dym
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Hello everyone, I'm new on the site and I'm looking to make a homemade stand for my 125 gallon tank. If anyone has a blueprint/model or somewhere I can refer to I would appreciate it so much. Thank you!
LF homemade tank stand
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Fish Fan
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Welcome to Reef2Reef!
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Many here at R2R have built their own stands from both wood and/or metal (or more!)
You can build a wooden stand a variety of ways, and I've done quite a few of them, but a very popular option is the plans from @RocketEngineer originally posted on the old ReefCentral, and now reposted here on R2R:
Basic DIY Stand Calculator
This is a repost of my previous calculations. Again, this is not my design but has become connected with my name over the years. The basic principle of the design is two box frames connected by four legs. The upper one supports the tank and transfers the load to the legs. The legs are made of...
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Stands built from the above design can be finished to be quite utilitarian, or a beautiful, architectural feature of your home, depending on the carpentry skills of the person doing the finish carpentry.
Please let us know what kind f stand you're considering, and I'm sure that many of us will be able to help you
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dym
Active Member
Tysm, that's exactly what I was looking for. I think I'll make the one in that post. May I ask how to connect the pieces together if that's appropriate to ask here? Like specific screws or nails to use, I know nothing. I've never worked with wood and it feels scary since it'll hold almost half a ton. Thanks againWelcome to Reef2Reef!
#WelcometoR2R
Many here at R2R have built their own stands from both wood and/or metal (or more!)
You can build a wooden stand a variety of ways, and I've done quite a few of them, but a very popular option is the plans from @RocketEngineer originally posted on the old ReefCentral, and now reposted here on R2R:
Basic DIY Stand Calculator
This is a repost of my previous calculations. Again, this is not my design but has become connected with my name over the years. The basic principle of the design is two box frames connected by four legs. The upper one supports the tank and transfers the load to the legs. The legs are made of...
Stands built from the above design can be finished to be quite utilitarian, or a beautiful, architectural feature of your home, depending on the carpentry skills of the person doing the finish carpentry.
Please let us know what kind f stand you're considering, and I'm sure that many of us will be able to help you
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For a stand like that I'd just use some exterior deck screws and wood glueTysm, that's exactly what I was looking for. I think I'll make the one in that post. May I ask how to connect the pieces together if that's appropriate to ask here? Like specific screws or nails to use, I know nothing. I've never worked with wood and it feels scary since it'll hold almost half a ton. Thanks again
Some use heavier lag screws or bolts.
Of course that's appropriate to ask here. =)Tysm, that's exactly what I was looking for. I think I'll make the one in that post. May I ask how to connect the pieces together if that's appropriate to ask here? Like specific screws or nails to use, I know nothing. I've never worked with wood and it feels scary since it'll hold almost half a ton. Thanks again
For screws - you want exterior decking screws, long enough to go completely through one piece of wood and about 1/2-2/3 of the way through the board beneath. Assuming you build the stand out of 2x4 or 2x6 boards - each board is 1.5" thick, so you'd want screws that are either 2.25" or 2.5" long for two boards. I'll save you some pain and recommend that you buy Torx-head screws - the traditional Phillips-head (looks like a plus sign) screw heads tend to strip out, making it difficult to unscrew if you ever need to.
The thing that makes the Rocket Engineer stand work is that the screws are not supporting the weight - every board in the stand is resting on another board. And that's good, because screws can't actually support that much weight - each screw can only support about 50 pounds before failing. The screws are there to hold the boards together and keep them aligned, not to support the weight of the tank.
When you're building furniture, especially furniture that will be carrying a load, you want to use wood glue (I prefer the Titebond series) to actually hold the wood, with the purpose of the screws being to apply a clamping force while the glue bond dries and cures. Titebond III is technically the best glue to use here as it's a waterproof formula, but your stand really shouldn't be getting wet enough for that to matter.
If you search around for Rocket Engineer DIY stand you should be able to find an abundance of information on it - it's a popular design for a reason.
To build it you need a few tools, don't neglect to factor their cost in when deciding if it makes sense to DIY your stand. At the bare minimum, you'll need a cordless drill, some type of saw, a work surface and some trigger clamps. For the saw, there are three types you can get that will work (circular, miter, or table) but the circular saw is probably your best bet for starting out. You can use a hand saw, of course, but you pay for the money you save in the form of less precise cuts (unless you have a lot of practice) and a lot of manual labor.
So not to muddy the waters regardless of your decision assuming you will have a sump Make sure you can add bottom plywood on the bottom in one piece. Also cover that with plexi Glass easy to clean then and not get salt creep on plywood. I also painted mine inside or can use urethane
. Picture for you
USN74NMCB
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I put my 180 gallon currently fresh water in as a wall tank viewable on two sides. This tank will be switched over to salt in a few years and be my predotor wall 180. Still thinking on designs for scape with 3 dwarf lions the zebra, fuzzy and full manchu in the tank and live rock and debating on doing anenome or maybe some corals that dont need alot of maintenance. I will also be building a mew plywood sump for this tank to server a better layout then whats under it currently.
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OP
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dym
Active Member
that looks really nice. may i ask if you have the dimensions?
RocketEngineer
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The structural pieces were 73”x 22”x 36” tall for a 75g/125g setup. The panels and top added another couple inches. I should have made the space behind the tank wider but it was my first build so lesson learned.
Its Beautiful . The only thing I feel obligated to say is that the receptacles should be GFICI put my 180 gallon currently fresh water in as a wall tank viewable on two sides. This tank will be switched over to salt in a few years and be my predotor wall 180. Still thinking on designs for scape with 3 dwarf lions the zebra, fuzzy and full manchu in the tank and live rock and debating on doing anenome or maybe some corals that dont need alot of maintenance. I will also be building a mew plywood sump for this tank to server a better layout then whats under it currently.
USN74NMCB
Active Member
They all are by the breaker in the breaker box the whole tank is on its own breakerIts Beautiful . The only thing I feel obligated to say is that the receptacles should be GFICI put my 180 gallon currently fresh water in as a wall tank viewable on two sides. This tank will be switched over to salt in a few years and be my predotor wall 180. Still thinking on designs for scape with 3 dwarf lions the zebra, fuzzy and full manchu in the tank and live rock and debating on doing anenome or maybe some corals that dont need alot of maintenance. I will also be building a mew plywood sump for this tank to server a better layout then whats under it currently.
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