This will hold a fish tank right?!?

[paperfist]

Please forgive my CAD skills.

The tank is a cube 24"x24"x24" @ 60 gallons so that's approximately 480 pounds. Closer to 550 pounds with stone, driftwood, etc.



The stand is nearly the same at 24" wide x 24" deep x 30" tall.

The top of the frame would be 2x6s and the uprights and base would be 2x4s. I could also use 2x6s, but that obviously makes the cabinet smaller on the inside.

It will be clad in 3/4 plywood, glued and screwed.

I curious if you guys think it's sufficient to hold the weight or should I beef up the framing? I'm also a little concerned in that the plywood will be flush with all sides of the tank meaning the base of the tank will be sitting on top of the plys of the plywood on all 4 edges.

 

[ToBYourself]

No expert here, but that should easily hold the weight. I would suggest to cover the top of the stand with the 3/4" plywood also - that will help in giving a flat surface for the tank and more even support. You don't want lateral stress on the tank due to an uneven cabinet surface. Sometimes rigid closed-cell foam insulation (pink boards) are used under the tank to help with potential uneven stresses. I don't remember if I used 1/4" or 1/2" insulation.

Measure the base of the tank from the edges of the base plastic trim - that may be 1/4" or so larger than the glass dimensions and it would be nice to accommodate that extra width in the stand so it all looks flush.

Depending on the style of the tank, the full weight of the tank may only be on the outer rim of the base (along the plastic protective trim). That may make the top center support of the base unnecessary and offer a bit more room in the cabinet.

Fresh or salt water? Sump/filtration in the cabinet? If overflows are desired, look into the BeanAnimal Silent and Safe Overflow system.

Also, if a sump/external filtration system is used, you may want to attempt to somehow ensure the cabinet can hold any spilled/leaked water safely. I previously used some vinyl flooring to cover the inside base of the cabinet and I ran it several inches up the sides, front and back. This resulted in a "well" that would hold a decent amount of water if needed for an emergency.

If saltwater and you intend to have a skimmer in the base, ensure that you can easily empty it once it's in the stand - build the stand with enough access to make that possible. I had a side opening on my stand for this reason.

My experience was building a 12 foot stand for two 6-foot (180 gallon) display tanks side by side with a 4-foot 75 gallon tank as the main sump in the base with two 29 gallon tanks as extra water and overflow capacity in case of a power outage. With a sump system, there has to be enough expansion room to hold the water that drains from the display tank (during a power failure or power shutdown) until it hits the overflow level. I used 2x6 upper frame on 4x4 studs (3/4" plywood on the top of the stand and under the base of the stand) and it all set on a concrete slab. I used 1/2" plywood to face the stand as I wanted a bit more lateral rigidity.

I had the display tanks flush with the front of the cabinet and I had several inches of cabinet surface available behind the tanks to use as work surfaces and assist with the overflow plumbing.

If saltwater, use hardware that can be more resistant to corrosion.

 

[ToBYourself]

I'm also a little concerned in that the plywood will be flush with all sides of the tank meaning the base of the tank will be sitting on top of the plys of the plywood on all 4 edges.

Sorry...should have noted this - it's late. You may want to only use 1/2" plywood for the sides. The 2x6's and 2x4's will be carrying the structural weight - the 1/2" plywood is more than enough for added lateral structural support. That ensures the bulk weight of the tank is on the structural support. Added with either 1/2" or 3/4" plywood to the top of the cabinet for the tank to sit on will be plenty of support.

If not a slab floor, try to ensure the cabinet spans two joists. You may want to add some bridging to the joists (if you don't have any) to remove extraneous "bounce" in the floor to keep movement to a minimum for people walking by. The joists by themselves should easily handle the weight (if to code) - you just want to reduce the potential floor "bounce".

 

[Greenman]

You could fill the fish tank with lead, put a stripper pole on top of it, and have a fat girl dance for you without concern of it failing.

Be sure the top of the frame is a solid piece of plywood. It doesn't look like it in in your drawings.

 

[highland145]

You could fill the fish tank with lead, put a stripper pole on top of it, and have a fat girl dance for you without concern of it failing.

@paperfist per this advice, just go to netflix an watch the fireplace channel.

