Problem: I just came from the lumber yard...

Dom · Sep 1, 2022

I just came from the lumber yard. I planned on building a stand for my new 125 gallon tank using 1x6s. But the guy at the lumber yard said that I'm better off using 2x4s as they are stronger due to their thickness.

I don't know what to do.

Guidance please?

Thank you.

Dreminon · Sep 1, 2022

in terms of strength they are about the same. just make sure there are no defects in the boards.

Crustaceon · Sep 1, 2022

Personally, I wouldn't worry about using 1x6"s seeing how we totally overkill these diy stand builds with 2x4's. I built my old 100g stand with 4x4"s. I could probably rest a ford f-650 on it (eight 4x4's @ 4,300lbs capacity each).

All_talk · Sep 1, 2022

Given wood of the same strength and proper frame design the 1 x 6 will be stiffer/stronger. The geometry factor in the ruling equations is "moment of inertia", and a thinner but taller shape will be stiffer in bending. If your 1 x 6 stand is built in a way that uses the boards on edge and braces them so they don't buckle it will be fine. Corner post/leg construction might be simpler with 2x4s (or 4x4s depending on the size of the tank), but certainly can be safely done with 1x lumber with proper design.

What does you design look like?

Dom · Sep 1, 2022

All_talk said:
Given wood of the same strength and proper frame design the 1 x 6 will be stiffer/stronger. The geometry factor in the ruling equations is "moment of inertia", and a thinner but taller shape will be stiffer in bending. If your 1 x 6 stand is built in a way that uses the boards on edge and braces them so they don't buckle it will be fine. Corner post/leg construction might be simpler with 2x4s (or 4x4s depending on the size of the tank), but certainly can be safely done with 1x lumber with proper design.

What does you design look like?

Difficult to describe and no skills/software to create an image.

Basically, I want to create and upper and lower rail equal to the tank footprint (72" x 18"). Then 4 vertical supports along the back.

In the front, I also want 4 vertical supports, however these will not be equidistant. My sump is 48" so I would need to have a 49" opening in the front with the remaining space on each side having 2 vertical supports.

It is because of this opening that I wanted to use 1x6s. The front of the tank will have a span of 49 inches that is unsupported.

Wasabiroot · Sep 1, 2022

@RocketEngineer

kingoftheHiLLpeople · Sep 1, 2022

Crustaceon said:
Personally, I wouldn't worry about using 1x6"s seeing how we totally overkill these diy stand builds with 2x4's. I built my old 100g stand with 4x4"s. I could probably rest a ford f-650 on it (eight 4x4's @ 4,300lbs capacity each).

Mine is 2x6 wrapped or framed with 2x4s lol we literally did put a Porsche 914 on it lol

Crustaceon · Sep 1, 2022

kingoftheHiLLpeople said:
Mine is 2x6 wrapped or framed with 2x4s lol we literally did put a Porsche 914 on it lol

And I bet it probably didn’t even creak.

kingoftheHiLLpeople · Sep 1, 2022

Crustaceon said:
And I bet it probably didn’t even creak.

No. But we knew it was overkill. Mrs told me she was afraid the tank would fall off stand or stand to break. Was biting her nails over the stand… so we went above and beyond lol. Im not sure if the stand doesnt weigh more than 25g with water hahaha

Crustaceon · Sep 1, 2022

kingoftheHiLLpeople said:
No. But we knew it was overkill. Mrs told me she was afraid the tank would fall off stand or stand to break. Was biting her nails over the stand… so we went above and beyond lol. Im not sure if the stand doesnt weigh more than 25g with water hahaha

I couldn’t lift a corner of my stand off of the ground to get a furniture dolly under it. I had to make a lever system out of 2x4”s and pushed against the inside front brace to tilt the stand backwards. That stand has to weigh at least 500lbs. It’s going to become my new workbench and tool cabinet next month.

kingoftheHiLLpeople · Sep 1, 2022

@Crustaceon Thats an awesome idea!

All_talk · Sep 1, 2022

Dom said:
Difficult to describe and no skills/software to create an image.

Basically, I want to create and upper and lower rail equal to the tank footprint (72" x 18"). Then 4 vertical supports along the back.

In the front, I also want 4 vertical supports, however these will not be equidistant. My sump is 48" so I would need to have a 49" opening in the front with the remaining space on each side having 2 vertical supports.

It is because of this opening that I wanted to use 1x6s. The front of the tank will have a span of 49 inches that is unsupported.

Is the stand going to be sheeted on the sides and back or open?

Given the size of the tank and the requirement for the 4' open span I would probably not use a single 1x6 rail on the upper front. Though it might be fine if it is cross braced to the rear upper in several places. Switching to 2X material would be a safe option, but if the stand frame will be visible and aesthetics are a concern I might stick with the 1x lumber for the sharper corners and less clunky look. In any case I don't think I would use a 2x4 for the front rail with the 4' open span, a 2x6, doubled 1x6, or even the single 1x6 (braced) would be a safer choice.

jabberwock · Sep 1, 2022

kingoftheHiLLpeople said:
Mine is 2x6 wrapped or framed with 2x4s lol we literally did put a Porsche 914 on it lol

Did you and your friends just pick up the 914 and set it on there?

kingoftheHiLLpeople · Sep 1, 2022

jabberwock said:
Did you and your friends just pick up the 914 and set it on there?

No we used one of our 4 post lifts. Dropped the shell of one on top. We rebuild Porsches by day… on the weekends lol

All_talk · Sep 1, 2022

I don't know that holding up a 914 is a real test for a tank stand, they certainly weight a lot less that many reef tanks.

kingoftheHiLLpeople · Sep 1, 2022

All_talk said:
I don't know that holding up a 914 is a real test for a tank stand, they certainly weight a lot less that many reef tanks.

Gave her the impression it would hold up our 25g lol

Dom · Sep 1, 2022

All_talk said:
Is the stand going to be sheeted on the sides and back or open?

Given the size of the tank and the requirement for the 4' open span I would probably not use a single 1x6 rail on the upper front. Though it might be fine if it is cross braced to the rear upper in several places. Switching to 2X material would be a safe option, but if the stand frame will be visible and aesthetics are a concern I might stick with the 1x lumber for the sharper corners and less clunky look. In any case I don't think I would use a 2x4 for the front rail with the 4' open span, a 2x6, doubled 1x6, or even the single 1x6 (braced) would be a safer choice.

Initially, it will be an open stand. But in the end, it will be wrapped with furniture grade ply.

Yes, I intend to cross brace.

I agree... with the 4' span, I'm most confident in a double 1x6.

RocketEngineer · Sep 2, 2022

Yeah, sounds like youre building something like this:

And in that case, I recommend 5/4 X 4 due to it normally being mostly clear (no knots) but check each board and only choose ones that are straight and clear.