DIY Aquarium Stand

[katiedee]

I've made my own stand based on the popular design with 2x4's. It's sized to fit my 40 gallon breeder. However, the only place in my home that would work for the stand has uneven tile on the floor. I've tried the shimming, but when the level is telling me that the left rear corner of the stand is too low and the right front corner of the stand is too low, then it's physically impossible to raise both corners. It's not off by much, but enough for me to lose sleep. I'm going to flip the stand over this weekend and make sure the base is even and flat all around (again), and will check the top of the stand where the tank sits is level (again.) Other than that, the only other thing I can think of doing is laying down a 1/2" thick sheet of hardwood under the stand and hope it will only need minor shimming. I should mention the stand does not rock back and forth on the floor. It's heavy and solid. I thought about trying to put something under the tank, which is glass rimmed, to level it, but I've read that's not a good idea on several sites. And last idea was to buy some leveling feet and putting four on the front, four on the back and that makes it two on each side. I appreciate any input!

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I like the plywood on the floor idea but if both ends need shimmed up then I don't think your stand is flat. Maybe one of the 2x4s has a slight bow?

 

[katiedee]

I like the plywood on the floor idea but if both ends need shimmed up then I don't think your stand is flat. Maybe one of the 2x4s has a slight bow?

It would be entirely possible a 2x4 could be bowed, in spite of my best efforts. I checked each board at the hardware store and then brought them inside the house hoping it would cut down on warpage, but I noticed some had warped anyway the following day. This is the second stand I built, (the first one is now in a dump somewhere) so I guess it's time to leave it to the professionals.

 

[RocketEngineer]

My 125g had shims the entire front edge. There’s nothing that says you only shim one corner. The goal is even pressure on the floor.

 

[Billdogg]

My 125g had shims the entire front edge. There’s nothing that says you only shim one corner. The goal is even pressure on the floor.

^^^What RE said^^^

As long as the top of the stand is level and planar, just keep adding shims wherever they might be needed to fill the gaps at the bottom. I'm a big fan of using a piece of plywood on both the top and bottom of the stand to help flatten it out. With a piece on the bottom you also create a area for your sump that is water tight so that you can contain any small spills. Just paint and caulk the inside and you will be good to go.