i have made a few stands in what i guess is called 'raw industrial' style, like the interior of a Chipotle restaurant. i don't wish for my house to start looking (or smelling) like a Chipotle restaurant, but i like the effect in a small dose.
this one holds up a 65G Tall.
the next shot shows the corner joinery detail. these are galvanized framing connectors. the stand is rock-solid.
i have this tank all set up.r i have since added a painted and varnished plywood shelf that holds the canister filter and a couple of houseplants.
I have a question that hopefully someone can help me with.
I'm making an edge-glued panel to sit on top of my Hydrophyte Stand as some other forum members have done. The reason I'm doing this is because the tank is rimless, and, I believe, requires support across the entire bottom. If the panel that I make rests fully on the stand's corners and edge rails, is it also necessary to also place a cross support in the middle? It seems like perhaps not, but I want to be certain.
I do not understand why people don't realize that a rimless tank is a whole different tank from a tank/w a frame. The rimless tank needs a 100% solid supporting surface under the entire bottom of it. Just a small amount of sag and you break the bottom glass.
IMO 1/2" plywood is much too flexible for this.
Do rimless tanks have thinner glass bottoms than standard tanks? If not, then they can't require any more support than standard tanks. The bottom rim of a standard tank is what supports the bottom glass of those tanks. Substituting a stand, without a flat top shouldn't change anything.
That would be a whole different ball game. Especially the 3/4 ply. People don't realize the flex built into plywood. It has fantastic strength, but is more flexible than real boards are.
But once you went to 3/4 it became far less and the center brace removes the sagging in the very center also.
BTW the structural integrity of the stand pictured is 10 x stronger than the first pictured.
Here's a relevant question. Are any of the rimless tanks made/w tempered glass bottoms ?
Built myself a temporary stand with nothing more than a few pallets from work, a box of drywall screws, an 8oz jar of stain and an old 70's hand saw. It's far from perfect but it works. Now that it's finished, it may not be so temporary anymore.:hihi:
Just an FYI for anyone reading through this thread. Per the manufacture's website (Simpson Strong Ties) the RTC42 was discontinued in 2014 and very hard to find available on the internet.
RTC24 and RTC24Z Discontinued in 2014
The RTC24 and RTC24Z models are being discontinued and will have limited availability. Simpson Strong-Tie recommends substituting the new RTC2Z Rigid Tie® Connector for these items.
As far as I can tell, the RTC42 which uses a 4x4 post has not been discontinued. The RTC24 and RTC24Z which use a 2x4 post have been a updated to a new version and the old ones are no long being made.
The Home Depot web site says that all of my Local stores have them in stock. Apperently I have 16 HD stores within a 12 mile radius and each store has anywhere between 10-47 in stock. "Simpson Strong-Tie 18-Gauge 2X Rigid Tie Connector Model # RTC42".
Another FYI for this thread, I build one of these (very similar to the original design) about 3 years ago. It's held a 40B every since, rock solid. I have no qualms about the stand holding up.
Like the picture above, the legs are not on top or under the square frames.
btw, you want to talk about scary? The 5' 110g tank I picked up came with a 1.2" thick particle board stand held together by nails and wood glue. They guy said he's had it set up for over 15yrs
My apologies to Big B for not understanding his concerns. My stand is in fact missing a few very important braces. The fuchsia/purple supports pictured in the sketch below.
The corners of the tank should be directly supported by the legs. Your stand has the frames keeping the legs vertical which is fine but I cannot quite tell if the corners of the tank are directly over the legs. If the corners of the tank are on the deck and not over the legs then changing the legs so they have those extra pieces isn't going to help at all.
My first stand was constructed like that and the tank stayed up for 12 years just fine. I think I used lag bolts rather than screws though. After learning that that was all wrong I worried a lot though!
The tank footprint is smaller than the base it sits on so it's actually sitting on the strips of plywood running across the top. The 1/2" plywood are resting on the outer frame, legs and 2 inner cross brace.
Love this thread. DH is almost excited to build one for my new 50g (36x18 footprint) tank. Plan is to use black polyurethane stain. We'll likely do sides and doors, mostly to keep nosy cats and their hair out of things. What to do for sides...still haven't decided. I kind of like the idea of sheet metal, of some sort, to match the brackets.
Been watching this thread for years. What a great inspiration the original stand turned out to be.
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