How much weight can my diy stand hold?

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SmellsFishy15

Aquarium Advice Newbie
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Aug 30, 2017
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Hello to the few here.

Hopefully my image files work, wondering how much weight this stand can hold. This is the first shelf, I'm out of bricks but going to add another tommorrow.

Looking to put a 10 and a 5 gal underneath, and a 48 bowfront I have on top.

Thanks.
 

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Might be fine for the 10 and 5 but I wouldn't trust a 48 on that. You should check out the king of DIY on YouTube. He shows how to build proper stands.
 
Is there a big difference? The wood is 4ft long, almost an inch thick. The 2X4's were 6ft long, this is meant to hold a few tanks in a closet.
 
Agreed. I would not put a 48g on that. You really should be using 2 x 4's for this.

Is there a big difference? The wood for reference is 4ft long and about an inch thick, pine obviously. 2x4's were 6 feet, this is meant to hold a few tanks in a closet.
 
Might be fine for the 10 and 5 but I wouldn't trust a 48 on that. You should check out the king of DIY on YouTube. He shows how to build proper stands.

Actually I got this idea from Aquarium coop, not a big fan of Joey.
 
Is there a big difference? The wood for reference is 4ft long and about an inch thick, pine obviously. 2x4's were 6 feet, this is meant to hold a few tanks in a closet.

Yes there is a pretty big difference in a 1x3 and a 2x4. One way you can test your boards is to sit on them(if you are close to the proper weight) or start stacking weight equal to what you will be putting on it. If it bows then I wouldn't trust it. I would weigh on the side of caution and use boards I know for sure would handle the weight.

is it this video?if so he clearly states in the first minute to use 2x4's and not 1x3's.

 
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Yes there is a pretty big difference in a 1x3 and a 2x4. One way you can test your boards is to sit on them(if you are close to the proper weight) or start stacking weight equal to what you will be putting on it. If it bows then I wouldn't trust it. I would weigh on the side of caution and use boards I know for sure would handle the weight.

is it this video?if so he clearly states in the first minute to use 2x4's and not 1x3's.



I heard him say the phrase "2x4", not a dire warning to never use 1x3's. I had some family members sit on it, totaling 350+ pounds of weight with almost no bowing. Might skip out on putting my bowfront on it thought, your right there.
 
2x4's are obviously stronger because it's thicker and wider. You're looking at close to 600 lbs on that bowfront after tank weight, water, substrate and decor (especially rocks).

This guy didn't create anything new. They've been making homemade benches this way for ages.
 
In my area, an 8' 2x4 is $3. Considering how little you'll spend on using stronger lumber vs how much time and money will be invested in the tanks (and the cost of any kind of structural failure), erroring on the side of "overbuilt" is a no-brainer to me.
 
Hello to the few here.

Hopefully my image files work, wondering how much weight this stand can hold. This is the first shelf, I'm out of bricks but going to add another tommorrow.

Looking to put a 10 and a 5 gal underneath, and a 48 bowfront I have on top.

Thanks.
You will raise the strength of your stand if you use the 3" side of your wood vs the 1" or 2" side. I add a cross piece on the outside of each end, connecting all the pieces being used, so that the wood doesn't move while placing the tanks on them.
As for how much weight can this hold, I have a rack that holds forty 10 gal tanks, three 25 gallon breeder tanks and one 30 gallon long tank. The entire rack is 2"x3" and concrete block. The space in between the block is enough to have four 10 gallon tanks viewing the from the side vs the front or back. You can see how the wood is set in this first incarnation of the rack. Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Andy Sager's Album: New Angelfish - Picture

I would not use the 1" thick wood for the 48 gal tank however, if the tank can sit on the concrete block, you can use the 1" wood laid flat in order to keep the tank off the block. I would add a layer of Styrofoam on the wood to prevent pressure cracks if the stand is not totally level. I did this with a 40 gal long and 30 gallon long. Here's that setup: Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Andy Sager's Album: New Angelfish - Picture

I will say this about the lesson you posted: by using 2 x 4s laid flat, you may have no issue with smaller tanks but I have used the upright 2 x 4s for tanks as large as double 100 gallon tanks. Same wood as the 10s so why rob yourself of the extra strength? You can see with my pictures that it works. (y) ;)
 
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