Building a custom stand

[JackBurton]

I've got a 72 gallon bowfront tank. The current stand really only holds my sump. There's no room to store supplies or addition equipment under the tank. I'm thinking of building a new stand that would be bigger than the current tank. The tank is 48 in long and I'm thinking the stand will be close to six feet long. Is there anything I should take into account when designing the stand?

Ideally the tank will sit in the center of the stand with about a foot of shelf on each side. Should I put extra framing under the tank itself?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[mp3z24]

if you are planning on building a stand with extra width/depth, my advice would be to build it such that the flat top sits on TOP of the sides... do not but the top against the sides and rely on screws to secure it. also, i would use 2x4 or 2x6 framing for the structure and cover it with plywood and trim it with 1x stock. also, you will want to brace the square openings so the stand cannot get out of square because of the weight on top. if you use a full plywood panel for the back and sides, your openings will be sufficently rigid to resist racking... so many things i could say... post a pic of your preliminary design.

~mike