 

[paperfist]

No expert here, but that should easily hold the weight. I would suggest to cover the top of the stand with the 3/4" plywood also - that will help in giving a flat surface for the tank and more even support. You don't want lateral stress on the tank due to an uneven cabinet surface. Sometimes rigid closed-cell foam insulation (pink boards) are used under the tank to help with potential uneven stresses. I don't remember if I used 1/4" or 1/2" insulation.

Measure the base of the tank from the edges of the base plastic trim - that may be 1/4" or so larger than the glass dimensions and it would be nice to accommodate that extra width in the stand so it all looks flush.

Depending on the style of the tank, the full weight of the tank may only be on the outer rim of the base (along the plastic protective trim). That may make the top center support of the base unnecessary and offer a bit more room in the cabinet.

Fresh or salt water? Sump/filtration in the cabinet? If overflows are desired, look into the BeanAnimal Silent and Safe Overflow system.

Also, if a sump/external filtration system is used, you may want to attempt to somehow ensure the cabinet can hold any spilled/leaked water safely. I previously used some vinyl flooring to cover the inside base of the cabinet and I ran it several inches up the sides, front and back. This resulted in a "well" that would hold a decent amount of water if needed for an emergency.

If saltwater and you intend to have a skimmer in the base, ensure that you can easily empty it once it's in the stand - build the stand with enough access to make that possible. I had a side opening on my stand for this reason.

My experience was building a 12 foot stand for two 6-foot (180 gallon) display tanks side by side with a 4-foot 75 gallon tank as the main sump in the base with two 29 gallon tanks as extra water and overflow capacity in case of a power outage. With a sump system, there has to be enough expansion room to hold the water that drains from the display tank (during a power failure or power shutdown) until it hits the overflow level. I used 2x6 upper frame on 4x4 studs (3/4" plywood on the top of the stand and under the base of the stand) and it all set on a concrete slab. I used 1/2" plywood to face the stand as I wanted a bit more lateral rigidity.

I had the display tanks flush with the front of the cabinet and I had several inches of cabinet surface available behind the tanks to use as work surfaces and assist with the overflow plumbing.

If saltwater, use hardware that can be more resistant to corrosion.

Thanks for the write up! I was wondering about using rigid board under it, hadn't gone the google route yet.

No plastic trim, I'll be quadruple checking the top for flatness as this is a rimless tank. 1 spec of foreign material may crack it.

It's freshwater. I'm going to build a hood filtration system out of plexiglass since a friend and I just built a Dremel powered CNC machine.

See how yours is flush in the front? I was going to do that on all 4 sides so water penetration shouldn't be an issue, but I was thinking of bonding a piece of plexi-glass to the top for water proofing.

Damn those are monster tanks you have!!!! How in the world did you build a stand to hold that and the sump tanks below?

 

[paperfist]

You could fill the fish tank with lead, put a stripper pole on top of it, and have a fat girl dance for you without concern of it failing.

Be sure the top of the frame is a solid piece of plywood. It doesn't look like it in in your drawings.

Damn that would be some show

Yeah I tried to convey in the drawing that the top while solid 3/4" plywood, isn't a full 24" x 24" size to match the aquarium base. The top piece of plywood would actually be 22.5" x 22.5" with the remaining 1.5" perimeter being the top (exposed plies) part of the plywood that's on all 4 sides of the stand.

No good?

 

[ToBYourself]

No plastic trim, I'll be quadruple checking the top for flatness as this is a rimless tank. 1 spec of foreign material may crack it.

Yeah I tried to convey in the drawing that the top while solid 3/4" plywood, isn't a full 24" x 24" size to match the aquarium base. The top piece of plywood would actually be 22.5" x 22.5" with the remaining 1.5" perimeter being the top (exposed plies) part of the plywood that's on all 4 sides of the stand.

No good?

The primary purpose of the top piece of plywood is to ensure any kind of "racking" doesn't happen or the top of the stand (for the base of the tank) has no chance of becoming uneven. Keeping the top piece of plywood inside the side pieces of plywood potentially enables an uneven base for the tank despite efforts (think floor bounce or sway). The secondary purpose is to evenly spread the load.

Considering the bottom of the tank is rimless, the load would theoretically be spread over the entire base - you don't want a potential issue of any of the 3/4" (or 1/2") stand sides providing uneven support or pressure to the tank. Especially if they swell somewhat from moisture.

