Tank Stand Question...

[lkleung007]

Hey Gang,

I have a quick question about building a tank stand out of 2x4's. I would like to build a stand for a 125 gallon tank. The stand needs to be 4 feet high and with 2 levels.

Would 2x4's do the trick for a stand of this height? I am concerned about the sturdiness of the stand due to the height (need to be 4 feet high) using just 2x4's.

My other option would be to buy a steel pallet rack and put the tank on that instead.

Thanks for any insight,
Lester :)

[jeep]

Are you talking about a double stand or a single stand that's 4' high?

In any case, 2x4's would be fine, but 4' seems to be a little top heavy... Can you anchor it to the wall for stability?

Brian

[lkleung007]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for you reply!!

The tank stand is going in an unfinished part of the basement with cider block walls and cement floors. I am somewhat concerned about stability with a tank that size (125G) and that high up. I'm beginning to think that a double stand (using 2x4's) would likely not work. What is nice about a pallet rack is that I can put a tank on the top and another on a lower level.

Regards, Lester

[jeep]

Hey Lester,

Try attaching some 2x4's to the wall using some tapcons and then attach the stand to the 2x4's. You don't need something extremely strong, just enough to keep it from moving...

Brian

[Mr. Limpet]

Lester, is it a glass tank or plexiglass?
You can use two 2x4's that are butted together for the legs. Cheaper than a 4x4 and leaves better options for crossbars. I am going to attempt some pics of my rack tonight and should be able to download tomorrow, but for sure, you need to anchor it to the wall. There are some very good options for doing that. Do you know if the cinder blocks are hollow or filled with cement. They should be filled, but I have run across some retaining walls outside where they are not. Take the time to plan it out carefully. Paul.

[Mr. Limpet]

Here are some pics, I hope they make sense. Paul.

[Mr. Limpet]

#2

[Mr. Limpet]

Last one.

[ronrca]

Just a small suggestion! Depending on how long your stand is, it may be better to rotate the 2x4 90degrees so that it is standing on its small side rather than its wide side. This will give the shelf a little more strength to prevent it from sagging in the middle!

Also, again, depending on the length of your stand, a 2x4 in the middle of the shelf will also help to prevent sagging! ;) ;D

Thanks for the pics! Keep them coming!

PS-Limpet, you should start a few threads my friend! You have a lot of diy projects and good pics! Thanks for your input! ;)

[Mr. Limpet]

Ronca, you are right about rotating the 2x4. That was a mistake that I made when I first built the rack 18 years ago. Then it only held 6 tanks, now it has 9. I screwed up on the height calculations and made it a little short. The top 2x4'x got rotated to give me some more room to work on the lower tanks. You can see in the pic that there are only 3 foot spans with center supports, so it is pretty strong. The room is too small to get a good picture of the whole stand. Paul.

[ronrca]

:thumbsup:

I see how you have it setup now! I wouldnt worry about sag in your case! Every tank has the ends supported so if you were to get any sag in the middle of those 2x4, Id say your tanks are broken! LOL!

Looks good! Now.....where are the discus? ;)

[Mr. Limpet]

You can see them if you look, they are still babies. I haven't been able to figure out how to take a decent picture of the fish yet. I'm still trying. Paul.

[lkleung007]

Hey Gang,

Thanks for all the great input!!

Paul, I love the racks!!! Looks sturdy and stable. I wish I was as handy with 2x4's. ;) The tanks will be all glass (125g) type. If I do go with the 2x4 stand, I will certainly try to anchor them for stability.

Great advice one and all!!

Regards, Lester

[Lance_Krueger]

Hey Lester,
I've got two stands I built out of 2x4's. For the upright legs, I used 2x6's, but for the part the tanks sit on, I used 2x4's. One one of the stands, I have a 135 stacked on top of a 125. Extremely sturdy, especially with the tank below giving the whole thing weight, thus stability. I've got another that I have a 150 gallon on top of, and no tank below, though the room is there if I need to put a tank there. It's rock solid too. No need for anchors or anything, as the weight pushing down on these stands make them rock solid. I'm sure if I really wanted to push my weight around, I could knock the 150 over, but the 135 over 125 I doubt I could. The tops of my stand are 40", thus the top of the tank is 70" high, so about to my nose height, and I'm 6' 2". I incorporated some designs that made things even stronger, and could explain if you want me to.
Lance Krueger

[ronrca]

Do you have any pics of your stands? I would love to see them! ;)

[Lance_Krueger]

Ronrca,
No, I don't have a digital camera. When I do get some pix, I'll post.
Lance Krueger

[Chris]

Hey Lester

In regards to your stand, you can web the 2x4 stand on the ends and the back with 1/2 inch plywood, "cdx", and this will make it extremely sturdy. It will also allow a larger area for attaching the stand to the wall.

[Denny]

Chris is right, the plywood on the ends and sides will give it all of the strength you need.the only force that will be an issue is if it is not level and you get laterally moving weight.

At times we all get carried away with worrying about if something will hold when we forget that the 2 story houses that were built 100 years ago were made with 2x4 construction with the studs going from the foundation to the attic and the joists for the second floor just nailed to the sides of the 2x4's and those 2x4's bore the weight of the 2nd floor,the attic and the roof ;D

[Murphy]

Hi Lester, check the DIY forum .I just posted pictures of my double stand that I just built. It is designed to hold two 100gal tanks one on top of the other