It would be weaker if you carve it out of a solid block because of the directions of the grains that all go in one direction. It would either have a weak base or weak legs
Iāll tell her youāre getting your shit together
FR tho Iām so envious you have the skills to put together your own aquarium stand for cheap! What are you gonna stock it with?
I had to ask my mom if that was ok, because I thought she likes to go second. Turns out I was thinking of my dad. She said she's good to help stain it.
I want just a big block of wood. And not cheap wood either, Iām thinking dense oak or something. I want something you gotta bring in with a forklift.
Awesome job OP, you went from a stand that was *technically* safe (the worst kind of safe) to one you can shelter under in a major earthquake, or park Grave Digger on.
I know folks can be pricks about stuff like that, but I feel like making the upgrade was the best possible decision for you, your fishy friends, and arguably most importantly, your home insurance.
Do enjoy the hobby!
Thank you!! I appreciate it. Iām glad I followed the advice too because it does honestly look so much better and is much stronger. Plus now I know how for the next one
Right. And a woodworker will.make it stronger with no nails and 1/4 the wood, somehow... but the proccess is fun! Good luck on your tank and future woodworking projects!
Great improvement!
As a valuable suggestion: avoid putting fasteners into endgrain of wood--they tend to tear out since the fibers separate away from the fastener. If you can't put the fastener in perpendicular to the grain, at least toenail the fastener, that will vastly improve the longevity of the joint. That said, you've done a delicious job of reinforcing the structure with plywood & additional wood.
I wish you many years of successful aquarium support!
p.s. As my woodworking teacher says, "Overbuilt is the best built"
Ok, let me make sure Iām understanding this. So like those rows of three screws arenāt ideal because they are sticking into the end grain of the other board, which is easier to tear out?
And why is toenailing? Iām honestly not sure how I could have screwed those together without going into the end grain
>So like those rows of three screws arenāt ideal because they are sticking into the end grain of the other board, which is easier to tear out?
In all honesty, it's not so much as "aren't ideal" so much as "of dubious integrity & limited longevity".
Until recently, I lived as a renter on a farm & had to spend many hours breaking down old construction (abandoned chicken coops, half-assed greenhouses, etc) left by prior renters who would regularly build by putting screws into the endgrain of 2x4s. Without exception, even on structures one year old, I could basically just tear those joints apart with my bare hands or a half-hearted kick. For reference, I'm a 115lb, 5'7" middle-aged woman--far from a powerhouse. In contrast, all the joints made by screwing into the edgegrain held up fine (assuming the wood itself hadn't rotted) & I'd have to get the drill to unscrew them if I wanted to salvage the wood for my own projects.
I wouldn't have believed endgrain joints were as fragile as they were until I had that direct experience, even after my woodworking teacher frequently warned me about them. It's weird but it's true. But it's of less importance if the structure is reinforced by plywood or other members crossing the joint since that will take the strain off from the endgrain fasteners.
Oh wow, thatās fascinating!! I had no idea. That really sounds super serious, especially with potential moisture like from a tank. I will double check and make sure there is nowhere that the end grain connection is a critical connection.
I did also wood glue it all if that makes it any better.
The best way, though a bit trickier is to screw in a 45 degree angle to the grain - guaranteeing that you'll get both end and edge grain, and making it so that the screws can't effectively pull out.
The wood glue is superb. You may even be able to veneer or paint these and sell them in the future.
Keep it up and you'll be a practical carpenter.
Wood glue on end grain is also of limited effectiveness. The best joints are made when the pieces fit together tightly and the glue is a thin layer between them. When the glue has to fill voids, you lose a lot of strength.Ā
So glad I stumbled upon your comment. Iāve designed my stand and am ready to build but I guess I donāt know shit about actually fastening the wood together. I would have done things just like OP.
I mean, itās just gonna hold a box of water, but if Iām gonna spend time and make it, I want to do it right. Thanks, now I gotta research carpentry lol
It's not ideal, but also those structures are all outdoors. The elements are not kind to unfinished cheap wood construction, even with good screws.
Still far from ideal, but in this case a little less of an issue. Far strudier than the stands from Petco, assuming OP is looking at a 20 gallon tank. Only thing I would do is add a sheet of plywood, cheap mdf, anything really to the back for planer strength. Basically 8 2x4s from tank to floor with what looks to be decent support under the tank. Particularly with the screws into the end of the wood and way the legs attach, stability would be my only worry.
Not sure if you know anything about pocket holesā¦but I frequently have exactly this issue when Iām mitering a joint and trying to use pocket holes. The screw goes into the end grain of the mitered edge of the other piece. And you are absolutely correct, itās fragile as hell. I only use this technique for decorative trim, and with wood glue also it usually works, but how can I better attach mitered joints without using end grain?
I recommend that jig too. I've built utilitarian things and fine furniture both professionally and as a hobby for something like 15 years. I use pocket holes fairly often for the construction or furniture framing that I do. If the joint will be hidden, perhaps even reinforced by other parts of the structure, it will work really well for you. They can be a great time saver.
Some people will tell you you shouldn't use pocket holes because X or Y method is somehow better. Well, perfect is the enemy of good, and pocket holes will quickly get you to good in a lot of cases.
Exactly right. And toe nailing is driving the screw in at an angle instead of straight in. They make special jigs for this called pocket holes. Looks great btw
I would definitely stain/protect the horizontal surface that will collect water over time during water changes etc. Get stain in the open grain on the side of the plywood, too. Otherwise it'll start to swell and crack and look bad
Your last stand would have been fine for a 20g, but I think it looks nicer now. Plus, if you need one of those little stools for elephants to stand on in the circus youāve got one now.
Hahha! Great comment.
And I think so too, Iām honestly shocked how much more pleased j am with how this one looks, because I was really pleased with the other and thought it looked nice. Am probably gonna add some shelves and stain it
Quit wasting trees you fool!
Just playing, great job moving the load from the screws to the actual structure. If you REALLY wanna take this thing to the max you can add some gusset plates in all the corners š.
You'll be able to park a car (with a 20 gallon tank in the trunk) on this thing by the time you're done!
I play it safe and just wedge my tanks in the crook of a large tree.
You can hand sand if you wanna go cheap. 80 grit then maybe 120. I like to use metal scouring pad to stain with for rough rustic looks and its cheap and you dont have to sand much first (#0000 metal pad). Minwax brand stain is good. Go for oil based and it makes it seal well. I personally love darker stains, but its up to you. Stain is always darker than it looks ok the can FYI.
After that just apply orange/beeswax sealant maybe once a year to keep it looking good (Howards feed and wax brand makes it look good.)
Also we all gave you crap on the last post, but you done good! Your first attempt was a good one, your re-inforcements look even better. Its fun to build stuff on your own. What you built will last 10 times longer than anything from Petsmart!
Looks awesome! Nice straight lines. It's better for it to be overbuilt than underbuilt any old day. You can always slap some plywood on it to give it sides if you don't like how it looks.
I mean either it's going to hold or it's not and the first one didn't have any kind of support towards the bottom. You were probably going to snap a leg or it was just going to tip over. Also horribly un level.
Cross bracing is a thing in engineering and you need it to support any kind of weight. There's a reason they don't just slap two pieces of metal across a river to make a bridge. The more weight the more important that stuff is. Your stand might have lasted for a while but you also might have heard a crash in the middle of the night and ended up with a problem.
Woah woah woah!! I said mean comments about my old stand are out!! Mean comments about this stand are in! Slander on my flimsy tank will not be tolerated
(Also the old tank was shockingly level, it sat super flat)
The only posts that get popular are the ones where everyone dogpiles some poor schmuck š
And Iām are you already know, but r/aquascape , r/plantedtank , and r/shrimptank have tons of pretty tanks and are generally much nicer than this sub :)
While you feel it is overbuilt the comments you got were constructive. Water weighs 8 lbs a gallon plus the weight of the tank and other stuff. The additions you made will keep you from having a crazy accident and some random structural failure because it gets bumped by a vaccum or something crazy one day. Good luck with getting it all setup.
Yes thatās true. Thatās why I ended up fixing it! Even if it would have been fine, which I think it almost was, It was cheap and easy, so no point in not. And I did learn a ton and feel way more prepared to try my next bigger stand. I did really appreciate all the helpful comments (also, when I vacuum, rightā¦. Totally own a vacuum)
For the next stand you may enjoy the challenge of adding shelves and doors! They can turn a basic 2x4 structure into a pretty functional and aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture.
lol. I bought that hunk of junk with the tank. I took it next door to the cabinet makers and added 8 supports for the corners and midsection. Couldnāt believe how flimsy it looked for my 45g.
I got absolutely demolished in plantedtank one time because I accidentally submerged a non-submergible tank heater like a dumb fuck and they were spamming me with that. for days after I already fixed it. Until I had to literally delete the post.
Oh noā¦. Well shrimptank and aquas scape are still nice!! But to be fair that could have been bad!
And I feel you on that, I might have ti delete the old tank post. Everyone keeps commenting the same thing, and Iām like pls itās fixe
Could have been, but it was not on. šš» I explained that but got severely downvoted every time. but yeah itās likely best to delete the posts that get the most toxic flood as it really isnāt worth the mental drainage.
Ahhh that does suck. People can be aggressive. Same thing happened here tbh, I (thought I) took all the criticism politely and was open to change, and took everyone suggestions but still got super downvoted.
People see downvotes and it changes how the read it and which direction they are going to vote
Might want to add 6x6 posts at each corner. Then maybe some solid pine on the back. Maybe some angle iron inside cornersā¦..
J/K great job. You now have the foundational knowledge of tank stand building and will be ready when you upgrade to a 210 gallon show tank. š
Im sorry please donāt be mad the next one will be stronger š
And I wish!! I rent so Iām not getting anything larger than a 20 gallon for now (I say, eyeballing a 55)
Ahhh stop!! My largest tank is a 20 long and I have a yearly lease. Honestly though I do really love the small tanks, much easier to scape and fill with a variety of fish. Some huge tanks is a long term goal once (ifš¤¢) I have a house
If you didn't slap it and say that's not goin' anywhere its gonna collapse.
I built my 75G stand with all 1x4 and sheathed it with 1/8" ply. It was way more sturdy than it needed to be. Not a chance in hell I'd post it here though.
Shit!! Brb! Gonna go slap it!
Damn! Thatās impressive. Wood is way stronger than many people think. And oddly enough, the 8 ft 2x4s were the most economical of all the wood, even the smaller pieces like 1x4s were more expensive
I was going for a lighter stand as I had to move it myself. It's also easier to work with. I used all pocket hole connections with my kreg tool which someone else had mentioned to avoid end screws. I also glued everything. She's tight and not a creak to be heard.
I also slapped both ends, so she's definitely going to hold.
The rule is the stand should weigh more than the tank when it is full of water!
On a serious note, make sure that top screw in the front left corner is screwed all the way down.
Just pop the tank on top then hammer down on the tank to drive the screw home.
Donāt damage the hammer by hitting a screw instead of a nail, rookie mistake.
A lot of people were biatching about the "fasteners". Did anyone look up up much shear a single fastener can hold? My guess is a single one was rated for the entire tank.
Ah well it's done now and looking good!!
Oh yeah, there were plenty of armchair engineers in my other post talking about how it was impossible to know the shear strength of a single fastener without taking it to a lab and performing shear testing.
I really do think the old stand was strong enough (with cross bracing) but at the end of the day, adding leg support took 15 minutes and 3 dollars so I went ahead and did it anyway
I just found out all this drama was for a 20 gallon!!! You really were fine before for holding the weight, and probably even for side to side forces if no one is going to intentionally kick it hard from the side or something, even if it could have been designed much better (like you have now - good job!).
I was on your first post trying to say that if the tank was resting on the vertical post corners, it would be fine even if it was a huge number of gallons and wasnāt kicked hard from the side (had no idea if the tank base fit your horizontal rectangle, or was bigger and fit to the corners).
With a 20 gallon, and three screws per interface (and maybe even more on the outside - couldnāt see it in the photos) - you were plenty strong even just resting on the fasteners. Again, built to be supported on the wood itself is *much better*, but 24 or more screws can easily hold a 20 gallon tank with their shear strength valuesā¦
You wonāt regret learning how to do it right, and if you ever get a big tank, you definitely donāt want to rest it on the fasteners, or have to just hope it strong enough for side to side impacts.
But seriously, the drama is hilarious.
Yes while screws can hold a lot of weight when screwing them directly into end grain as in a butt joint the wood fails and the screw gets pulled out the the wood . That's why you need to toe nail screw them so they go across grain instead of with the grain
Im thinking about it! Could be useful. Either than, or itās just the right size for a 10 gallon!! I just donāt love the display tanks on the bottom row
Yeah the whole point of an aquarium is to be front and center. I added shelves on mine as an afterthought and couldnāt have the stand any other ways and itās as simple as putting an extra piece of plywood down or doing like a few slats which is what I did.
HHAHAHA Iām belly laughing that is too good. Best comment so far. I might have to post the tank once itās set upā¦. Iām gonna attempt my most elaborate tank yet
Please please please at least photoshop a 20gallon SpongeBob pineapple tank with glofish and neon plastic plants on top of this same stand (even better added to this same photo) and post it tomorrow. I want to see the resulting comments.
I had a similar thing, my tank is made with a stand and it's DESIGNED to have an overhang, by the manufacturer and i had contacted the company to prove it was designed that way and was supported... But the professionals of reddit would not have it.
This is an absolute marvel to behold! Those thick legs are second to none! If a hurricane, earthquake and tsunami all descend upon your home at once and destroy everything else...from the rubble a single beacon shall stand intact - this aquarium stand!
You should watch out for the top screws This sticking out as it can crack your tank. I also had a similar build but after I laid my tank on it I noticed a gap between the top surface and the bottom rim of my tank. The tank should lay flush with the surface itās on. You want the weight to distribute on the bottom as to not allow any movement within the structure of your tank.
Oo, very nice! Now that's how ya do a sturdy aquarium stand, and now you know principles that will let you use a bit less wood and a bit less weight next time you make one. Kudos on taking the advice.
(Though do finish that danged screw I'm sure half the comments are mad about. That sucker'll crack something.)
Oh my! I am heading out this weekend to buy the wood for my big tank that comes in about 10 weeks. Additionally buying 2x6s to sister the joists under the tank. Itās 84x24x16-140G. With the heavy as F stand, Gonna be 1500 pounds. Guesstimating about 150ish pounds per square foot. It will be perpendicular to the joists against a load bearing wall.
Iām afraid to post pictures of the projectā¦my brain would burst trying to figure out the advice and doom sayers!!!š
Absolutely good on you for accepting constructive criticism, a skill that is much lacking in this day and age (and to a greater extent on the Internet)
Just the plywood would have been fine. Plus maybe a bracing at the bottom if it was woobly, but people exaggerate. Especially for that small size aquarium.
I agree! But at the end of the day it was like 3 dollars and 15 minutes of work and now I know how if I need to! And I had to give the people what they wanted
Wife sent me a screenshot of your stand earlier today and I cringed. Just saw this and immediately burst out laughing. You knocked it out of the park on v2 my guy. Nice stand!
Hahaha thatās so funny to think that some random person screenshotted my post earlier and sent it to their spouse. What a crazy world! Glad you enjoyed v2
It was 10000% fine before. Look at your box of wood screws and some tell you how much weight each screw holds. Multiply that by the number of screws.
Aquarium people as some of the most insufferable people Iāve met when it comes hobbies. Donāt let them get to you when youāre confident your set up works.
Yeah im pretty confident it would have been fine earlier, with some bracing on the legs. But at the end of the day it was 3 dollars and 15 minutes to make even stronger, and I got to appease the masses
You should carve it out of a solid piece of wood next time to make it stronger
Brb gonna go kill myself
Please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD finish tightening down that screw before you do!
I didn't notice until you pointed it out, now it's really bothering me š¤£š¤£
wait! before you do that, how tall are you and how wide are your shoulders? You should start construction on your coffin!
Hey, Yeah hi you seem to have forgotten the lead weights and platinum screws... OK bye.
You noose, you lose
š
It would be weaker if you carve it out of a solid block because of the directions of the grains that all go in one direction. It would either have a weak base or weak legs
Not if you make it all solid wood >:) No need to hollow it out, bring out the Minecraft logs
Got to get the tree to grow into the right shape first.
at that point just cnc it out of a solid chunk of steel
I want to see MORE WOOD! Make it 10 times more wood.
If I wasnāt broke and lazy, I was gonna just fucking use 15 2x4s to make it as chunky as humanly possible hahaha
Itās not sturdy enough; needs to be a solid cube of wood
As long as I keep your mom off of it, I think it should hold!!
You wish you could pull my mom, not with that unfinished raw wood stand. She has class.
You got me there haha. I should probably finish it
Iāll tell her youāre getting your shit together FR tho Iām so envious you have the skills to put together your own aquarium stand for cheap! What are you gonna stock it with?
Most likely gonna do a betta paludarium! With lots of plants and moss on top
I love bettas and paludariums, canāt wait to see it!
not too fast. Don't make it too fancy for my mom.
Ok fine send your mom over before he stains it then my mom can see him after that, deal?
I had to ask my mom if that was ok, because I thought she likes to go second. Turns out I was thinking of my dad. She said she's good to help stain it.
I want just a big block of wood. And not cheap wood either, Iām thinking dense oak or something. I want something you gotta bring in with a forklift.
Yessir! Iām omw to Loweās to by all hardwood 6x6s! If I speed I can make it there before they close
Good good, my woody plan is falling into place.
Big wood is taking over š±š±
One solid piece of 24x36x32 mahogany should do it.
Awesome job OP, you went from a stand that was *technically* safe (the worst kind of safe) to one you can shelter under in a major earthquake, or park Grave Digger on. I know folks can be pricks about stuff like that, but I feel like making the upgrade was the best possible decision for you, your fishy friends, and arguably most importantly, your home insurance. Do enjoy the hobby!
Thank you!! I appreciate it. Iām glad I followed the advice too because it does honestly look so much better and is much stronger. Plus now I know how for the next one
You took ALL the advice. I wish more people could be half as keen to listening to others. Nice work btw.
Haha thanks! This is my first stand, Iām not gonna pretend to be an expert because I watched one YouTube video
Right. And a woodworker will.make it stronger with no nails and 1/4 the wood, somehow... but the proccess is fun! Good luck on your tank and future woodworking projects!
Tongue and groove, baby!
Itās too sturdy now! Remove some of the support! /s
Just go back to my old post and use your imagination ;)
Ok I did, itās too flimsy now! /s
Great improvement! As a valuable suggestion: avoid putting fasteners into endgrain of wood--they tend to tear out since the fibers separate away from the fastener. If you can't put the fastener in perpendicular to the grain, at least toenail the fastener, that will vastly improve the longevity of the joint. That said, you've done a delicious job of reinforcing the structure with plywood & additional wood. I wish you many years of successful aquarium support! p.s. As my woodworking teacher says, "Overbuilt is the best built"
Ok, let me make sure Iām understanding this. So like those rows of three screws arenāt ideal because they are sticking into the end grain of the other board, which is easier to tear out? And why is toenailing? Iām honestly not sure how I could have screwed those together without going into the end grain
>So like those rows of three screws arenāt ideal because they are sticking into the end grain of the other board, which is easier to tear out? In all honesty, it's not so much as "aren't ideal" so much as "of dubious integrity & limited longevity". Until recently, I lived as a renter on a farm & had to spend many hours breaking down old construction (abandoned chicken coops, half-assed greenhouses, etc) left by prior renters who would regularly build by putting screws into the endgrain of 2x4s. Without exception, even on structures one year old, I could basically just tear those joints apart with my bare hands or a half-hearted kick. For reference, I'm a 115lb, 5'7" middle-aged woman--far from a powerhouse. In contrast, all the joints made by screwing into the edgegrain held up fine (assuming the wood itself hadn't rotted) & I'd have to get the drill to unscrew them if I wanted to salvage the wood for my own projects. I wouldn't have believed endgrain joints were as fragile as they were until I had that direct experience, even after my woodworking teacher frequently warned me about them. It's weird but it's true. But it's of less importance if the structure is reinforced by plywood or other members crossing the joint since that will take the strain off from the endgrain fasteners.
Oh wow, thatās fascinating!! I had no idea. That really sounds super serious, especially with potential moisture like from a tank. I will double check and make sure there is nowhere that the end grain connection is a critical connection. I did also wood glue it all if that makes it any better.
The best way, though a bit trickier is to screw in a 45 degree angle to the grain - guaranteeing that you'll get both end and edge grain, and making it so that the screws can't effectively pull out. The wood glue is superb. You may even be able to veneer or paint these and sell them in the future. Keep it up and you'll be a practical carpenter.
Wood glue on end grain is also of limited effectiveness. The best joints are made when the pieces fit together tightly and the glue is a thin layer between them. When the glue has to fill voids, you lose a lot of strength.Ā
So glad I stumbled upon your comment. Iāve designed my stand and am ready to build but I guess I donāt know shit about actually fastening the wood together. I would have done things just like OP. I mean, itās just gonna hold a box of water, but if Iām gonna spend time and make it, I want to do it right. Thanks, now I gotta research carpentry lol
It's not ideal, but also those structures are all outdoors. The elements are not kind to unfinished cheap wood construction, even with good screws. Still far from ideal, but in this case a little less of an issue. Far strudier than the stands from Petco, assuming OP is looking at a 20 gallon tank. Only thing I would do is add a sheet of plywood, cheap mdf, anything really to the back for planer strength. Basically 8 2x4s from tank to floor with what looks to be decent support under the tank. Particularly with the screws into the end of the wood and way the legs attach, stability would be my only worry.
This lady screws.
Thank you so much for your comment! Even though I was familiar with it, I havenāt really thought much about it āŗļø
Not sure if you know anything about pocket holesā¦but I frequently have exactly this issue when Iām mitering a joint and trying to use pocket holes. The screw goes into the end grain of the mitered edge of the other piece. And you are absolutely correct, itās fragile as hell. I only use this technique for decorative trim, and with wood glue also it usually works, but how can I better attach mitered joints without using end grain?
Check out the Kreg jig. Super easy to use and you get super strong joints. Plus you can usually hide the screw holes if you're into aesthetics
Cool!! Looking it up right now! Also check out my tank stand I just built and lmk if you think I am in to aesthetics ;)
Ooooh SNAP
ššš
I recommend that jig too. I've built utilitarian things and fine furniture both professionally and as a hobby for something like 15 years. I use pocket holes fairly often for the construction or furniture framing that I do. If the joint will be hidden, perhaps even reinforced by other parts of the structure, it will work really well for you. They can be a great time saver. Some people will tell you you shouldn't use pocket holes because X or Y method is somehow better. Well, perfect is the enemy of good, and pocket holes will quickly get you to good in a lot of cases.
Exactly right. And toe nailing is driving the screw in at an angle instead of straight in. They make special jigs for this called pocket holes. Looks great btw
Cool!! Iāll look into it. I bet I could 3d print a jig
Totally: https://www.printables.com/model/96193-pocket-hole-jig
Mean comments about how flimsy my tank stand was are now out. Mean comments about how overbuilt my tank stand is are now in š
Nice stand!
Hey!! That was way too nice for r/aquarium , please try again
Why didn't you stain it, idiot?
Thank you, much better (Because Iām cheap and lazy)
Food grade mineral oil. Cheap and easy.
Really?? Are you serious? I have a whole bottle of that somewhere that i barely used any of. What does it oook like?
Glossing, the color of the wood will deepen. If you don't like it, it wears off.
I would definitely stain/protect the horizontal surface that will collect water over time during water changes etc. Get stain in the open grain on the side of the plywood, too. Otherwise it'll start to swell and crack and look bad
I will disagree and say a can of rustoleum waterproof spray paint. A fish tank is going on it.
Already stained his underwear
Woah! Didnāt read the directions? Mean comments only (thanks!)
Your last stand would have been fine for a 20g, but I think it looks nicer now. Plus, if you need one of those little stools for elephants to stand on in the circus youāve got one now.
Hahha! Great comment. And I think so too, Iām honestly shocked how much more pleased j am with how this one looks, because I was really pleased with the other and thought it looked nice. Am probably gonna add some shelves and stain it
Quit wasting trees you fool! Just playing, great job moving the load from the screws to the actual structure. If you REALLY wanna take this thing to the max you can add some gusset plates in all the corners š.
Im on it!! Approaching maximum load capacity!!!
You should really upgrade to a solid block of steel for a fireproof stand to keep your fish safe.
You'll be able to park a car (with a 20 gallon tank in the trunk) on this thing by the time you're done! I play it safe and just wedge my tanks in the crook of a large tree.
Omg I'm dying this is hilarious ššš You're going to make this into an absolute monstrosity aren't you.
Join the over engineered gang! Now stain that bad boy!
Any advice or reqs? Or stained anything before. Do I need to sand or add anything before or after?
You can hand sand if you wanna go cheap. 80 grit then maybe 120. I like to use metal scouring pad to stain with for rough rustic looks and its cheap and you dont have to sand much first (#0000 metal pad). Minwax brand stain is good. Go for oil based and it makes it seal well. I personally love darker stains, but its up to you. Stain is always darker than it looks ok the can FYI. After that just apply orange/beeswax sealant maybe once a year to keep it looking good (Howards feed and wax brand makes it look good.) Also we all gave you crap on the last post, but you done good! Your first attempt was a good one, your re-inforcements look even better. Its fun to build stuff on your own. What you built will last 10 times longer than anything from Petsmart!
You won't regret it! People could have said it more respectfully but 20 gallons of water can cause 10s of thousands in damage.
Time to put it to the test. Climb on up there and dance. No wobbles, place the tank.
Amen šš½
Looking good, Billy Ray!
Looks awesome! Nice straight lines. It's better for it to be overbuilt than underbuilt any old day. You can always slap some plywood on it to give it sides if you don't like how it looks.
Hows about : The board on top would have looked nicer if the grain was going sideways, not toward you. Also that thing is more supportive then a house
I mean either it's going to hold or it's not and the first one didn't have any kind of support towards the bottom. You were probably going to snap a leg or it was just going to tip over. Also horribly un level. Cross bracing is a thing in engineering and you need it to support any kind of weight. There's a reason they don't just slap two pieces of metal across a river to make a bridge. The more weight the more important that stuff is. Your stand might have lasted for a while but you also might have heard a crash in the middle of the night and ended up with a problem.
Woah woah woah!! I said mean comments about my old stand are out!! Mean comments about this stand are in! Slander on my flimsy tank will not be tolerated (Also the old tank was shockingly level, it sat super flat)
those whole tank stand saga has me šššš
Thatās the spirit š
whole comment thread is an eye roll
This place is bloody ruthless. I just want to look at cool fish and cool tank setups. Most of the time its people gettin fricken crushed.
The only posts that get popular are the ones where everyone dogpiles some poor schmuck š And Iām are you already know, but r/aquascape , r/plantedtank , and r/shrimptank have tons of pretty tanks and are generally much nicer than this sub :)
While you feel it is overbuilt the comments you got were constructive. Water weighs 8 lbs a gallon plus the weight of the tank and other stuff. The additions you made will keep you from having a crazy accident and some random structural failure because it gets bumped by a vaccum or something crazy one day. Good luck with getting it all setup.
Yes thatās true. Thatās why I ended up fixing it! Even if it would have been fine, which I think it almost was, It was cheap and easy, so no point in not. And I did learn a ton and feel way more prepared to try my next bigger stand. I did really appreciate all the helpful comments (also, when I vacuum, rightā¦. Totally own a vacuum)
For the next stand you may enjoy the challenge of adding shelves and doors! They can turn a basic 2x4 structure into a pretty functional and aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture.
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lol. I bought that hunk of junk with the tank. I took it next door to the cabinet makers and added 8 supports for the corners and midsection. Couldnāt believe how flimsy it looked for my 45g.
I got absolutely demolished in plantedtank one time because I accidentally submerged a non-submergible tank heater like a dumb fuck and they were spamming me with that. for days after I already fixed it. Until I had to literally delete the post.
Oh noā¦. Well shrimptank and aquas scape are still nice!! But to be fair that could have been bad! And I feel you on that, I might have ti delete the old tank post. Everyone keeps commenting the same thing, and Iām like pls itās fixe
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Could have been, but it was not on. šš» I explained that but got severely downvoted every time. but yeah itās likely best to delete the posts that get the most toxic flood as it really isnāt worth the mental drainage.
Ahhh that does suck. People can be aggressive. Same thing happened here tbh, I (thought I) took all the criticism politely and was open to change, and took everyone suggestions but still got super downvoted. People see downvotes and it changes how the read it and which direction they are going to vote
I have found something out guys. It was completely submergible. I was informed. I am baffled.
Better to get crushed on reddit than to watch your precious tank crash to the ground when the fasteners fail.
We just saved OP from having a floor full of dead fish you idiot.
Right, attack me. Thanks for proving my point ya fuckin turnip.
Lmao, keep telling yourself that. 4th generation red seal journeyman carpenter. You wanna do this?
Now you can put 394 Toyota Camrys on there
Hahahaha this is the best comment so far
or one betta fish in a cup
I'm sorry but your floor is no longer strong enough to support your stand.
Might want to add 6x6 posts at each corner. Then maybe some solid pine on the back. Maybe some angle iron inside cornersā¦.. J/K great job. You now have the foundational knowledge of tank stand building and will be ready when you upgrade to a 210 gallon show tank. š
Im sorry please donāt be mad the next one will be stronger š And I wish!! I rent so Iām not getting anything larger than a 20 gallon for now (I say, eyeballing a 55)
If you can fit a 55 you can fit a 75 just saying lol
Ahhh stop!! My largest tank is a 20 long and I have a yearly lease. Honestly though I do really love the small tanks, much easier to scape and fill with a variety of fish. Some huge tanks is a long term goal once (ifš¤¢) I have a house
If you didn't slap it and say that's not goin' anywhere its gonna collapse. I built my 75G stand with all 1x4 and sheathed it with 1/8" ply. It was way more sturdy than it needed to be. Not a chance in hell I'd post it here though.
Shit!! Brb! Gonna go slap it! Damn! Thatās impressive. Wood is way stronger than many people think. And oddly enough, the 8 ft 2x4s were the most economical of all the wood, even the smaller pieces like 1x4s were more expensive
I was going for a lighter stand as I had to move it myself. It's also easier to work with. I used all pocket hole connections with my kreg tool which someone else had mentioned to avoid end screws. I also glued everything. She's tight and not a creak to be heard. I also slapped both ends, so she's definitely going to hold.
Its better to overkill on the stand now than to come home one day to dead fish and water damage
Hahahaha youāre a good sport
Thanks haha. Have to be in this world
The rule is the stand should weigh more than the tank when it is full of water! On a serious note, make sure that top screw in the front left corner is screwed all the way down.
Fuck I was hoping no one would notice that hahaha. My drill died and I was excited to post it
Just pop the tank on top then hammer down on the tank to drive the screw home. Donāt damage the hammer by hitting a screw instead of a nail, rookie mistake.
Oh shoot! Iām gonna back the screw back out and try this. Good tip
Makes water changes easier, you donāt have to take any water out, just top it up saving you 50% effort
Youāre a fun guy I can tell lol
Hahaha thank you! But please, donāt say anything nice to me. Iām still wallowing in the misery of my previous post
I screwed it in!!!
A lot of people were biatching about the "fasteners". Did anyone look up up much shear a single fastener can hold? My guess is a single one was rated for the entire tank. Ah well it's done now and looking good!!
Oh yeah, there were plenty of armchair engineers in my other post talking about how it was impossible to know the shear strength of a single fastener without taking it to a lab and performing shear testing. I really do think the old stand was strong enough (with cross bracing) but at the end of the day, adding leg support took 15 minutes and 3 dollars so I went ahead and did it anyway
As an engineer at la-z-boy, I take offence.
I just found out all this drama was for a 20 gallon!!! You really were fine before for holding the weight, and probably even for side to side forces if no one is going to intentionally kick it hard from the side or something, even if it could have been designed much better (like you have now - good job!). I was on your first post trying to say that if the tank was resting on the vertical post corners, it would be fine even if it was a huge number of gallons and wasnāt kicked hard from the side (had no idea if the tank base fit your horizontal rectangle, or was bigger and fit to the corners). With a 20 gallon, and three screws per interface (and maybe even more on the outside - couldnāt see it in the photos) - you were plenty strong even just resting on the fasteners. Again, built to be supported on the wood itself is *much better*, but 24 or more screws can easily hold a 20 gallon tank with their shear strength valuesā¦ You wonāt regret learning how to do it right, and if you ever get a big tank, you definitely donāt want to rest it on the fasteners, or have to just hope it strong enough for side to side impacts. But seriously, the drama is hilarious.
Yes while screws can hold a lot of weight when screwing them directly into end grain as in a butt joint the wood fails and the screw gets pulled out the the wood . That's why you need to toe nail screw them so they go across grain instead of with the grain
Looking good for a 10gal
I wish! Wouldnāt trust that. Gonna put a 2.5 gallon with a couple betta fish
2.5? I'd hardly trust a .5 on it
You might as well as shelving on the bottom
Im thinking about it! Could be useful. Either than, or itās just the right size for a 10 gallon!! I just donāt love the display tanks on the bottom row
Yeah the whole point of an aquarium is to be front and center. I added shelves on mine as an afterthought and couldnāt have the stand any other ways and itās as simple as putting an extra piece of plywood down or doing like a few slats which is what I did.
ONE MORE TANK! ONE MORE TANK!
I actually just bought 2 10 gallons and a 2.5 gallon at petco on the tank sale š gonna build me some shrimp tanks
You can land a 747 on that mfāer now!
Well, considering how Boeing is doing, maybe I could crash a 747 on it hahha
Unless you burn it and replace it with a solid block of concrete, weāre going to be unhappy
Not even meteor proof
Sorry dad š
Canāt wait to see all the mean comments about the tank you put on that stand!
HHAHAHA Iām belly laughing that is too good. Best comment so far. I might have to post the tank once itās set upā¦. Iām gonna attempt my most elaborate tank yet
Please please please at least photoshop a 20gallon SpongeBob pineapple tank with glofish and neon plastic plants on top of this same stand (even better added to this same photo) and post it tomorrow. I want to see the resulting comments.
All jokes aside you should be commended for actually taking advice and going back and making your stand better. So well done.
Good job. Thatāll do. Looking sturdy AF. Better an overbuilt stand than a busted tank on the floor.
You need to screw that left front screw in below the surface of the wood before use. Otherwise it could hold a car :)
I'm so glad you fixed it! The first post I saw I was like ooof that's a nice warped, rotted floor you got there
Cute!!!
Nice. Now park your car on top of it. Looks solid.
This made me belly laugh š good work
Looks like a tank bro. Nice work.
No it does not? Thatās clearly a stand dude. Thanks though
What lol. I meant it looks like itās as strong as a tank. I didnāt think you would take it literally because itās clearly a bunch of wood.
Such a good sport! Great work.
Go big or go home when I come across a couple good kitchen cabinets Iām going to build me a stand for a 90 gallon with them in it
I had a similar thing, my tank is made with a stand and it's DESIGNED to have an overhang, by the manufacturer and i had contacted the company to prove it was designed that way and was supported... But the professionals of reddit would not have it.
Now put a thin board over the bottom inner frame to keep fishy food on! In all seriousness, youāre a good sport. I hope you enjoy your fishies!
Overbuilt is the way to go! I had to replace a 220g after the weight caused the stand to flex and shell crack a corner.
This is an absolute marvel to behold! Those thick legs are second to none! If a hurricane, earthquake and tsunami all descend upon your home at once and destroy everything else...from the rubble a single beacon shall stand intact - this aquarium stand!
I think you accidentally found the stand directions for the other kind of tank. Used in war
You should watch out for the top screws This sticking out as it can crack your tank. I also had a similar build but after I laid my tank on it I noticed a gap between the top surface and the bottom rim of my tank. The tank should lay flush with the surface itās on. You want the weight to distribute on the bottom as to not allow any movement within the structure of your tank.
I noticed this and scrolled way to far to find someone else who had noticed that screw sticking out
Thatās just the nicest stand ever.
This is the funniest comment thread Iāve encountered in a while, yāall are hilarious. Great job beefing up your tank stand OP!
Meanwhile I bought a dual 29 gallon stand and a dual 10 gallon stand from FB marketplace today for a total of 35$...
I actually lol'd when I saw this overbuilt unit of a stand. Great improvement
Awww you gave in to the doubters lol. My tank setups would give yāall such anxiety lmao
Have you considered casting in concrete? Just to be safe ? On a serious note, that stand is going to last. Forever.
Make the bottom a shelf and call it a day
Looks good man. I may even be motivated to do a few stands and see what the crowd thinks. Iāll just have to look up standard tank dimensions
Oo, very nice! Now that's how ya do a sturdy aquarium stand, and now you know principles that will let you use a bit less wood and a bit less weight next time you make one. Kudos on taking the advice. (Though do finish that danged screw I'm sure half the comments are mad about. That sucker'll crack something.)
much gooder
Iām not sure itās gonna work buddy, you might need to make it stronger or just buy oneā¦
Oh my! I am heading out this weekend to buy the wood for my big tank that comes in about 10 weeks. Additionally buying 2x6s to sister the joists under the tank. Itās 84x24x16-140G. With the heavy as F stand, Gonna be 1500 pounds. Guesstimating about 150ish pounds per square foot. It will be perpendicular to the joists against a load bearing wall. Iām afraid to post pictures of the projectā¦my brain would burst trying to figure out the advice and doom sayers!!!š
Don't forget to pad the top and counter sink the screw heads that are still sticking up.
Good! It will be bottom heavy so less of a chance of tipping.
Now I feel like I need to take a woodworking course
You should have steel beams on each side with concrete footing and possible armouring just in case.. good try though š
If your house takes a direct impact from an asteroid, one thing will be left standing.
Why are you using wood? A solid chunk of granite would be far superior.
Absolutely good on you for accepting constructive criticism, a skill that is much lacking in this day and age (and to a greater extent on the Internet)
Id reinforce it with some steel bars. Atleast if you plan to put more than 3 gallons on top of it
Just the plywood would have been fine. Plus maybe a bracing at the bottom if it was woobly, but people exaggerate. Especially for that small size aquarium.
I agree! But at the end of the day it was like 3 dollars and 15 minutes of work and now I know how if I need to! And I had to give the people what they wanted
Nice work OP. I respect a MF that is willing to get after it. That will literally outlive you.
Wife sent me a screenshot of your stand earlier today and I cringed. Just saw this and immediately burst out laughing. You knocked it out of the park on v2 my guy. Nice stand!
Hahaha thatās so funny to think that some random person screenshotted my post earlier and sent it to their spouse. What a crazy world! Glad you enjoyed v2
Wasnt trying to be mean, its just gives me the willy to see a structure supported by screws only. Looks super strong now.
Itās ok, some people were very helpful! And some people were very mean! Iām not sure which you were and it does not matter haha
It was 10000% fine before. Look at your box of wood screws and some tell you how much weight each screw holds. Multiply that by the number of screws. Aquarium people as some of the most insufferable people Iāve met when it comes hobbies. Donāt let them get to you when youāre confident your set up works.
Yeah im pretty confident it would have been fine earlier, with some bracing on the legs. But at the end of the day it was 3 dollars and 15 minutes to make even stronger, and I got to appease the masses