DIY stand 72" long without center support

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Anybody in Texas want to build a "Rocket stand" for me??

 

[don_chuwish]

Anybody in Texas want to build a "Rocket stand" for me??

If only I were in Texas. But honestly any good local carpenter could do a great job. Just stress the importance of a perfectly flat & flush top.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I just spoke to a custom tank manufacturer and they said for 60” and longer, they don’t build stands without a center front brace... even using steel. I’m disappointed since I was hoping to purchase my tank and stand from the same company... after years in the hobby, I’m going to get a tank that doesn’t have the little annoyances my previous (and current) systems did. I’m short, so I want the total height to be 50”... 53”max. I want a shallower tank - 18-20” - and a footprint of 60x24. I know the stand can’t be much shorter than 32” (the interior height on my current one is 29”), and I DON’T want to work around a brace to do maintenance on my sump as it will be a tight fit already due to the stand height.

Going with an internal overflow and getting everything from the same company would help ensure all the pieces fit without worrying about last minute mods for plumbing, etc.

Sorry... thank you for letting me vent, lol!

 

[Be102]

I would like some advice… I am a little confused about vertical support braces for tanks longer than 48’. I previously built a stand for my 65 gallon with intentions of it holding a 120 gallon so it is 48 by 24. As I look back on it.. I built it with 2x4 and with 2x 6 for the top rectangle. I then added 3 2x4 under the plywood top.

i am potentially planning a 8-10 foot tank and was curious on what really is needed to avoid paying a billion dollars for a steel stand… my plan is to copy the current design but replace all 2x4 for 2x6 and the 2x 6 for 2x8s. I would add supports under the plywood but was curious if I needed to add vertical braces every so many feet in order to keep it all leveled. If I did do that, would I add a 2x6 post behind the 2x8 vertical post?
I’m envisioning four corners for the stand and then 1 or 2 2x8 for vertical supports on both the front and back. For a total of 8 ( for four corners) plus 2 vertical 2x8 braces for the front and back. That comes to 12 vertical 2x8… is that decent?

how would you build a stand that would hold 400+ gallons… ( still unsure tank dimensions but building a stand will help me chose)

 

[piranhaman00]

I would like some advice… I am a little confused about vertical support braces for tanks longer than 48’. I previously built a stand for my 65 gallon with intentions of it holding a 120 gallon so it is 48 by 24. As I look back on it.. I built it with 2x4 and with 2x 6 for the top rectangle. I then added 3 2x4 under the plywood top.

i am potentially planning a 8-10 foot tank and was curious on what really is needed to avoid paying a billion dollars for a steel stand… my plan is to copy the current design but replace all 2x4 for 2x6 and the 2x 6 for 2x8s. I would add supports under the plywood but was curious if I needed to add vertical braces every so many feet in order to keep it all leveled. If I did do that, would I add a 2x6 post behind the 2x8 vertical post?
I’m envisioning four corners for the stand and then 1 or 2 2x8 for vertical supports on both the front and back. For a total of 8 ( for four corners) plus 2 vertical 2x8 braces for the front and back. That comes to 12 vertical 2x8… is that decent?

how would you build a stand that would hold 400+ gallons… ( still unsure tank dimensions but building a stand will help me chose)

Im planning an 8 ft tank and have decided against building my own again due to this reason, I’d rather pay the high price and have piece of mind

 

[RocketEngineer]

I would like some advice… I am a little confused about vertical support braces for tanks longer than 48’. I previously built a stand for my 65 gallon with intentions of it holding a 120 gallon so it is 48 by 24. As I look back on it.. I built it with 2x4 and with 2x 6 for the top rectangle. I then added 3 2x4 under the plywood top.

i am potentially planning a 8-10 foot tank and was curious on what really is needed to avoid paying a billion dollars for a steel stand… my plan is to copy the current design but replace all 2x4 for 2x6 and the 2x 6 for 2x8s. I would add supports under the plywood but was curious if I needed to add vertical braces every so many feet in order to keep it all leveled. If I did do that, would I add a 2x6 post behind the 2x8 vertical post?
I’m envisioning four corners for the stand and then 1 or 2 2x8 for vertical supports on both the front and back. For a total of 8 ( for four corners) plus 2 vertical 2x8 braces for the front and back. That comes to 12 vertical 2x8… is that decent?

how would you build a stand that would hold 400+ gallons… ( still unsure tank dimensions but building a stand will help me chose)

You don’t need to replace any of the 2X4s. They have an insane compression capacity. The weak link in the deflection of the horizontal members as this determines where the tank is being stressed.

While possible, I recommend anything at 8’ or longer have at least one center support on each long side. Off-center supports can work but the closer to center the better.

For an 8’ stand with 6 verticals (four corners and two centers), you can likely go with 2X6 for the top and 2X4 for everything else. If the tank is more than 30” wide or tall, increase to 2X8.

If you have specific questions, let me know and I would be happy to help.