The Idea:
I want to butt my 135 (72"x18"x24") and 90 (48"x18"x24") gallon tanks together on one wall where they would share a stand and hood of the same finish and design. The tanks will have separate filtration but be aquascaped similarly to give the appearance of one tank.
The Problem:
At a little over 10 feet, I run into the problem of getting straight lumber (which is not always easy). I would like to have as few vertical braces as possible so was thinking of using 4x4s as the top horizontal braces.
My Questions:
- Should I just make two stand carcasses (frames) and then butt them up against one another or is one solid piece better?
- Would metal be a better option for the top horizontal braces or combination of wood and metal? If so, what would be best to use, iron, aluminum, ???
- Are 4x4s overkill for the horizontal braces for this or would bigger be better?
There are a lot of details to this that I am leaving out (finish, height, etc.) because I am really just looking for your ideas and opinions on how to build the inner structure. I have a lot of ideas of my own but always value your opinion out there. Thanks!
- Chris