Even if the top of the stand is flat (with sides up to the tank) while building, can you ensure it stays flat when on the floor with full weight? Personally, I wouldn't chance it and I would make the 3/4" top the exact width of the tank (and stand, in your case). How thick are the walls of the tank? If you don't want the top edges of the plywood showing, you can make it 1/4" smaller on a side and use 1/4" luan to face the stand. You are working with much less total weight than I was, and in any case, the sides shouldn't be supporting the weight of the tank - that's the job of the stand framing.

Set up the tank on the stand and only fill with water - observe for a few days and see if the water level is flat and if movement on other areas of the floor introduce ripples or waves - animals or kids jumping, someone walking/running by, etc. If you have to shim, shim the stand, not the tank.

I was going to do that on all 4 sides so water penetration shouldn't be an issue, but I was thinking of bonding a piece of plexi-glass to the top for water proofing.

I don't think I'd use a piece of plexiglass on the top of the stand for waterproofing (if I'm understanding you correctly). Too much chance of it cracking and causing issues. You can seal it with Thompson's Water Seal (I used the same vinyl that I used inside the stand). Water will eventually be an issue despite your best efforts.

Damn those are monster tanks you have!!!! How in the world did you build a stand to hold that and the sump tanks below?

I don't have them anymore - I had to disassemble them when I moved a little over two years ago. For the height, I decided to make the midpoint of the tanks eye level (I forget the size of the stand but it was pretty tall - tall enough to easily clean the cup of the 500 gallon skimmer that was in the 75 gallon sump). It made maintenance more of a challenge - but I just had to use a little taller stepladder to get over the top to reach in. It resulted in an awesome view from the main entry point of the house. While standing, most people couldn't see the top of the tank so there was no viewing distraction of light reflection.

It's much better to remove potential issues than to have to deal with any kind of adverse aftermath. I had my tanks up for 8+ years and never had an issue with stand structure or tanks leaking. I've seen seams fracture on tanks due to the stresses of unevenness. My tanks were all glass - yours may not be which means the seams will be welded instead of sealed. I don't think your tank is big enough to "bow" under it's own water volume.

In the saltwater aquarium world, the more water volume you have the easier it is to maintain and keep disasters from happening. If a fish dies in a nano or other small tank, it can quickly kill the whole ecosystem. When you start getting over a couple hundred gallons, a dead fish becomes almost a non-entity. The other critters can feed on it and the nitrate (or was it nitrite?) spike isn't so drastic resulting in less of an effect on the other marine life.

Sounds like you're going to have something pretty awesome!

(oh....if your tank is acrylic, please be careful cleaning - acrylic scratches very easily!!!!)

 

[ToBYourself]

Be sure the top of the frame is a solid piece of plywood. It doesn't look like it in in your drawings.

I agree!!!! Keep in mind that wood compresses and you want the top to evenly compress over the entire surface - having the sides also support the tank means that support would compress differently (edge of plywood sides) than the top (face of plywood). That could lead to unanticipated stresses.

 

[paperfist]

I agree!!!! Keep in mind that wood compresses and you want the top to evenly compress over the entire surface - having the sides also support the tank means that support would compress differently (edge of plywood sides) than the top (face of plywood). That could lead to unanticipated stresses.

I did some different angles to show what I mean of how the tank would sit on the plywood cladding. Hopefully it looks like plywood layers to you guys.

It sounds like you guys do and it's not a good idea to do it this way. I understand what you mean by it compressing differently.

The biggest reason I wanted to to that is aesthetics since I don't want the plywood edge to show and also wanted a completely flush look. I'll have to think of another way to do this. Maybe plywood the inside for lateral stability and then use some kind of formica or thin laminate on the outside.

 

[paperfist]

The primary purpose of the top piece of plywood is to ensure any kind of "racking" doesn't happen or the top of the stand (for the base of the tank) has no chance of becoming uneven. Keeping the top piece of plywood inside the side pieces of plywood potentially enables an uneven base for the tank despite efforts (think floor bounce or sway). The secondary purpose is to evenly spread the load.

Great points. I'll redesign it.

