DIY Wooden Stand

[Arget]

I've been thinking about upgrading my reef tank to a 40b, but it's hard to find decent stands when on a budget. I was thinking about making one out of wood. Would I need 1x4s, or would 2x4s work? What about sealing it from damage, the best coating to protect it from water damage?

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?
How much will it weigh total when set up?

I used 70x35mm structural grade pine for my stands and they held tanks that were 4 foot long x 14 inches wide x 18 inches high. The stands were normally double tier and had cross members and diagonal bracing to stop it moving.

2x4s (50x100mm) would be better than 1x4.

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I never sealed the stands but should have for the marine tank. I would use a couple of coats of clear varnish or paint to seal the wood.

[Jacky12]

We are modifying someone else’s DIY stand. We used 4x4 posts & pairs of 2x4s for corner supports & many metal brackets. I will post a pic soon. It’s a unique stand that will have a 125 G on top & a 75 G on a bottom platform. I am sure you’ll see many step by step instructions for building stands online.

[Jacky12]

You could try placing an ISO ad in Craig’s or a local FB group. I am in the process of buying the 75 G tank from some guy in a local FB group. I am not buying his stand. I’m sure he will sell it at a low price to someone else. You may be surprised what lumber is going for these days.

[Colin_T]

Originally Posted by Jacky12

You could try placing an ISO ad in Craig’s or a local FB group. I am in the process of buying the 75 G tank from some guy in a local FB group. I am not buying his stand. I’m sure he will sell it at a low price to someone else. You may be surprised what lumber is going for these days.

Tell me about it. I was looking at timber a couple of years ago to make some stands (not fish tank stands but stands). The wood cost 10 times what it used to cost 10 years ago. It's crazy. We grow the wood here in our own state and the price has skyrocketed to insane prices. I used to pay about $10 for a 6ft length of 70x35mm pine. The same wood now is $40+. it's like wth, that's just crazy inflation over 10 yrs.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by Arget

I've been thinking about upgrading my reef tank to a 40b, but it's hard to find decent stands when on a budget. I was thinking about making one out of wood. Would I need 1x4s, or would 2x4s work? What about sealing it from damage, the best coating to protect it from water damage?

Hello, you can make a simple, sturdy & cheap stand. Made like flooring joists to distribute weight evenly. The 1st pic is for a 55gal. I removed center set of blocks because it was overkill. 2nd pic is 125gal. About 3 8' 2x4s, box of screws, 6 cinder blocks & paint. Hopefully this helps!!!!!

[Jacky12]

Cool! Some clever ideas. And the Oscars are beautiful!

[Andy Sager]

I always prefer to use 2 x4s with the tanks sitting on the 2" sides. There is a lot more strength and less bend in the wood when used this way ( as seen in M.J. Gomez's post. )

[Jacky12]

This DIY stand came to me disassembled with far less lumber. i have a photo of when it was assembled. It had 2x2's in the center area that accommodated a 55 G. We used 4x4's & have a span for a 75G. Many brackets were added. Today I primed it & will paint black tomorrow. i would need a wide angle lens vs the iPad to catch it all. The other side is the same. a 125 G will go on top.

[Arget]

Lumber has gone way up. The lumber I have is leftovers from redoing the kitchen. Most of it's in full pieces. I'm pretty sure it's pine. Or at least whatever was cheapest at the time.



A 40 gallon breeder is 36"x18"x16". It'll be over 450lbs when all is said and done. I want it to look nice, and have storage space underneath for the filter at least. Makes it look better and is far quieter that way!

[Jacky12]

Terrific you have the scrap lumber! I have three 40 G breeder tanks. One sits on a stand that came with a used 30 G high tank setup. I simply positioned 3/4” plywood on top for the added length. One is on a study opening above the kitchen sink that opens into another room. 37” wide, yay! The other is on a flimsy but attractive black console that we reinforced with 4x4 posts. I have leftover red marbled Formica on top; it actually looks nice and is strong enough. It has an open lower level shelf which I can’t use for much because the dogs get into things.

[Jacky12]

Painted the stand with Black Satin Acrylic. Looks better than depicted, too many shadows & reflections from skylight. I used a 4" roller on the legs & thought a 8" roller would make the plywood surfaces an easy job. Not! Most likely the plywood needed two coats of primer & i lacked the experience to know.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Jacky12

Painted the stand with Black Satin Acrylic. Looks better than depicted, too many shadows & reflections from skylight. I used a 4" roller on the legs & thought a 8" roller would make the plywood surfaces an easy job. Not! Most likely the plywood needed two coats of primer & i lacked the experience to know.

Still looks nice from what I can see.

[Jacky12]

Andy! You’re very kind!