stand for small hospital and quarrantine tanks

[TomK2]

I am finally going to set up a Q-tank. I was thinking, instead of buying a 10 or 20 gallon tank and stand, why not build my own stand so that I could have 2 or three 10 or 20 gal tanks in a verticle arrangement? These tanks would go in an unfinished laundry/utility room so would not have to be pretty, just functional. I was thinking two by fours and plywood?

so, what size, 10 or 20 gal? Or build the stand to hold a 20 gal, then mix and match?

can a stand made out of studs and plywood hold 2 or 3 three tanks?

 

[greenfish]

I built a stand out of 2x4's and it is extremely strong. As long as the weight is supported by the 2x4's and not the plywood, it will be very strong.

 

[TomK2]

So have the 2x4's under the tank rim, and skip the plywood altogether? Is it hard to get the 2x4's straight and level? I don't have a table saw to rip the 2x4 edges straight. I also don't know how critical it is to have a perfectly flat set-up with ten gal tanks.

 

[Kasakato]

Do you have a miter saw? If not you can get a "miter box". Iv seen them at the HD. Its a box with a few holes in it so you can insert your saw and cut the wood stright. Iv built a stand for a 20g out of 2x4 and a thin piece of wood. Its not wrapped in plywood because its a temp. setup. If you want pics Il post some.

 

[greenfish]

The way I did it was to use the plywood as a skin. The 2x4's are running vertical and horitontal. My ten gallon tank stand would probably support a 50 gal tank if it would fit LOL. I guess I way over-engineered mine. I did have trouble making straight cuts but I am no carpenter. I ended up having to shim my stand a little bit when I was done. If you use thick plywood around 3/4" or so I would think it would be plenty strong to hold up 10 gal tanks. Make sure the 2X4's are supporting the plywood directly. You don't want the weight held up by screws. I don't know if I am explaining the well so I hope you understand.

Hopefully someone else with more experience in this matter weighs in here. I have only made the one stand so take my advice/opinion with a grain of salt.

Edit: I used one of those cheap miter boxes and a hand saw.

 

[TomK2]

Well, I was tank shopping and decided to go with a 24x12 platform for 20 gal tanks. I got the measurements of the tanks, and I am just short of being able to go three tanks vertically because of some cabinets where I am going to put it. I guess the top tank would have been a bit difficult to service anyway.

Now I am not so sure it is worth building the stand, since a two tank metal stand is readily available for about forty dollars. I figure the lumber cost, plus the time and aggravation cost might make the metal stand option better.

But I am curious, for the horzontal 2x4's, did you do anything special to make them flat and level to rest the tank rim on? Or were they straight enough to just put the plywood or the tank on them without modification? I do have a miter box to make the ends of the upright 2x4's straight, but thought the whole length of the horizontal studs would need ripping on one side to make it level for the tank rim.

 

[greenfish]

The horizontal 2x4's were pretty flat. I did put a piece of plywood on top of them. The tank sits on that.

 

[TomK2]

well, got a metal stand for two 10 gal tanks for about thirty dollars. In the end, my laziness won out over my cheapness and desire to DIY.