What does everyone think?

[rjf9413]

i am new here and new to the whole aquarium thing to be honest with you, i have always had aquariums and good luck with them, now i have a ?40 gallon? pentagon corner aquarium i am building a stand for. i have heard about stands being top heavy and tipping over, i will post some pics of the stand i am building and advice/comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I have some experience with construction so please don't bash me too much

i have a 2x4 base with 1/2" plywood then 30" "studs" going up with another 1/2"plywood top and it is braced inside to avoid movement. all of the 2x4's are premium stud grade and the stand is 100% level as you can see in one of the pics. i am going to cover the outside in the 1/2" plywood screwed and glued to each stud and then i will put either a laminate over it or 1/4" birch or similar. please note the pieces holding the aquarium from falling over the edge are temporary because i have kids and i know how my luck is. it will have a edge going around the top to keep tank from going over the edge. oh and it all is screwed with 4" screws and liquid nails.


any suggestions/comments?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/kpt9413/Photo_071109_001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/kpt9413/Photo_071109_002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/kpt9413/Photo_071109_003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/kpt9413/Photo_071109_004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/kpt9413/Photo_071109_005.jpg

 

[HN1]

Welcome to AA!

That looks like a great start!

 

[rjf9413]

thanks! thats good to hear. im concerned about it being top heavy

 

[jessicasmarine]

No matter what you do it will always be top heavy. You have 400 lbs of tank ontop of 20-30 lbs of stand. What you can do is once you build the stand is find a stud in the corner you are going to put it in and attach it with an angle brace like used for shelvng. Just a thought

 

[rjf9413]

No matter what you do it will always be top heavy. You have 400 lbs of tank ontop of 20-30 lbs of stand. What you can do is once you build the stand is find a stud in the corner you are going to put it in and attach it with an angle brace like used for shelvng. Just a thought

i would love to! (i just dont think my landlord would be too happy)

 

[jessicasmarine]

actually its just two or three screws, the holes would only be about an 1/8" and when you move you could putty those. He would probably prefer that more than 40 gallons of water on the living room floor, $2 putty, or $500 carpet repair. besides he would never see it under the stand

 

[rjf9413]

actually its just two or three screws, the holes would only be about an 1/8" and when you move you could putty those. He would probably prefer that more than 40 gallons of water on the living room floor, $2 putty, or $500 carpet repair. besides he would never see it under the stand

very true i think i might have to consider that.

 

[HN1]

actually its just two or three screws, the holes would only be about an 1/8" and when you move you could putty those. He would probably prefer that more than 40 gallons of water on the living room floor, $2 putty, or $500 carpet repair. besides he would never see it under the stand

I like the way you think.... and I agree.

 

[rjf9413]

I like the way you think.... and I agree.

what kind of screws/lags should i use to attach it to a stud?

 

[jessicasmarine]

a few 2 1/2" wood screws should do it.

 

[InfernoST]

Looks good so far, perhaps a bit overbuilt which is good and the way I like to do things. I have the same tank and it's 44gal not 40 and one would be hard pressed to knock it over, I put sliders on mine so it can be slid out and not once did i think it would topple over, it would probably slide off of the base before it toppled over. The tank is pretty wide 22"x22"x24". If securing it to the wall gives you peace of mind the do so, IMO i don't think it's necessary.

 

[jessicasmarine]

Guess I should say none of mine are attached either. Dont want you to think its a neccesity.