Omair February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 I'm going to be starting the build for my aquarium sometime this weekend, and would like everyones advice on how to approach the build of my stand. I've never done this before, first time for everything. This will be for a 150G 48x24x30 aquarium. I will have extra space to account for the overflow and return plumbing as well as the closed loop. What tools will I need? Will this design be able to handle a 150G aquarium's weight? What else should I consider? *drawing isn't too scale - mocked up in Pain. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 Would you want vertical support under the middle of the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctseng February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 Without center brace, it might be safer to go with 2X6 for the top frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omair February 16, 2012 Author Share February 16, 2012 I need the space in the stand for sump/skimmer/reactors and plumbing. I would like to avoid 2x6's. I will also be drilling two holes on the bottom of the tank for the closed loop. Would two 2x4 beams work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 Look in Roni's 300G build thread for a drawing of the frame that I used on his 270G tank. To be very honest, most of the home-built stands are *way* *WAY* (yes I meant to type that twice) overbuilt and the one I built for Roni is no exception. In fact, a 150G stand could be safely built with plywood sides and back and hardwood facing and no internal frame at all! (If you know what you are doing and your joints are well constructed...) Other than straight edges and accurate cuts, the concerns you need to address in your design are load bearing capacity, shearing and twisting. The vertical supports in the stand (whether we are talking about an internal frame or the external face frame/panels) handle all of the weight. Although a single 2x4 stud can support well over 500lbs of weight (assuming no twisting or flexing), I still support corners of stands for very large tanks using two 2x's glued and screwed to form a 90 degree corner, more for stability than for weight bearing capacity. The horizontal supports at the top of the stand provide some support, but most of the weight is actually on the vertical supports in the corners and center of the stand. I usually use single 2x4's for the top horizontal supports unless I am spanning a large area with no vertical supports in the center. Once you add hardwood or plywood facing to the frame, and I usually attach that with a combination of wood glue and screws, the stand will not be able to twist or lean, making it even stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 I agree with what Bob said. I have played with structural calculations on this a great deal (I like math and this problem interests me). I have posted this document before, but here is a spreadsheet I put together to run calcs on the span. Long story short, under my liniting case of putting all the weight as a point in the middle of the stand, I think you are fine going with 2x4s, being well away from what I consider the limit. No need for 2x6s (on a 48" length, you don't need 2x6s until you are putting more than a 500 gallon tank on top... which is kind of hard to do in a 48" length). Like Bob said, the problem that is actually more significant is rigidity rather than load capability. If you skin the stand with plywood, it will pretty much solve this problem. Full speed ahead with 2x4s! beam calc.xls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 I'm going to be starting the build for my aquarium sometime this weekend, and would like everyones advice on how to approach the build of my stand. I've never done this before, first time for everything. This will be for a 150G 48x24x30 aquarium. I will have extra space to account for the overflow and return plumbing as well as the closed loop. What tools will I need? Will this design be able to handle a 150G aquarium's weight? What else should I consider? *drawing isn't too scale - mocked up in Pain. :P I am not sure I follow your drawings. Are the corner supports inside the frame? (I can't tell since it looks like it in the left pictures, but not the right). If so, they shouldn't be. The supports should be between the top and bottom frames. I think I have a nice rendering somewhere that has what I mean. I will post it if I can find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvreef February 16, 2012 Share February 16, 2012 per engineering specs you will have around 1280 pounds total in weight with the tank give or take several pounds..with a 2x4 on edge of a span of 3 foot its limits are around 1200pounds with them being on 16 inch centers...If it were mine I would go with 2x6 to be safe...you are only talking about aniother 2 inches of height if you need to keep your height right under the stand for plumbing... Also in your picture with the tank sitting on the stand you will need to run a brace down under the 2x6 where the tank ends and run a header just like the front is...if you want to get away from any supports in the middle from left to right just place 2 2x6 together on the front and back side...hard to explain without showing you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 (edited) The doubled-up 2x4 depicted on the top/front is not required. A single 2x4 is sufficient. Edited February 17, 2012 by YBeNormal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 (edited) I have played with structural calculations on this a great deal (I like math and this problem interests me). I have posted this document before, but here is a spreadsheet I put together to run calcs on the span. Nice spreadsheet. I'm going to have to squirrel that away for future use. Edited February 17, 2012 by YBeNormal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 Thanks, Bob, I combined two of my favorite things: Excel and aquarium stuff!! Kelly, what engineering spec and under what conditions? The calculations I did above done are based on structural properties given in the Forrest Products Laboratory "Wood as an Engineering Material" (Chapter 5 has the mechanical properties) and equations given in Roark's Stress and Strain. The calculations I did are very conservative. In reality, wood can yield more than 1/8" without problem; however, that is what I consider to be a limit, I calculated a little over 1/32". For glass tanks the load is essentially just on the corners and for acrylic tanks the load is distributed, I assume a point load in the middle of the horizontal unsupported section. In reality, you have the weight of a tank, rock and water, which is probably around 10 pounds/gallon, I assume 12 pounds/gallon. If there is an error in my calculations, let me know. Otherwise, I am very comfortable recommending full speed ahead using 2x4s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 ^All that being said. Wood is cheap, making a stand to the robustness that makes you feel better is worth the piece of mind, there is nothing wrong with using a 2x6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 I do have a similar image. This one is a 24x48" stand with a 1/2" top (which I recommend you do). Omair, don't forget the actual dimensions on a 2x4 are 1.5 x 3.5, I noticed your dimensions don't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omair February 17, 2012 Author Share February 17, 2012 Thanks for catching that. This is all pretty confusing but I think I understand the basic premise here. Really appreciate all of the advice. What other power tools will I need if I get the lumber precut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 A drill to screw the pieces together and a square (or something you are positive is square). More depending on how fancy you want to get with your skin job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal February 17, 2012 Share February 17, 2012 Home Depot and Lowes will cut the boards for you, but these will not be precision cuts. Do you have a kind neighbor who will let you use a miter saw? One thing you do not want is a stand with a twist in it or that is not level and square. All calculations regarding load bearing capacity are out the window in those cases! You mentioned you've never "done this before". Were you referring to stand building or woodworking in general? If you are not experienced with woodworking, building a 150G stand without an experienced assistant might not be the best idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon February 18, 2012 Share February 18, 2012 (edited) I built my stand for my 30" cube with 2x4's, glued and screwed it together. When completed it looked / felt like it'd hold up to anything. It's built basically like ybenormal's picture above shows. I still don't have a skin on my stand - if you'd like to stop by to see what it looks like or how it's built you're more than welcome. Edited February 18, 2012 by CaptainRon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal February 18, 2012 Share February 18, 2012 Smaller stands, up to 150G if you do it right, can be safely built with no internal frame at all. For example, here is a project that took 2 days to build for a 75G stand. It's nothing but 3/4" pine panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omair February 18, 2012 Author Share February 18, 2012 That's gorgeous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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