Tank Stand

[Jeff B]

I'm thinking of knocking together a stand and looking for a little advice. Ideally, what I would like to do is have a 3 foot tank next to a 2 foot. both 18" wide and 15" high. Both of these sitting on 5 foot long support beams of 5"x 2". What I'm not too sure about is whether I could get away without using a support leg between the two tanks and if it is going to cause a problem. The only reason I'm wondering is that I would like to put a 4' underneath and with a leg in the middle it won't fit.
The 4 tank by the way I need to be lower than the others, so I can't put it on top.

[lhforbes12]

Jeff,
IMO the board you want to use is too small to carry that much weight without additional support. Fortunately for you the solution is fairly easy. Simply sister up the 2x5's, make sure you use both glue and nails/screws to bond them together.

Larry

[Bainbridge Mike]

A few months ago I constructed a stand for my 4' wide 90 gallon tank. I did not want to go to the lumberyard so I made the stand out of stuff I had laying around the house. I had some 2x6 and I made a 4 foot long by 20 inch deep frame out of 2x6. Then I cut 4-30 inch 4x4's posts and bolted the 2x6 frame to the posts. I cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to sit on top of the frame. I could jump on it and it would not budge (and I weight about 220 lbs). I would guess that a 5' wide stand made with a similar design would work just fine for you (without a center support).

Mike

[Tony_S]

I would have to agree with Larry here because of the 2 tank scenario. With 2 tanks on one span, there's alot more weight bearing on the middle section of the stand vs. one 5' tank.
With a single tank scenario, the continuous front and back glass panels actually act as a type of beam, to distibute the weight evenly across the top of the stand. Two tanks doesnt give you the same weight distribution....almost like a 'hinge' type situation.
With single 2x5's front and back (or even single 2x6's) I think it would eventually start to sag. For what the extra material would cost (minimal) its not worth the risk of having to fix it down the road.

Tony

[Jeff B]

Thanks guys .... there's 1 or 2 good ideas there :),
I had a feeling that I may well be running into trouble with 2 separate tanks on an unsupported beam of 5" x 2".
Since posting, I've been looking at getting a steel frame built ( as ready made racking won't fit the space I have in mind ). If that doesn't work out, it's a trip to the timber yard. :smash: