Plywood on stand for larger tank?

[matratzac]

I read somewhere that if your tank is longer than your stand, you can put a thick piece of wood under the tank that fits the dimensions and then put the wood on the stand and it will support it...

say your stand is 24 inches long, but your tank is 30 inches long so 3 inches are hanging off each side..

get a thick piece of wood 30 inches long and put it on your stand so it adds some size


does this actually work? it might save me tons of money and i wouldn't have to buy a new tank stand.

 

[src]

Plywood will bow. I wouldn't trust it long term without some additional structure.

 

[Speakerman]

You would have to brace the hell out of plywood, basically ALL of the weight of the aquarium is located on the ouside edges of the stand...

I'd use MDF and double layer it...Then seal it very good with kilz, then paint over that.

BUT what I would REALLY suggest, is to build a whole new stand to fit it's dimesions perfectly...You'd be looking for less trouble down the road, if you plan on keeping the setup for years.

Good luck bro.

 

[Guest]

when i bought my tank, the papers that came with it said it was important that the 4 corners of the tank had to be properly supported. hope this helps.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It CAN be done, to an extent. But for something that needs an extra 6 inches, you should buy or build a new stand. Stands are only built to hold a certain amount of weight. When you go over that weight, it can crumble. Either buy the new stand now or later on down the road buy a new tank and clean up the mess when it collapses at 2 AM.

 

[tropicfishman]

you can, but I would defintly be screwing the plywwod to the stand and adding some bracing in the stand, stands are only made to support so much, so anything biger than what its made for is taking a big risk

 

[odessadude]

Go to your favorite hardware/big box store and pick up the following:

4 X 3" L brackets with at least two screw holes on each flat side. Get the good ones 3/4" wide.

DO NOT buy MDF! Buy CD or CDX 3/4" thick. MDF is made out of dust and glue. Better yet, buy a piece of Birch, then you can stain it.

Lay the board out even over the surface to be covered. Place the L brackets where they are going to mount and mark the cabinet and the board. Dont forget to mark the screw holes. Drill all of the holes to 1/4". Use stove bolts to attach hardware. Recess the stove bolts into the top of the 3/4 " board. This way the glass or frame is not sitting on the bolts.

If your exsisting cabinet is thin, you may have to put some wood on the inside so your bolts will screw tight.

Stain or coat the board the tank is going to sit on because moisture could grow underneath.

That should pretty much take care of your project.

Sit back relax and enjoy your new tank!

 

[Guest]

I agree with Fishyfanatic all the way. 3 inches off each side is way to muxh IMO. I would rather be safe, as water can cause a lot of damage.

 

[BillD]

Lots of commercial stands have at least that much overhang on the ends.