Considering the bottom of the tank is rimless, the load would theoretically be spread over the entire base - you don't want a potential issue of any of the 3/4" (or 1/2") stand sides providing uneven support or pressure to the tank. Especially if they swell somewhat from moisture.

You're right especially since it's on a 2nd floor

Even if the top of the stand is flat (with sides up to the tank) while building, can you ensure it stays flat when on the floor with full weight? Personally, I wouldn't chance it and I would make the 3/4" top the exact width of the tank (and stand, in your case). How thick are the walls of the tank? If you don't want the top edges of the plywood showing, you can make it 1/4" smaller on a side and use 1/4" luan to face the stand. You are working with much less total weight than I was, and in any case, the sides shouldn't be supporting the weight of the tank - that's the job of the stand framing.

Dang, rimless looks so cook but oh what a headache worrying about cracking. I don't have my tape, but it looks like the tank uses 1/4" glass. The bottom piece could drop down in from the top and then siliconed.

Set up the tank on the stand and only fill with water - observe for a few days and see if the water level is flat and if movement on other areas of the floor introduce ripples or waves - animals or kids jumping, someone walking/running by, etc. If you have to shim, shim the stand, not the tank.

Yup I'll do that for sure. Maybe I'll level the floor first to do it right and set the stand on top of that.

I don't think I'd use a piece of plexiglass on the top of the stand for waterproofing (if I'm understanding you correctly). Too much chance of it cracking and causing issues. You can seal it with Thompson's Water Seal (I used the same vinyl that I used inside the stand). Water will eventually be an issue despite your best efforts.

Great points, the plexi-glass will probably shatter with that kind of weight. I'll use some Tompson's Water Seal.

I don't have them anymore - I had to disassemble them when I moved a little over two years ago. For the height, I decided to make the midpoint of the tanks eye level (I forget the size of the stand but it was pretty tall - tall enough to easily clean the cup of the 500 gallon skimmer that was in the 75 gallon sump). It made maintenance more of a challenge - but I just had to use a little taller stepladder to get over the top to reach in. It resulted in an awesome view from the main entry point of the house. While standing, most people couldn't see the top of the tank so there was no viewing distraction of light reflection.

Oh that stinks! Sounds like an awesome setup you had. What did you keep? There's almost an unlimited possibility of fish you could have with a tank that size.

It's much better to remove potential issues than to have to deal with any kind of adverse aftermath. I had my tanks up for 8+ years and never had an issue with stand structure or tanks leaking. I've seen seams fracture on tanks due to the stresses of unevenness. My tanks were all glass - yours may not be which means the seams will be welded instead of sealed. I don't think your tank is big enough to "bow" under it's own water volume.

Looks to be all glass. The way the did the bottom though makes it seem like the main issue is keeping whatever you set it on perfectly flat.

In the saltwater aquarium world, the more water volume you have the easier it is to maintain and keep disasters from happening. If a fish dies in a nano or other small tank, it can quickly kill the whole ecosystem. When you start getting over a couple hundred gallons, a dead fish becomes almost a non-entity. The other critters can feed on it and the nitrate (or was it nitrite?) spike isn't so drastic resulting in less of an effect on the other marine life.

I agree, bigger is better in this case. I never had anything your size, but 10-15 years ago I kept a 100 gallon and it was a lot easier to maintain then those 10 and 20 gallon tanks.

 

[bbhaag]

Is the plywood top on the stand of any benefit? The only reason I ask is because for six years I had a 75 gallon saltwater tank with sand and rock in it. The stand it came with didn't have a plywood top and it seemed to hold the weight just fine. Maybe it had something to do with the weight being distributed across the frame and legs of the stand instead of being distributed across the top.

Anyway, just something to consider. If you haven't been there already www.reefcentral.com is a great resource for these types of questions.

