Question on aquarium stands!

[kaz]

I'm looking into a stand for a 75g oak all glass tank, my question is, are the tank stands special, reinforced or something? or can I just make one, or even just buy any stand that is long and wide enough to hold the tank?

 

[rich311k]

Tank stands are specially made to hold the weight of the tank. You can make one. Lots of DIY stands in the DIY forum. I wouldn't get just any old stand the tank will way over 700 pounds.

 

[Zagz]

Support would be the major issue as Rich mentioned. You can DIY pretty easily IMO, as long as you are somewhat handy. It is cheaper to DIY in most cases than to buy premade.

 

[kaz]

around my area a pine stand for 75g cost 200.00 bucks an oak way up. how heavy are the stand that you buy and how heavy are the ones we can make? I dont want to end up like my brother that made a dog house and it took five of us to pick the dam thing up and move it lol

 

[mr funktastic]

well the most common thing to do is make a frame out of 2X4 then cover the frame using mdf that u can paint of a nice plywood that u can stain. this will give u way more support than a bought stand and will be more custom to what u want. i made mine from all wool casue i dont like frame designs and it more than supports my 55 gallon and looks very nice. i also made one for my 20 gallon and 10 gallon tank. a sheet of plywood cost around 46$ for a 3/4" maple. which looks awesome with a dark brown/red stain. it is all personal preference though. if u need help designing the frame i could figure it all out for u if u gave me the dimentions, just PM me.

 

[DeFeKt]

i made mine from all wool

THAT'D BE STRONG!!
diy is easier then some think.

 

[Zagz]

around my area a pine stand for 75g cost 200.00 bucks an oak way up. how heavy are the stand that you buy and how heavy are the ones we can make? I dont want to end up like my brother that made a dog house and it took five of us to pick the dam thing up and move it lol

Your brother builds like my husband ROFL.

Seriously though, the frame should be strong, then the outside can be plywood, mdf whatever you want.

 

[mr funktastic]

lol wool... u knew what i meant.

 

[PsiPro]

2x4 and nails. DIY isn't hard it just don't always look as good.

 

[jsoong]

2x4 and nails. DIY isn't hard it just don't always look as good.

No - you need screws & glue for the stand - nails will work loose over time with the amount of weight.

There are lots of plans in the DIY forum. Properly built, the stand won't weight much. I can lift my stand by myself (less than 100 lb), and it is all wood, based on the GARF design.

As others had stated, build the frame with 2x4's. Skin the stand with anything you like. MDF tends to be heavy - you'll need 1 1/2 sheets of MDF for that size stand & that alone weight some 100 lbs. Plywood is about 1/3 the weight of MDF .... you can save even more weight if you use 1/4" for the non-structural bits, saving the 3/4" stuff for when you really need the strength.

 

[justrelax]

i just built a stand for my 55gal. framed with 2x4's and wrapped it with 1/8" vaneer. yeah, the 1/8" vaneer was expensive but it cut down a lot of the weight. i used some pine corner molding to make all the joints look nice. the whole thing ended up weighing about 70Lbs. i still have the home-made plans and have taken a couple pics, if interested drop me a pm, i'll be happy to share them. -chris

 

[TomK2]

My Oceanic warranty was null and void if not placed upon an oceanic stand. Not that thier motives aren't obvious with that policy, but they do make great stands that match their tanks well. Since I have had the tanks and stands for about ten years, the extra cost of quality tank and stand that lasts is kinda negligible over time. Lets say I paid $400 over the cheapest possible set up. That's $40 bucks per year. Truthfully, I think the extra cost was a lot less than that, so quality isn't that much more expensive if it will serve a long time.

Just something to think about. Buy the best quality you can afford, since you may want to keep it a long time. But if you like to build, build it with the best materials and techniques you can work with for the same reasons.

 

[GlitcH]

Use 2x4's to frame........make it square and level...........and you'll be fine.

Take a close look at some of the tank stands at the LFS. They are not very impressive.

Most look like they need to be beefed up. 2x4 construction would be far stronger than anything you'll get from the tank manufacturers.

 

[kaz]

My Oceanic warranty was null and void if not placed upon an oceanic stand. Not that thier motives aren't obvious with that policy, but they do make great stands that match their tanks well. Since I have had the tanks and stands for about ten years, the extra cost of quality tank and stand that lasts is kinda negligible over time. Lets say I paid $400 over the cheapest possible set up. That's $40 bucks per year. Truthfully, I think the extra cost was a lot less than that, so quality isn't that much more expensive if it will serve a long time.

Just something to think about. Buy the best quality you can afford, since you may want to keep it a long time. But if you like to build, build it with the best materials and techniques you can work with for the same reasons.

i like your breakdown but I dont think they take yearly payments on that, the question is not best or worst etc its how much I have in my pocket at this time.

 

[rokinrandy]

look at this
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/75g_stand/index.shtml

i have built 5 of these for 55 gallon and made some$$$ i even sold the one i was going to use (THESE ARE SO EASY TO BUILD) ..and if you have a router the sky is the limit but you don't need a router..
just buy good molding and instead of oak i bought birchwood which stains beautifully...all you need are some cheap tools that everyone should have around the house
the materials run from 70.00-85.00 dollars depending on the style of molding you get... these are way better and stronger than what you will find anywhere.... good luck

 

[jsoong]

Yes, if money is tight, DIY is the way to go if you are the least bit handy. A study 2x4 stand can be had for less than $50. You can skin it with something cheap (even cardboard), & upgrade to something better when you have the money & the inclination.

 

[kaz]

I went to lhs to check some prices:

stud/btr
green doug fir
2x4 8' $2.64
2x4 10' $3.29

plywood std
24x24 7/21" $3.18

stain/paint $30.00

 

[brant]

Kaz you gatta be careful on your wood choises unless you have a way to plane the wood. I resently biult 2 36"x18" stands for my water storage tanks in my basement I used the cheaper wood like you metioned and there was no visable sign of warpage but there was some just alittle and it led to a nightmare of taking back apart and shiming and shaving and a bit of brute force to correct it. If the better grades of wood are not much more in price invest in them it will make your project go much easier.

 

[kaz]

will what are the good woods for frame and skin/door too?

how much does that stand weigh rok?

 

[jsoong]

I went to lhs to check some prices:

stud/btr
green doug fir
2x4 8' $2.64
2x4 10' $3.29

Do not use green wood for furniture projects ..... as the wood dry it will warp & pull your project out of square/level.

I would suggest using minimum "Construction grade" fir (stud grade is too full of defects). At my necks of the wood, construction grade is only about $1 more than stud grade. Even for construction grade you need to select the wood for squareness & lack of knots.

You can move up to furniture grade wood, but the cost will be 3-4 times more. If you are careful in selecting from the construction grade pile, you can usually find enough pieces that will be close enough to furniture grade to be of use & save $$ in the process.

As for the skinning wood, you can use anything as it is just for looks. The frame is carrying all the load & you should concentrate on that with the best wood you can find. Personally, for the best price/look ratio, I'd go for shop grade hardwood plywood. Here, a sheet of 4x8 shop birch goes for about 30-50 depending on thickness.