Question on a stand? Last one

[Oscarr19]

Ok so after a struggle with a 32G and silicone issues i finally decided just to get a new tank. This 32G though is diffrent in dimension. It is 36x12.5

The top of my stand is: 31.5x12
The base of the stand is: 31.5x14

If i cut out a peice of plywood for the tank and place it on the top of the stand it should be ok right?

 

[fort384]

I would not be comfortable with the ends of the tank not being supported. The plywood would help distribute some of the weight, but certainly not all of it -- and the part where the seams are would not be fully supported. Granted, it is not a huge tank, and it might work out ok. But with stands, it is always better safe than sorry. 32 gallons is a lot of water if it ends up on the floor.....

 

[CaptainAhab]

Instead of plywood look for a used counter top, a piece of granite/marble etc. They'll all easily support that minimum overhang. Frankly, so would the plywood. A lot of stands (esp homemade, mine included) isn't supported by verticals directly under the edge.

 

[fort384]

I would agree that something like a used counter top would be much better. I wouldn't use anything but a very thick piece of plywood, if it must be plywood.

 

[CaptainAhab]

I've got a 90 sitting on a custom stand with a 3/4" piece of painted oak finish grade plywood with a 4" over hang all the way around. No problems here

 

[fort384]

Wow. I don't think I would do that, but obviously it can work out ok, and you have a lot more experience supporting larger tanks than I do. I tend to go overboard on supporting a tank.

 

[Oscarr19]

Well here are some pictures of the stand. I was thinking of drilling the plywood to the top and adding a beam in between the top and bottom of the stand on both sides. Also possibly one inside the stand for added security. If not i'll go for a marble counter top. Where can i get one and how much do they go for?

stand | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

stand interior | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[CaptainAhab]

IMO you don't need to do anything that tank other than expand the top. Go to a Lowes/HD. etc and look around for what you want. Look in the garage sales, etc.. Find something, cut it to size.

Construction adhesive would easily do the trick w/o drilling. Though if you do, run a 1x4 - 2x4 under the top and bolt thru/screw into that. It will give you some lateral support and piece of mind (even though it's totally optional).

Its a nice looking piece of furniture, finish it off nice and it'll look great (and re-sell great when you upgrade).

 

[BillD]

Because the the width of the new tank is only marginally more than the top of the stand, the fact that you would be adding 2" more overhang on each end isn't really significant. A piece of 3/4" ply would probably be more than enough even if it wasn't attached. I would probably make it so it were to sit on top rather than permanently attaching it, perhaps using some trim on the plywood edges to add to the appearance and hold it in place. Stone counter top materials are crazy expensive, so probably wouldn't make sense. You could add a centre support piece between the doors if you wished.
Having said all that, my preference is to not have overhang on a stand.

 

[Oscarr19]

Ok well I've been having problems with finding another 32G my size. The ones I'm finding are all 36" in length and 12" in width. So now the overhang would be in length. Adding the supports on each side seem to make more sense now right?