 

[ToBYourself]

Is the plywood top on the stand of any benefit? The only reason I ask is because for six years I had a 75 gallon saltwater tank with sand and rock in it. The stand it came with didn't have a plywood top and it seemed to hold the weight just fine. Maybe it had something to do with the weight being distributed across the frame and legs of the stand instead of being distributed across the top

I'm guessing that the 75 gallon tank you had back then had the plastic trim around the bottom...resulting in the total load being spread out along the bottom edges of the tank. Many of the stands (metal and wood) only supported the outside edge for this reason. In those cases (aquarium with plastic or metal trim - I never worked with a lead-sealed or tar-sealed tank), full support across the top of the stand is not needed. Sometimes not desirable, as in the case of a reef tank with a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) - the lower areas of the sand become an anaerobic zone and allowing light in from the bottom can be bad. This can lead to a reef tank having unstable or uncontrollable parameters over time - one of the many reasons that contribute to "old tank syndrome" in saltwater tanks that are years old. People combat this by doing major frequent water changes - I never intentionally changed the water in my system for the 8+ years I had it, but I did periodically when I took pieces off-line for cleaning. In fact, over the 8+ years, I never used as much salt as I did for the initial aquarium setup. I still have several buckets of salt that I don't know what I'm going to do with.

Maybe I'll level the floor first to do it right and set the stand on top of that.

Hmmmm. Levelling the floor without the load on it may have different results when the load is placed on it. @Greenman may be able to expand on this? Mr. Construction Dude is the expert in these matters!!!

What did you keep?

My left display tank was a reef tank, the right was a FOWLR (Fish Only Live Rock). The FOWLR was for fish that weren't reef compatible (very aggressive and/or ate the corals, shrimps, starfishes, crabs, worms, snails, etc.). They both overflowed into the common sump system in the stand which had the skimmer, a refugium (algae filter), live rock rubble, auto top-off system, heaters, and other assorted paraphernalia. It's also where I dosed and added whatever chemicals to the system so I wasn't spiking the display tanks with chemical imbalances.

Looks to be all glass. The way the did the bottom though makes it seem like the main issue is keeping whatever you set it on perfectly flat.

Did you give some thought to determining if you actually want to see the bottom glass of the aquarium? I've seen many people cover the bottom inch or so with trim so you didn't see the edge of the bottom glass, the tank trim (where applicable), or where the rocks/sand came up against the glass and "stacked" there. Also hides the silicone corners in glass tanks.

 

[ToBYourself]

Anyway, just something to consider. If you haven't been there already www.reefcentral.com is a great resource for these types of questions.

AWESOME SOURCE!!!! My go-to, and also covers fresh water systems!!!

 

[Greenman]

I'm guessing that the 75 gallon tank you had back then had the plastic trim around the bottom...resulting in the total load being spread out along the bottom edges of the tank. Many of the stands (metal and wood) only supported the outside edge for this reason. In those cases (aquarium with plastic or metal trim - I never worked with a lead-sealed or tar-sealed tank), full support across the top of the stand is not needed. Sometimes not desirable, as in the case of a reef tank with a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) - the lower areas of the sand become an anaerobic zone and allowing light in from the bottom can be bad. This can lead to a reef tank having unstable or uncontrollable parameters over time - one of the many reasons that contribute to "old tank syndrome" in saltwater tanks that are years old. People combat this by doing major frequent water changes - I never intentionally changed the water in my system for the 8+ years I had it, but I did periodically when I took pieces off-line for cleaning. In fact, over the 8+ years, I never used as much salt as I did for the initial aquarium setup. I still have several buckets of salt that I don't know what I'm going to do with.



Hmmmm. Levelling the floor without the load on it may have different results when the load is placed on it. @Greenman may be able to expand on this? Mr. Construction Dude is the expert in these matters!!!



My left display tank was a reef tank, the right was a FOWLR (Fish Only Live Rock). The FOWLR was for fish that weren't reef compatible (very aggressive and/or ate the corals, shrimps, starfishes, crabs, worms, snails, etc.). They both overflowed into the common sump system in the stand which had the skimmer, a refugium (algae filter), live rock rubble, auto top-off system, heaters, and other assorted paraphernalia. It's also where I dosed and added whatever chemicals to the system so I wasn't spiking the display tanks with chemical imbalances.



Did you give some thought to determining if you actually want to see the bottom glass of the aquarium? I've seen many people cover the bottom inch or so with trim so you didn't see the edge of the bottom glass, the tank trim (where applicable), or where the rocks/sand came up against the glass and "stacked" there. Also hides the silicone corners in glass tanks.

If being perfectly level is that much of an issue, use adjustable feet on your base. Even then you're going to get some movement. Joist flex, ideally that flex shouldn't be more than 1/360th of the span, but live loads (people walking around) cause the load to move across the system. It really depends on how the floor is framed and where the tank sets.

