DIY 4ft tank stand

[Wayne487]

I recently bought a 4ft tank without a stand so I've decided to make my own. Now some of you may say this is over kill but I figure its better to be safe than sorry so I'm making it from 4x4s (keeping in mind I may decide to add to it for a bigger tank) ill post pictures as I go. If I remember lol.

My question is I want to put a piece of flat wood underneath the tank but I was told if it has any imperfections it could bust the bottom piece of glass. Is there something I can put between the wood and glass to stop this? Any advice appreciated

 

[Wayne487]

Another question, if its 2ft (front to back) and my tank is the same BUT it is stood on carpet will there be a chance of it toppling over?

Should I get a piece of flat wood bigger than the tank/stand and screw it to the bottom for it to sit on to stop it swaying away from the wall? (I can't fix it to the wall)

 

[Demonknight]

make it slightly larger than the tank and you should be good, as for the bottom of the tank if you have a frame around it like most do you should be good with a flat piece of wood under it...easy way to see what you need is to go look at stands at the local fish store and see how they are built

 

[Wayne487]

make it slightly larger than the tank and you should be good, as for the bottom of the tank if you have a frame around it like most do you should be good with a flat piece of wood under it...easy way to see what you need is to go look at stands at the local fish store and see how they are built

I had all intentions of making it slightly larger but the wood that was cut wasn't the same as what I asked for but didnt notice until I got home (I just assumed a DIY shop wouldn't **** up what I asked for) so my plan was to get a flat board slightly larger than the tank by around 1/5 of an inch all the way around to let me add a trim to the base of the glass to hide gravel and give a slightly wider base for the tank to sit on and then as an after thought I got worried about the stability of it being too top heavy with the possibility of an uneven floor

 

[erichm20]

Nice I upgraded to a 75 g a few months ago and also built the stand. I went with a 2 x 4 frame so I would have as much room as possible underneath for the sump/ components and all the other stuff... As for the top of the stand I used plywood and then put a piece of foam board for the tank to sit on. They sell it in 4x8 sheets in the building materials section at hd. I went with 1/2 ".










With the weight of the stand and tank I highly doubt you will have it tip over on carpet. I think mine full now with rocks and everything is over 1000 lbs.

 

[Wayne487]

Nice I upgraded to a 75 g a few months ago and also built the stand. I went with a 2 x 4 frame so I would have as much room as possible underneath for the sump/ components and all the other stuff... As for the top of the stand I used plywood and then put a piece of foam board for the tank to sit on. They sell it in 4x8 sheets in the building materials section at hd. I went with 1/2 ".

With the weight of the stand and tank I highly doubt you will have it tip over on carpet. I think mine full now with rocks and everything is over 1000 lbs.

Ah see mines an internal filter so I haven't got to worry about space underneath other than for the extension lead for the plugs ill be keeping underneath and maybe the food too. Ill check out if the DIY store over here in the UK has the same kind of thing, looks pretty standard stuff so I would have thought so. The thing that worries me is if its slightly leaning due to the floors not being level and trying to wedge it but it not working

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

I built mine out of 2x4s. Made a top and bottom frame then added three supports to each corner and two in the back for good measure. Holding 125 gallon fine. I youtubed fish tank stand and used they guys plan just with my own dimensions

 

[Wayne487]

I built mine out of 2x4s. Made a top and bottom frame then added three supports to each corner and two in the back for good measure. Holding 125 gallon fine. I youtubed fish tank stand and used they guys plan just with my own dimensions

I should have gone with a simple design but I decided to make it more complicated than it needed to be and now its more work than I have signed on for and considering scrapping it all and trying to find a cheap one to buy :-(

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

I went simple, cause you can always add doors and paneling if you want.

 

[Wayne487]

I went simple, cause you can always add doors and paneling if you want.

The doors and panelling isn't the problem it's the fact I decided to add joints to make it more stable but so far its done nothing but cause
Problems lol

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

The doors and panelling isn't the problem it's the fact I decided to add joints to make it more stable but so far its done nothing but cause
Problems lol

Yea, the simple design easily holds all the weight of my tank. I went 1" extra width and length so I have 1/2" extra on all sides. How much have you put into it? I think mine was about $60 in 2x4s and plywood. I put plywood in top for a nice level bottom for the tank.

 

[Wayne487]

Yea, the simple design easily holds all the weight of my tank. I went 1" extra width and length so I have 1/2" extra on all sides. How much have you put into it? I think mine was about $60 in 2x4s and plywood. I put plywood in top for a nice level bottom for the tank.

More than that, it was actually a lot more expensive than I expected but then again I am using 4x4s because I figure if I ever decide to upgrade to a 6ft tank I can just add onto the existing frame and not have to worry about adding reinforcements

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

More than that, it was actually a lot more expensive than I expected but then again I am using 4x4s because I figure if I ever decide to upgrade to a 6ft tank I can just add onto the existing frame and not have to worry about adding reinforcements

Yea with 4x4s you could support a huge tank lol

 

[Wayne487]

Yea with 4x4s you could support a huge tank lol[%

 

[Ericwm]

I am in the process of building my 4' stand too. I am going a bit overkill as the thought of 90 gallons of saltwater spilling is horrifying, not to mention the money that would be lost in livestock. I am going with 2x4s but I have 3 on each corner and will be adding 2 in the middle of each cross beam. I will have plenty of room for my sump and equipment.

This is what I have so far. How is yours coming?

 

[Wayne487]

I am in the process of building my 4' stand too. I am going a bit overkill as the thought of 90 gallons of saltwater spilling is horrifying, not to mention the money that would be lost in livestock. I am going with 2x4s but I have 3 on each corner and will be adding 2 in the middle of each cross beam. I will have plenty of room for my sump and equipment.
This is what I have so far. How is yours coming?

Not too well at the minute I don't get much spare time due to work ill be carrying on with the build on Tuesday, all pieces are cut just need to start fixing together, actually getting help off a cousin due to needing it up and weight bearing by Tuesday night (he is a joiner not sure if you guys have them over there but it's basically someone who works with wood building shelves and fake walls etc) will post pics when I have something more than a pile of wood lol

 

[Wayne487]

Update, the stand Is around 80% complete. I have to put the cladding on and a foam pad on top of the MDF to give it something to rest on. Picture will come tomorrow if I remember to take one

I do have a question though, since the tank will be sitting on MDF and the likelihood of me spilling water whilst doing PWC is highly likely, is there some kind of paint or sealant I can use to stop the MDF from getting wet?

 

[erichm20]

Paint will help. I used polyurethane for the inside where the sump is and painted the outside of the stand with two coats of black semi gloss acrylic.

 

[Wayne487]

Paint will help. I used polyurethane for the inside where the sump is and painted the outside of the stand with two coats of black semi gloss acrylic.

I was doing some research last night and a lot of people mentioned polyurethane but that its only water resistant and if the water was sat on it for a while it would eventually seep through, if the water gets under my tank I can't wipe it off so this kind of worries me

 

[erichm20]

You could put a plastic sheeting underneath.