So I'm in the process of building a double tank stand to house either my 20 and 10 gallon tanks or 2 20s. This is a rough plan not exactly to scale because of the program but each square represents an inch. It is a very simple stand made for function more than looks. I'm using 2x4 (1.5"x3.5") as the legs and supports and 2x8 (1.5x7 ⅜") as the shelves. I have thought about doing pocket screws from the inside bottom up for attaching the shelves but I'm not sure it will be as sturdy as just drilling straight down through the top with countersunk screws. It will most likely just be Spray painted black to make the wood more water resistant. I really don't think I want to mess with stain and varnish. I do have some though. So we will see. It's not particularly pretty wood so I'm not sure staining would be the best option. I haven't started cutting yet so let me know if you think I should make any alterations. Top shelf will be 28x14.5" bottom shelf will be 25x14.5" each leg will be 30" and each support will be 14.5". I'm debating on making the bottom shelf 28" also and just notching out for the legs ... might depend on the piece of wood and if I can get good pieces. There are a couple knots I'm working around. The pickings were slim for good boards.
So I've realized I want to make the stand a bit wider to accommodate 2 20 gallon tanks easily and was also looking my wood over and 2 pieces are more warped than I thought so they are going back. I'm also rethinking the overall design. I may do more support and use plywood on top ... or 1x something strips. I'm sure it will just be painted and not all trimmed out so I'm not looking to spend a ton. I'll update when I figure out more. Finding time to actually get out there and mess with it all without other things coming up or a toddler under foot is proving a bit difficult!
Ok so I sat down with a pencil and paper and drew out the stand. It is not straight nor is it to scale but I think it gets the point across. I added measurements. Feel free to check my math or point out if something simply will not work. I didn't follow a pattern but just drew it thinking about where supports should go. The entire frame is 2x4 and the shelves will be plywood. Not exactly how thick that is. I'm also still unsure how tall to make the legs and where to position the bottom shelf. I was thinking I'd want about 8" of clearance to work in the tank ... is that reasonable? I also didn't want the bottom shelf directly on the ground but not sure how far up to go.
Is putting the frame outside and a support inside of the legs enough support for 200 lb on top? The 3 boards will be all screwed together.
I would say that on the outside move the longer pieces to mount directly to the actual legs and then shorten the shorter pieces to be more like the cross bars. It will look similar and be more structurally sound. I would also encourage using torque screws instead of Phillips heads or something. They go in smoother, and you can get 3 inch which is what I used. I think they are rated for 50-80lbs each. They wont strip either.
And I JUST got done watching he video you posted earlier. So you are saying to make the front and back full length and all of the cross bars the same length? Should I also go ahead and drop the bottom shelf to the floor like his? Will it matter if it's up 4" or so? As long as everything is square? Also, like his, he added the short support bars next to the legs, under the top frame. Should I add those too? Ugh. I should probably just build it just like his and go with it. I was trying to make it as small as possible while still being supportive enough.
that will be fine, just use deck screws to put it together so you don't have to worry about corrosion
I would not put the bottom shelf on the floor. If you spill something, it will be under your stand and you wont be able to wipe it up
you really should have some corner braces some where, even if they are just triangles you cut out, or L braces from walmart, otherwise, your stand will eventually get out of square.
I think you are good to have it off the ground. You will at max be holding 400 lbs and that should be fine. You can do the corner braces if you want, I will always for two reason. 1. Extra security for like 75 cents worth of wood. 2. it makes wrapping the stand easier if you go that route eventually. With all the edges the same height off the frame it makes wrapping a lot easier.
Thanks for all of the replies! Lots to think about! We do have tile so I'm not super worried about spills but I wouldn't want it sitting on the stand either. Maybe I'll at least raise it up an inch or two off the ground. That would give me a couple more inches of clearance too. Just trying not to make the top tank too tall. Yeah, it's just for function and will hopefully be temporary! I've got to use it to do TTM on my fish and then to house them while my DT remains fallow for the 3 months. Just trying to declutter my fish area some. Get tanks off the kitchen table and floor.
Sorry, I just saw this. If this is for TTM you might want to rethink this. Ich can be transmitted by aerosol transmission and it is recommended the two tanks be at least 10 feet apart to prevent this. Aerosol transmission seems to be more likely when using an air stone for water movement. When I've had no choice but to have the tanks closer than that I used a plastic lid (that came with the tanks) and used a large piece of a cardboard box between the two tanks to limit the possibility of aerosol transmission.
Even with versa tops? Erg. Well maybe I can use it for one and who knows where I'll put the other one then. But after the 12 days I can set them both up on the stand and split them between the two tanks for the remainder of the 3 months.
Aaaannnnddddd I've changed my mind again! Lol So now I'm going to be building 2 single stands just big enough for the 20g on top and storage space underneath. These are more for function than looks so at this point I don't plan on wrapping them but will be building them so they could be in the future. The design will be 25"x 13"x 35". It will be built just like the video except It'll obviously be much, much smaller, no center leg support (not necessary), and probably I'll raise the bottom frame off the ground 1-2" to allow for cleaning up spilled water. I'll be borrowing my FIL's miter saw to make cutting all of the pieces much easier and hopefully more accurate than just using our circular saw. Still unsure what I want to use to paint it ... my first thought was just black spray paint (because it's easy!) but I'm not sure it'll be waterproof enough ... any suggestions for ease of use and quick clean up? (Preferably no oil based paints ...) and I didn't get pretty wood so i won't be staining.
So ... I was thinking about this ... i won't have both tanks up and going while doing TTM. One will be running while the other is drying and I can put a towel over it to keep it closed off too. The only time they'll both be going is during the remainder of the QT period. Quick question about that ... I won't have any 100% sure ich free rock to put in the tanks while the display remains fallow (after TTM) ... what is the best plan of action here? Insert some bio balls into each tank and hope they cycle quickly? Treat some rock with chloroquine? (Would this leach back out later causing issues?)
If you're going to treat with CP, there's no reason really to do TTM. It is very effective at treating Ich, velvet and brook. One issue with CP is that you can't use it with rock or ceramic media only a sponge filter seeded with bacteria. Because the fish are only in the tank for 3 days you don't need any filter media for TTM. Monitor for ammonia (test or ammonia badge or both). I can't think of any way to accomplish it with just two tanks. If you have one to treat with CP and then two more to house them after treatment that might work. I have a 10 gallon you can use for the treatment tank. Keep them in the DT till ready to treat and then to the two holding tanks after treatment. When the DT is emptied of fish you can start the 72 day clock.
