Neelixx

Hey Neelix,

Why do you have the verticals unevenly spaced? is it for aesthetic purposes? If not, I would advise equally spacing them to distribute the load more evenly


[edit] knowing you are looking into getting a glass cages tank, i stopped by their site, I assume by your sketchup images that you are using the GC 96x24 stand as your inspiration. It does look pretty solid once it's all said and done.

Thanks for the reply, zlh23! It's actually the 240 Long that I'm looking at. The reason for the 2 center vertical braces, rather than evenly spaced, is because there will be 4 removable panels for easy access to plumbing, skimmer, 60-90g sump (sump still being designed), etc.

I want to be able to install and remove the sump easily while the stand is in place, for maintenance reasons. Evenly spacing gives me very little wiggle room for the sump.

Actually, I didn't look at any stands at GC for my inspiration. Just lots of googling.

I just looked at what you were seeing @ GC with the 96x24. Yes, the false removable panels are exactly what I was going for in my design.

The stand looks plenty strong, although you will hear people suggest gussets in the corners to avoid racking. Screwed and glued plywood will do the same.

You might consider doors on the ends to slide the sump in and out as desired. You might even make the stand bigger than the tank (my favorite suggestion) so that you can have a small shelf that wraps around the tank that is 4 - 6" wide to set things down upon around the tank.

2nd melev's points about the plywood to prevent racking and considering the doors on the side for ease of installation.

...and to extend on his point about an oversized stand, you could even frame it out so that the sump could be a 24w tank as well, please correct me if i'm wrong there marc, as you've got more experience in tank installs than i.

If the stand is bigger, there is more room for everything underneath.

I agree with the idea of a "wider" stand. However, I've also liked (and was going to install) trim work at the top of the stand (base of the tank) for extra support against the bottom seams.

I did consider doors at the end, but 3/4" plywood at each of the ends will help prevent the shearing, while the top and bottom plywood was to prevent rotation. In theory..... Not sure what you mean by "racking", but I think I that's what I mean by "shearing".

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        TOP                                SIDE
      (rotate)                            (shear)

Actually, it took some convincing to my wife to make this a 24" divider (it was smaller). However, I could add a hinged platform (like a folding table leaf) on one side. Hmmmmmm....

Yea i would add ply or osb to the sides and on front/back which ever side you are not going to access thur You can just shrink the 2x4 cut by the thickness of the ply to keep your outside measurements. As far as your structure you are well within limits for the weight. Glue and screw everything. You should look at your floor tho to see what it is resting on( how it is going to sit on the floor joist) you dont want to put a 3000 lb tank in the middle of a span or over one joist if the length is running with the span. House floors were not meant to carrier that load on such a small foot print so some bracing under could be needed

Nice design. I too agree the stand will be plenty strong to support 3000 pounds.

I don't think you need the 45 degree cuts on the top and bottom frame corners. There is no aesthetic reason for it if you plan on having the frame "skinned". Based on how your legs are oriented, I would suggest changing the side pieces go your entire width without the 45 degree cut. That way, the legs will still support the seam where the corner pieces come together. The 45 degree will work, it just seems like unnecessary work. Good call on the 4x4's, they are known to twist and crack with age. 2x4's will work just fine.

My other suggestion is regarding your legs. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it appears that the "screw boards" on the legs extends to the top and bottom of the tank frame. If so, these boards may end up supporting some of the weight and put a shearing force on the screws or bolts that attach it to the leg (that part that actually supports the frame). The shearing force required to break screws or bolts is quite large and may not be a concern, but at this design stage it might be worth making a slight alteration so there will be no weight supported by the screw board. This can easily be achieved by making the board slightly shorter on each end. This will still give you enough room to attach the legs to the top and bottom frame, but also eliminate the risk of the board supporting weight... letting the legs do all the work.

I agree with the suggestions to put doors on the ends. You'll probably regret not doing it down the road. When skinning the stand, you'll still need some sort of wooden side around the frame even if you have a door. Those pieces will be enough to prevent shearing... or racking as Melev would say.

Looks like a fun project!

Originally Posted by jlemoine2

I don't think you need the 45 degree cuts on the top and bottom frame corners. There is no aesthetic reason for it if you plan on having the frame "skinned". Based on how your legs are oriented, I would suggest changing the side pieces go your entire width without the 45 degree cut. That way, the legs will still support the seam where the corner pieces come together. The 45 degree will work, it just seems like unnecessary work.

Thanks for that. The miter cuts were not for aesthetics. I was just hoping to get the seam/joint supported by both legs. But, you're right. I can still do it without the miter the way it's setup. Good eyes!

Originally Posted by jlemoine2

My other suggestion is regarding your legs. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it appears that the "screw boards" on the legs extends to the top and bottom of the tank frame. If so, these boards may end up supporting some of the weight and put a shearing force on the screws or bolts that attach it to the leg

Actually, I wasn't using them as "screw boards" though, it was a thought. The primary purpose was to take some of the center weight off the bottom of the tank, but I didn't want all that weight on the bottom frame. If you look, rather than making splines, the center "joists" for lack of a better term, actually sit on top of them, taking the weight off the bottom frame. I may have overdesigned the stand, but, better safe than sorry, I guess.

But, you are right. Downward stress on 1 may cause some hardship on the screws on the other. But, since they are so close together, the same weight would be supported by both, so it may not be a huge concern, would you think?

Originally Posted by DJ in WV

You should look at your floor tho to see what it is resting on( how it is going to sit on the floor joist) you dont want to put a 3000 lb tank in the middle of a span or over one joist

Yep. Already on that one. It is running parallel with the joists, but I already have a plan for building the supports for underneath. Basically, paver sand underneath low-profile cement blocks with a center 4x4 leg. Then, attach 2x8's underneath the 2x12 joists. Actually, they are the engineered joists, not the standard 2x10's. It's the same setup I use to support my deck.

The "fun" part is the design, the vision, the end result. Getting there.... well..... will take beer, a bit of cursing under my breath, and patience.

Thanks all for everyone's comments!! Just awesome!

Good catch on the 45 degree ends. You definitely want butt-connections instead. It is much stronger that way.

When we braced our floor, we went with lally columns--expandable steel support columns, one under each corner of the tank, available at home depot type places. The tank sets over a 10" x 10" main beam (old house) made of red oak, but we braced with the steel columns anyway. The floor joists run perpendicular to the tank, and we used a timber between them and the steel columns to distribute bracing more evenly.

what did you use to create that lay out for your stand like what website?