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built own stand , using foam on top ?
I built a 2x4 stand , once I put the tank on it there where spots the frame of the tank wasn't touching the wood. Will using foam on top of stand work for that or should I sand the high spots to level it . I have heard using foam is a no no and some say to always use it
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if you dont use foam your tank may crack from uneven pressure.
Metal stands do not contact the aquariums along its entire length.
Your stand looks great, very robust.
Three things,
1.) Are those dry wall screws? I hope not. If they are, I would replace them with decking screws.
2.) Put a 3/4" thick piece of plywood on top.
3.) I would put a 2x4 "stud" in the middle of the front and back.
Other than that I like it.
Your stand looks great, very robust.
Three things,
1.) Are those dry wall screws? I hope not. If they are, I would replace them with decking screws.
2.) Put a 3/4" thick piece of plywood on top.
3.) I would put a 2x4 "stud" in the middle of the front and back.
Other than that I like it.
I've had my 190 gallon set up for a couple months on my home made stand. I used 3/4" pink foam from HD. No issues at all.
Some are course dry wall screws , i ran out of the other and how could u tell . And what would be wrong using the dry wall screws
At first I thought there might have been a problem also but then I looked closer. If you had not added the second upright 2X4 under the ring, the weight of the tank resting on the ring at the top would have been supported only by the strength of the screws. Dry wall screw are not made of as good metal and not as thick as deck screws. If they had been the sole support, they might snap and let the whole thing down. But with the second 2X, the weight is on the upright wood rather than the screws. Black heads are the giveaway on type?
For the surface, I would not sweat the little things if the stand is reaonably true at the corners. Tanks are like box beams with really strong but brittle sides. The sides may crack if they are twisted by one corner being high or low. But as long as it is not twisted, it is nearly impossible for a tank side glass to droop when it is standing on edge. Like a 1X6, on it's flat side you would break a 8 foot board just walking on it but laid upright on edge, you can't bend it at all. If you have the four tank corners level, the middle is not going to droop.
For the surface, I would not sweat the little things if the stand is reaonably true at the corners. Tanks are like box beams with really strong but brittle sides. The sides may crack if they are twisted by one corner being high or low. But as long as it is not twisted, it is nearly impossible for a tank side glass to droop when it is standing on edge. Like a 1X6, on it's flat side you would break a 8 foot board just walking on it but laid upright on edge, you can't bend it at all. If you have the four tank corners level, the middle is not going to droop.
Will be using ply wood to skin the outside of the frame to look kinda like ada stand
After setting the tank back on top of the stand I noticed the left front corner and the right rear corner arent touching the stand .So some sanding will be happing to try to bring the other corners down
You can never buy straight wood, I placed a piece of stranded ply on top to help level things and also add support , foam will always balance gaps however on my 5 tanks I have no foam. On the 100g I did sand the top to level it
Like PlantedRich said, since you have wood directly supporting the weight of the tank, the screws aren't too important. I tend to use screws mostly to clamp the wood together while the glue sets.
And skinning it with plywood (even 1/4" or so) will add a lot of stability to the stand. It will prevent the stand from racking or twisting.
As to the top, I'd just sand/rasp/plane/whatever any major gaps/steps/uneven spots, and stick some foam on top. The foam sorta acts like a gasket, and helps prevent spread stress points out.
And skinning it with plywood (even 1/4" or so) will add a lot of stability to the stand. It will prevent the stand from racking or twisting.
As to the top, I'd just sand/rasp/plane/whatever any major gaps/steps/uneven spots, and stick some foam on top. The foam sorta acts like a gasket, and helps prevent spread stress points out.
I may be a gambler on this point but when I think of all the tanks we see and hear about, there are really pretty few which fail while being used. It is my feeling, but not anything that I can lay facts on, that most tanks that fail are stressed while moving, setting up , etc. and then a few weeks later they start leaking. There are certainly going to be some that fail due to bad stands but when I look at lots of the really flimsy stands and think of the crooked floors around, I'm really surprised that more don't fail.
Okay you are going to cover that with plywood and them park a truck on it right?
Just a wee bit overbuilt. ;-)
Just a wee bit overbuilt. ;-)
Well my son likes to climb
Sometimes when we look at something it may look over built. But then an odd thing comes up where "overbuilt" is just right. Today one of those came up in my fishroom. I wanted to move a 75 gallon tank and stand from one wall to another. But since I had "overbuilt" my stand, I had a plan that worked. I drained it down half way, pried the ends up, stuck a 1 1/2 pipe under in several spots and rolled it over to the other wall.
So maybe it is "overbuilt" or maybe not?
So maybe it is "overbuilt" or maybe not?
Curiosity compells me to ask...did/can you check to see if the corners under the stand
have gaps under to the raised corners?
have gaps under to the raised corners?
I sand the top 2x4s then put plywood top on it on now its good
Awesome work...a rimless tank would look awesome.
Will you be starting a different thread with your plans for the tank?
Will you be starting a different thread with your plans for the tank?
I will starting a jornal soon with the whole build just got my wood from tom barr yesterday and will be scaping soon
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