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Ooh! I hadn't seen those deep dimension tanks before. I want one of the 150 gal 3' squares.

I like Jessy's stand too.

Oh, ok. Also, it looks like 1x6's you used. Am I correct? How long are the screws?

Originally Posted by cdmorrison01

@mledford: Do you have any pics of the tank fully set up? You did such a good job on the stand, I wanna see the fts!

My Stand is still in works. I will be getting my 210 more than likely this weekend or next. I currently have a 100 Oceanic Starphire, so I am not in a huge hurry to get it all done ASAP. I'm taking my time, doing it right. I wanted the frame to be as strong as possible.

Thanks for the comment on the stand, its built like a brick $h!t house. I hate the junky stand I have now.

I will post more pics as I get more completed.

@mledford: Do you have any pics of the tank fully set up? You did such a good job on the stand, I wanna see the fts!

You can check out a stand I recently built for my 210 in the works.

Here are my renderings prior to building it:

210 Stand Design Renderings

Here are pics of the actual build:

The 210 Stand Build

Yes, the finish wood will help with the racking. That stand Jessy posted would be more than adequate. It is very well built.

i like that stand Jessy, did you stain it or are you gonna skin it with something nice?

Melev: In regards to racking. I will be doing finish work on this stand, as it will not be an in the wall system. Will the finish wood that I use to close in the front, back and sides satisfy the anti-racking configuration you explained?

Thanks for the quick feed back. I plan on building it sometime within the next 2 weeks.


I will def take pics of the build and post them!

The center support is put in last and removable to make room for sump installation. Good luck!

I had a carpenter build my stand with those exact dimensions. Hopefully you can gleam something from the pics.

2x4s that are glued & screwed together is plenty strong. Remember, your house is built with 2x4s and you LIVE in it. And they merely nail it together. What you need to worry about is 'racking', where the tank can rack back and forth or side to side. To avoid this issue, solid sheets of plywood on the back and sides prevent that problem.

If you look at the stands at the fish stores, you'll be surprised how simple they are, and how little there is to them. We tend to make them industrial strength, primarily out of fear of failure. For example, Turbosek's 160g is sitting on 4x4s. Way overkill. People use 4x4s to support decks adjacent to their homes. My 280g reef is on 2x4 uprights, and I used 2x6 horizontally for the platform, only because I wasn't going to have any legs in the middle. My desire was to build a huge sump I could slide underneath, so a leg was out of the question.

I just got my 160 gallon set up, and I built my own stand. I did not have to make it pretty because its an in wall tank; however, I had the same concern as you with regards to support. I am no engineer, so I could not even try to imagine what kind of wood to use to feel confortable with it supporting the weight. So, I went the "overkill" route:-)

I have a foot print of 48x25. I bought 8 4x4 that were NOT treated. Melev explained that treated would will change shape over time and could could out of level. I basically have a vertical 4x4 around the front and sides perimiter...about every 10 inches on center. Then I have 4x4s that span across from side-to-side. Those are then bolted down to the vertical supports, countersunk using lag screws. I then put 3/4 plywood base down. I think it could support twice the weight of my tank!

I am sure there are lots of DIY sites for stands. Just make sure you make a post on this site showing the one you plan to you, that way you can get everyones feedback before you start!

acrylic will scratch period it is a fact of life
two they are much more expensive then glass and do to the amterials used

some real crappy companys out there so do your homework

starfire glass is all i use and sell amazing clarity

Significantly. Glass tanks are much heavier and need more muscle to move/install over acrylic tanks.

Is there a huge weight difference between the two?

My reef is glass, but my angled tank, my suncoral tank and my quarantine tank (as well as any sump) are acrylic. Scratching is super likely compared to glass, although glass can scratch if you aren't careful.

Yea, I will probably just go with the 6 bulb.

cd, as an example here is a picture of my tank http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/59-Aquascape-Redo. In this picture I have only 4 of my 8 bulbs on, and it's a single reflector (ie not very efficient). But it's pretty bright. With 6 and individual reflectors you'll have plenty of light, and room for some really cool color combo's.

6x54watt fixture with individual reflectors for each bulb would be plenty of lighting for your 55g, 8x54 would be overkill.

Provided your good at reefkeeping, you can grow any light demanding coral you want with that fixture. You could probably get away with a six bulb fixture and be fine unless you like things really, really blue.