Overall, you're overthinking this. Build your base and plant the whole thing against the wall. It will be fine.

 

[paperfist]

Is the plywood top on the stand of any benefit? The only reason I ask is because for six years I had a 75 gallon saltwater tank with sand and rock in it. The stand it came with didn't have a plywood top and it seemed to hold the weight just fine. Maybe it had something to do with the weight being distributed across the frame and legs of the stand instead of being distributed across the top.

Anyway, just something to consider. If you haven't been there already www.reefcentral.com is a great resource for these types of questions.

It's probably overkill, but I don't want to deal with 60 gallons of water flooding down to the first floor

Is your stand built out of particle board? I'm sure they have engineers design the stands to accommodate the load correctly.

Thanks for the link! I've been looking for a good site to read up on filter technology.

 

[paperfist]

I'm guessing that the 75 gallon tank you had back then had the plastic trim around the bottom...resulting in the total load being spread out along the bottom edges of the tank. Many of the stands (metal and wood) only supported the outside edge for this reason. In those cases (aquarium with plastic or metal trim - I never worked with a lead-sealed or tar-sealed tank), full support across the top of the stand is not needed. Sometimes not desirable, as in the case of a reef tank with a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) - the lower areas of the sand become an anaerobic zone and allowing light in from the bottom can be bad. This can lead to a reef tank having unstable or uncontrollable parameters over time - one of the many reasons that contribute to "old tank syndrome" in saltwater tanks that are years old. People combat this by doing major frequent water changes - I never intentionally changed the water in my system for the 8+ years I had it, but I did periodically when I took pieces off-line for cleaning. In fact, over the 8+ years, I never used as much salt as I did for the initial aquarium setup. I still have several buckets of salt that I don't know what I'm going to do with.

Oh yeah I remember now those metal stands that always rust onto the carpet

lol that sounds like how I used to do it, when water evaporated out I'd just add more back in. Once in a while I'd vacuum the gravel and replace the water.

My left display tank was a reef tank, the right was a FOWLR (Fish Only Live Rock). The FOWLR was for fish that weren't reef compatible (very aggressive and/or ate the corals, shrimps, starfishes, crabs, worms, snails, etc.). They both overflowed into the common sump system in the stand which had the skimmer, a refugium (algae filter), live rock rubble, auto top-off system, heaters, and other assorted paraphernalia. It's also where I dosed and added whatever chemicals to the system so I wasn't spiking the display tanks with chemical imbalances.

Neat, I never heard of a FOWLR tank before. Auto top off system? Sounds like you could make an auto water changer with something like that.

I've never kept saltwater before. I always wanted to keep clowns or a lion fish but I never really grasped the adding salt back into the tank concept and didn't want to destroy expensive fish. I tried to keep discuss before and that was like all my paper route money went toward - replacing dead discus every week.

Did you give some thought to determining if you actually want to see the bottom glass of the aquarium? I've seen many people cover the bottom inch or so with trim so you didn't see the edge of the bottom glass, the tank trim (where applicable), or where the rocks/sand came up against the glass and "stacked" there. Also hides the silicone corners in glass tanks.

hmm you know I never thought of that. It didn't occur to me till you just mentioned it that even if I add gravel I'll still going to see the 3 edges of glass. Boy these impulse buys never turn out how they are supposed to.

 

[spacejamz]

How are you attaching the 2x4's to your 2x6 base and top? even if you have your plywood cover screwed to everything, it doesn't seem that secure to hold up that amount weight if something goes awry...normally, having the securing the 2x4's inside the base would offer the most stability...

 

[spacejamz]

Here is an example of what I was talking about....using two carriage bolts where the blue lines are would probably offer the most stability instead of just screws...

 

[Greenman]

2x2 would work for the frame. If the plywood skin is done properly, it will be more than strong enough.

 

[paperfist]

How are you attaching the 2x4's to your 2x6 base and top? even if you have your plywood cover screwed to everything, it doesn't seem that secure to hold up that amount weight if something goes awry...normally, having the securing the 2x4's inside the base would offer the most stability...

