Project fish tank/stand

[Pau1parker]

Hello , so i decided to upgrade to a bigger tank , and thought why not make a project out of it ! Im nearly done building the stand all i have to do is build the shelfs , thought id show some pictures :') also is my tank ok to just sit straight onto the mdf sheet ? Iv heard some tanks need to sit on foam? If you know leave a comment , also feel free to leave feedback , will be building the canopy through next week in me spare time
new tank
frame and back board done ready to make it look tidy and put doors on !
how it is now ready for shelfs , i quite like it considering its my first build !


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[Andy Sager]

Since I don;t see any frame on the tank, I would most definitely use styro/polystyrene under the tank. Depending on how many gallons will determine how thick it should be. The bigger the tank, the thicker the foam should be.

Hope this helps

 

[Pau1parker]

Since I don;t see any frame on the tank, I would most definitely use styro/polystyrene under the tank. Depending on how many gallons will determine how thick it should be. The bigger the tank, the thicker the foam should be.

Hope this helps

Thats what i thought , its only a 150 litre tank , how thick should it be and were do i get it ? Cheers


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[Andy Sager]

I generally use 3/4" foam insulation that I get from Home Depot. It comes in a package of 6 panels 14.5" x 48" x 3/4". For that size tank, I would use a single layer but the nice thing about Styro is, if you would feel more comfortable with a thicker base, use it. On some of my smaller tanks ( i.e. 40 L) that were on not so flat surfaces, I just doubled the styro and had no issues.

Hope this helps

 

[Pau1parker]

I generally use 3/4" foam insulation that I get from Home Depot. It comes in a package of 6 panels 14.5" x 48" x 3/4". For that size tank, I would use a single layer but the nice thing about Styro is, if you would feel more comfortable with a thicker base, use it. On some of my smaller tanks ( i.e. 40 L) that were on not so flat surfaces, I just doubled the styro and had no issues.

Hope this helps

Got you , iv got some wall insulation left over from a job , would that do the same job or does it have to be poly/styro? Heres a pic


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[Andy Sager]

Got you , iv got some wall insulation left over from a job , would that do the same job or does it have to be poly/styro? Heres a pic View attachment 259090


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As long as this product can give support AND flexibility (unlike, say, fiberglass insulation), it should be fine. The purpose is to allow the tank to shift to find it's own level without so much resistance, ( such as a flat piece of wood or metal) that it causes the glass or plexi to crack. So if what you have "fits the bill" and does that, you should be fine.

 

[Pau1parker]

As long as this product can give support AND flexibility (unlike, say, fiberglass insulation), it should be fine. The purpose is to allow the tank to shift to find it's own level without so much resistance, ( such as a flat piece of wood or metal) that it causes the glass or plexi to crack. So if what you have "fits the bill" and does that, you should be fine.

Right i understand the purpose for it now , iv never come across this before haha, that fits the bill ill get it under the tank before i fill it up, thanks allot for your help!


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[Andy Sager]

Right i understand the purpose for it now , iv never come across this before haha, that fits the bill ill get it under the tank before i fill it up, thanks allot for your help!


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"Back in the day", when tanks were made with metal frames and slate bottoms, this wasn't an issue. But with the creation of the "all glass" aquarium, I got to learn the fine art of detecting what caused a tank to break. Stress cracks on a bottom pane looked different than pressure cracks on side panes and that dreaded "ping" sound one would hear right before the sound of rushing water dripping from a tank led to many discoveries of how NOT to have that happen. LOL
I believe it was by accident ( remember, this WAS a long time ago so I am only guessing at this point ) that we used styro that came from the shipping boxes for fish or coolers and discovered how well this stopped the cracking. But that is the purpose for it. To let the tank move without so much resistance that it cracks.

Good luck with your project. The pics look good so far

 

[BillD]

Styro will not alleviate problems created by torquing. It also will not cure problems with the tank being out of level. It will absorb discrepencies in flatness, and absorb point loads such as would be created if you had one grain of gravel on the top of the stand and you placed the tank bottom on it. This type of point load broke more than a few tanks. This prompted the original tank maker of frameless all glass aquariums (Crystal) to build a bottom frame to raise the bottom above the surface it was placed on. This is the reason commercial tanks are built with the bottom elevated, usually within the bottom trim, not because they are better to not have the bottom supported.

 

[Pau1parker]

Styro will not alleviate problems created by torquing. It also will not cure problems with the tank being out of level. It will absorb discrepencies in flatness, and absorb point loads such as would be created if you had one grain of gravel on the top of the stand and you placed the tank bottom on it. This type of point load broke more than a few tanks. This prompted the original tank maker of frameless all glass aquariums (Crystal) to build a bottom frame to raise the bottom above the surface it was placed on. This is the reason commercial tanks are built with the bottom elevated, usually within the bottom trim, not because they are better to not have the bottom supported.

Right , well can you help with this!? Been doing my head in all night , the stands level , the tanks level and i just filled the tank a little but the waters going to the right side of the tank more to the left? [


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[Andy Sager]

Have you checked to see that the floor where the stand is is level to the stand.?Meaning, if the bubble in your level is on the left side of the acceptable area of "level", does your floor match that? If not, That could be your issue.
I also see that the bubble in your pic is not dead center which also might be the issue. (I have that issue often which drives me crazy. I mark both the right side and left side of a tank with water level calibrations for that reason. )

 

[Pau1parker]

Have you checked to see that the floor where the stand is is level to the stand.?Meaning, if the bubble in your level is on the left side of the acceptable area of "level", does your floor match that? If not, That could be your issue.
I also see that the bubble in your pic is not dead center which also might be the issue. (I have that issue often which drives me crazy. I mark both the right side and left side of a tank with water level calibrations for that reason. )

The floor in the room isnt the best , but its the only room in the house i can put the tank! However where iv put it now is pretty even , keep me up to speed here whats a water level calibration haha ?
Yeah the bubble isnt dead centre so whats the best bet to do , can i put something under the left legs to bring it up or will they give in under the weight of the water?


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[Andy Sager]

The floor in the room isnt the best , but its the only room in the house i can put the tank! However where iv put it now is pretty even , keep me up to speed here whats a water level calibration haha ?
Yeah the bubble isnt dead centre so whats the best bet to do , can i put something under the left legs to bring it up or will they give in under the weight of the water?


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You can shim up the legs on the side the water is going to so that it makes the water sit more level in the tank. The more sturdy the shims are ( i.e. wood vs sugar packets lol don't use sugar packs!!! ) the longer it will last and the more stable it will be.
As for water calibrations, I mark my tanks at different levels so I can do specific amounts of water change without having to measure out or guess what I am taking out. The edges of all my tanks look like a ruler from school. lol It just makes it easier on me. But, I mark both edges so that if the tank leans a side or is not 100%, I have the mark. If one side gets erased, I have the other already calibrated so I can remark the missing info. That's what I mean by water calibrations.

 

[Pau1parker]

You actually had me wondering if bags of sugar is more strong than wood then hahaha! I see what you mean , thats a good idea that , might look into doing it myself , got it looking abit more even , but theres now gaps inbetween the bottom of the tank and the foam sheet it sits on? im starting to wonder if the glass is uneven?


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[ChaosTropicals]

If your local, id be buying a stand off you! Nice work!

 

[Pau1parker]

If your local, id be buying a stand off you! Nice work!

Cheers ! I bought the tank by its self and thought id save so much money building one myself , this probably stood me about 30 quid ! Should try it yourself its not as hard as you think once you've built the frame your virtually there... Completed stand here...




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[Andy Sager]

You actually had me wondering if bags of sugar is more strong than wood then hahaha! I see what you mean , thats a good idea that , might look into doing it myself , got it looking abit more even , but theres now gaps inbetween the bottom of the tank and the foam sheet it sits on? View attachment 259184 im starting to wonder if the glass is uneven?


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It's possible the Poly sheet isn;t perfectly flat. Is it still that way ( with gaps) when you put water into the tank? If so, the poly may be too stiff/ non flexible and not giving where it needs to? Might need to get something a little less rigid?
You should know immediately as you fill up the tank. If the poly isn't squeezing anywhere, I'd empty the tank and replace it.

 

[Pau1parker]

Iv filled the tank a little more , where the gaps where in the pic are getting bigger , should i replace it and just get a sheet of styro ?


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[Andy Sager]

Iv filled the tank a little more , where the gaps where in the pic are getting bigger , should i replace it and just get a sheet of styro ?


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I would, just to be safe. Sounds like what you are using is not flexible enough and it's causing the issues. The tank can't seem to "sink" into the sheet. My concern is that the bottom glass could break from the stress.

 

[Pau1parker]

I would, just to be safe. Sounds like what you are using is not flexible enough and it's causing the issues. The tank can't seem to "sink" into the sheet. My concern is that the bottom glass could break from the stress.

Thats what im worrying about , iv emptied the tank so when the hardware shops are back open ill get some styrofoam , last thing i want is a crack in my new tank!


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