I find myself in need of more shelves to accommodate my wife's MTS addiction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlikesfish36 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 On 1/4/2024 at 4:17 PM, Lots Of Loaches said: @Mattlikesfish36 The stand looks like it worked out like you wanted in the beginning. They look strong enough to handle the job with the added benefit of being lighter than shelves made out of wood. I'm just curious, how did the price of the shelves compare to what you would have spent on wood to build your own design? Just in case I find myself in need of more shelves to accommodate my wife's MTS addiction. @Lots Of Loaches I totally feel the MTS addiction haha. The shelves were around $150 which is more than the wood would have costed but the quick install and the 1000 pound per shelf rating made it worth it for me. Especially with a Christmas gift card which offset the cost. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots Of Loaches Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 @Mattlikesfish36 Makes sense to me and they look good on top of it all. I'm off to the big box stores to look at shelves, just in case. Thanks for the information and posting the pictures. It's always a good thing to know there is more options out there than what come to one's mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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