I'll use a Kreg pocket jig to screw up from the 2x4s into the 2x6s at an angle with GRK structural screws and PL construction adhesive on all the joints. The plywood will be glued and screwed to the 2x4 & 2x6s so I don't see how it would be possible for any of the wood to seperate. All of the pressure is going down and not toward the sides.

The way all the 2x joints are stacked are layed out to support everything from the bottom to the top.

I actually found this guy

who builds similar to how you suggested, but he adds in vertical supports like I have.

 

[paperfist]

2x2 would work for the frame. If the plywood skin is done properly, it will be more than strong enough.

Yeah I don't have the balls to do that with this kind of weight. I've built a lot of shelves with 1x2s where basically that was the skeleton for the plywood and glue and those held a ton of weight for air compressors, saws, etc.

 

[ToBYourself]

Yeah I don't have the balls to do that with this kind of weight. I've built a lot of shelves with 1x2s where basically that was the skeleton for the plywood and glue and those held a ton of weight for air compressors, saws, etc.

As it looks like from the picture, the entire weight will be focused on the bolts (and glue) in the 4 corners. On my stand, I additionally added a 2x4 to the outside edge of the supports that ran from the top of the bottom frame to the bottom of the top frame - that directly supports the weight on the horizontal frame members themselves. it spreads the direct support from the upper frame to the lower frame without forcing the mechanical fasteners to be load bearing. You would effectively end up with the vertical supports being flush with the outside of the frame. I don't know the term in this case, but is that called a jack stud in a door or window frame?

 

[spacejamz]

I'll use a Kreg pocket jig to screw up from the 2x4s into the 2x6s at an angle with GRK structural screws and PL construction adhesive on all the joints. The plywood will be glued and screwed to the 2x4 & 2x6s so I don't see how it would be possible for any of the wood to seperate. All of the pressure is going down and not toward the sides.

The way all the 2x joints are stacked are layed out to support everything from the bottom to the top.

I actually found this guy

who builds similar to how you suggested, but he adds in vertical supports like I have.

It isn't an issue of separating, but if the weight shifts or isn't properly centered when filling the tank. If that happens, will it be enough to keep the tank upright or will the vertical supports start leaning? I just remember from my wood shop days back in middle school that attaching a 2x4 at the ends was not as stong as securing it inside the base. For an aquarium stand, I would definitely over engineer as much as possible.

after watching the video, adding extra two 2x4s for each corner like he did would be the way to do it....

 

[paperfist]

As it looks like from the picture, the entire weight will be focused on the bolts (and glue) in the 4 corners. On my stand, I additionally added a 2x4 to the outside edge of the supports that ran from the top of the bottom frame to the bottom of the top frame - that directly supports the weight on the horizontal frame members themselves. it spreads the direct support from the upper frame to the lower frame without forcing the mechanical fasteners to be load bearing. You would effectively end up with the vertical supports being flush with the outside of the frame. I don't know the term in this case, but is that called a jack stud in a door or window frame?

I can hear Greenman giggling, "I could have built this out of 1/2" wood dowels and been done 2 weeks ago"

The king studs go on the outside of the frame, the jack studs on the inner which support the header.

Basically my frame has all jack studs supporting the header (top base). The mechanical fasteners aren't supporting any weight, but they and the glue are pretty much keeping the structure from separating.

I understand what you guys are saying about weight shift, but the stand I don't think is tall enough to have any high center of gravity issues. Unless there's an earthquake or someone pushes it I don't think it will topple over. This is going on an outside wall so I can solve that issue by screwing into the wall. Thanks for suggestions.

It isn't an issue of separating, but if the weight shifts or isn't properly centered when filling the tank. If that happens, will it be enough to keep the tank upright or will the vertical supports start leaning? I just remember from my wood shop days back in middle school that attaching a 2x4 at the ends was not as stong as securing it inside the base. For an aquarium stand, I would definitely over engineer as much as possible.

after watching the video, adding extra two 2x4s for each corner like he did would be the way to do it....

I don't really see how those inside supports add stability. Essentially (I think anyway) the plywood is doing the same thing and keeping the structure square and unable to lean. It's kind of like house construction when you put up the 2x4 walls, the real strength comes from tying it all in with plywood sheathing,

I'll have to watch the video again, I thought he said those corner 2x4s were used mainly for guides.