[driftwoodhunter]

I have a black metal stand that holds two 29g tanks (or two 20 longs). I'd like to elevate the stand so the bottom tank is easier to see - is there any reason I shouldn't put the stand on a cinder block base? I mean the solid cinder blocks that are 8" x 6" x 4". (laying flat, so two cinders stacked on top of each other will add 8" of height). I can cover the cinders with wood sheathing, so the look won't be Modern Construction Site - lol.
Sounds confusing, I hope you understand!

 

[astrosag]

Cinderblocks can hold plenty of weight. Not getting into compressive strength of the type of concrete, most can hold a few hundred pounds laid on their side.

The question is...will it look good? I don't think so. Also, that's going to be one big PITA to put under the stand assuming the tanks are filled and occupied.

 

[driftwoodhunter]

No, the tanks aren't set up yet - I recently bought them at the Petco sale.
I'm laying T&G pine flooring stained in dark walnut, and I planned on covering the cinder blocks with backer board and wood that matches. However, considering cinder blocks aren't exactly uniform, I can see where getting a level surface might be an issue. But i do think it's do-able...I have to decide how much that low tank bothers me - lol. Maybe not that much...

 

[willbldrco]

I had my old 55gal on a set of cinderblocks which I covered with pleated black fabric - it looked great! I lined up the cinder blocks, then laid a cut-to-fit rectangle sheet of 3/4" plywood on top of that (to provide a smooth surface with some compression for the tank stand to rest on), put some shims in place to level and fix any gaps between the stand and plywood, then I stapled the fabric in a pleated manner into the plywood.

Of course I did this simply to raise the tank height so it looked good behind my bar. I had no storage under the plywood as I completely filled that space with cinder blocks - which wound up being alot of wasted storage space.

When I moved to my 90G, I built a platform out of 1" wood to raise the tank and stand, but which would provide additional storage. Here are a few pics of that.

The light-colored lines between the tank stand and the platform in the front and on the side are the wooden shims I used to level and fill gaps between the tank stand and the platform. I later pained those black. Looks awesome now and is very stable (I can push on the side of the tank and there is no give at all).

Of course you're planning to raise your tank much higher than I did. That will result in a higher center of gravity, and thus will result in less stability. Do you live in an earthquake area?

I'd just do it and see how stable it winds up being. Cinder blocks are cheap so if it doesn't work out, no big loss.
Regards,

Will

 

[driftwoodhunter]

I'm going to give it a shot - that bottom tank is just too low to view well. I'll start with one layer of block - actually, I think it's called concrete cap block, since it's solid and 4" thick. Then I'll try two layers, raising the height a total of 8".

 

[sick lid]

I had my old 55gal on a set of cinderblocks which I covered with pleated black fabric - it looked great! I lined up the cinder blocks, then laid a cut-to-fit rectangle sheet of 3/4" plywood on top of that (to provide a smooth surface with some compression for the tank stand to rest on), put some shims in place to level and fix any gaps between the stand and plywood, then I stapled the fabric in a pleated manner into the plywood.

Of course I did this simply to raise the tank height so it looked good behind my bar. I had no storage under the plywood as I completely filled that space with cinder blocks - which wound up being alot of wasted storage space.

When I moved to my 90G, I built a platform out of 1" wood to raise the tank and stand, but which would provide additional storage. Here are a few pics of that.

The light-colored lines between the tank stand and the platform in the front and on the side are the wooden shims I used to level and fill gaps between the tank stand and the platform. I later pained those black. Looks awesome now and is very stable (I can push on the side of the tank and there is no give at all).

Of course you're planning to raise your tank much higher than I did. That will result in a higher center of gravity, and thus will result in less stability. Do you live in an earthquake area?

I'd just do it and see how stable it winds up being. Cinder blocks are cheap so if it doesn't work out, no big loss.
Regards,

Will

I can't tell from those pictures, but I am assuming you also have a piece of wood at the back of the platform for structural integrity. It is a disaster waiting to happen if you don't.

 

[willbldrco]

I can't tell from those pictures, but I am assuming you also have a piece of wood at the back of the platform for structural integrity. It is a disaster waiting to happen if you don't.

Oh yeah, for sure, there is a backing piece. The only open side is the one facing the camera. All joints were glued and fastened with 2" wood screws driven into guide holes I drilled at all joints (including from the top piece of plywood). It was rock solid with 3-4 friends standing/jumping on it - a mini stage.

Will

 

[driftwoodhunter]

AND it is the inspiration for the wood base I'm using to elevate my metal stand that holds two 29s - thanks! lol