# what kind of stand for a 240 gal.



## murcat (Jan 29, 2008)

ok, so i bought a 240 gal tank. 96" + 24" + 24". does not come with a stand. I need to either build a stand out of wood which I prefer because I can make it myself or out of steel which will cost as much as the tank. The stand will be sitting on a 4" concrete floor with basic laminate flooring. my questions are as follows:

1. does anybody have specs for either wood or steel for a stand this size supporting this much weight?

2. could somebody tell me wood pressure specs if anybody knows them if not i will google them.

I welcome all suggestions.

thank you in advance will be checking back in often.


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

no proof, but 2x4 stand with supports every 2' should be fine. It's just two 4' stands built as one and most 2x4 stands are over kill for their use on 4' tanks.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

i have a 96x32 tank that sits on a wood stand i built myself. i used 6-4x4 legs(3 front, 3 rear, 48" apart), and half-lapped 2 2x6 front and back to span the total length of the top. 2 additional 2x6, half lapped to the 4x4 posts 6" off the floor, keep the legs together. 8"x5/8" lags hold it all together, 4 per leg (2 top, 2 bottom), and the 2 levels are each finished with 2x6 crossers, every 16", to support screwed in 1x6x8 boards. this way, the entire stand can be disassembled in minutes when/if ever required. don't forget to use lock nuts, washers to avoid damaging wood while tightening, and to re torque everything a few times.
the bottom rack now holds a 72x18 135 gallon tank, which brings water volume total to 455, so the stand is sufficient in strength. it is now 3 years old. no issues, other than a few loose nuts once in a while. HTH.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

i bet your stand weighs alot. sounds like it is super strong though


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

GaFishMan1181 said:


> i bet your stand weighs alot. sounds like it is super strong though


 more than a couch...less than a piano. it's overkill for sure, but it waves zero when bumped, and 2x4's are for girls. :lol:


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## murcat (Jan 29, 2008)

did you use anything in the middle of the stand as in not the edges. like right in the middle. would I need to add in the middle or only focus on the edges. I'm planning on using pink styrofoam as well


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

murcat said:


> did you use anything in the middle of the stand as in not the edges. like right in the middle. would I need to add in the middle or only focus on the edges. I'm planning on using pink styrofoam as well


 originally, i built the stand for the 8 ft'er alone, and used 6 legs (3 front, 3 back). a while back, i removed the front middle leg, to accommodate the 6 ft. tank onto the lower shelf. i kept the back in place, so it now stands on 5 legs, with a full 8 ft span across the front. the top 2x6, under the big tank, never bowed a hair.
focus on building it level in all directions. take the time to half notch the 2x6's into the 4x4's, and double bolt each of them to resist future urges to give. use thread lock, or locking nuts, to hold it all where you left it. screw or lag everything--nails are not appropriate for this type of structure, IMO. cedar is a beautiful wood to work with. it sands smooth and looks great unfinished.
i tried to utilize styrofoam as a protective back up. i couldn't slide the darn tank into place, without tearing the styro to pieces, so i gave it up. but i set mine up alone. a situation quite convincing to my decision on that regard. HTH.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

You'll be fine with a wood stand. You don't even need to go bigger than a 2x4. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but the crushing weight of a 2x4 on end is astronomical. Make sure it's level, flat, and square, and you'll be fine. Just keep in mind that all the weight is on the corners. Support in the middle of a glass tank isn't that critical. It's good to reduce twisting and add stability, etc, but the corners are where it matters.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

there is an aesthetic value, to using larger lumber, if the beams are exposed when finished. IMO.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

lloyd said:


> there is an aesthetic value, to using larger lumber, if the beams are exposed when finished. IMO.


yeah i would have to agree to this as well


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

i've heard from people on here, that if you use 4x4's for the legs, that they will actually warp and are worst to use than 2x4's.... i built a stand for my 90, and i just doubled up the 2x4's on the 4 legs, and i can say that my stand would probably hold up my house... it is very overbuilt...


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

venustus19 said:


> i've heard from people on here, that if you use 4x4's for the legs, that they will actually warp and are worst to use than 2x4's.... i built a stand for my 90, and i just doubled up the 2x4's on the 4 legs, and i can say that my stand would probably hold up my house... it is very overbuilt...


how could 4 x 4 be worst to use than a 2 x 4??? doesnt make sense.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

spruce is brutal for warping. get out of the framing department, and choose a wood better suited for exposure and appeal. of course it's a few $$ more, but remember, your building a furniture grade product. donate those warped 2x4's and twisting 4x4's for the kid's tree house. :lol:


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## murcat (Jan 29, 2008)

awesome thx for the replys everybody. i will post pics of the entire process and of course the final product.


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## cichlids _killer (Apr 13, 2008)

GaFishMan1181 said:


> venustus19 said:
> 
> 
> > i've heard from people on here, that if you use 4x4's for the legs, that they will actually warp and are worst to use than 2x4's.... i built a stand for my 90, and i just doubled up the 2x4's on the 4 legs, and i can say that my stand would probably hold up my house... it is very overbuilt...
> ...


4X4 is hard to work with ....my DIY stand for my 210 gallon is all 2x4 all around but what i did is make it double on all the corner ..i dont know if anyone here got all the tools in the garage but i'm not ..so 2x4 is a :thumb: pick ...beside if you do it right 2x4 is will hold up fine just like 4x4


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## murcat (Jan 29, 2008)

the actual dimensions are 96" 3/8 by 24" 3/8. the town where i live is limited to supplys and as a result i can only get a piece of 96" by 24" styrofoam half an inch thick.

how much of a difference will the 3/8 overhang make. I'm worried about it, should I just drive the hour to the city and go to homedepot and get it done right or do I have to worry about. also should I get 3/4 inch.

I built the stand today and it's sooooo overkilled but it can't hurt anything just a precaution and piece of mind.

I used 2 pieces of 3/4 plywood screwed together for the bottom, then went with five 4x4 in front and back with two 4x4 in the middle. then went with two more pieces of 3/4 plywood screwed together for the top. I used 2x6 for the fascia all around the top and same as the bottom.

It's now up to the wife as what type of finished look she wants. I like oak but she thinks otherwise and is also the boss


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

pictures please


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I'd get a second sheet of styrofoam. I have the same issue, and the piece of styrofoam baaaarely reaches under the trim. It freaks me out. When I tear it down next time, I'm putting more styrofoam underneath. Given the amount of cash you have in it, you'll thank yourself for going for the extra piece. Either that, or cut the piece you have into smaller pieces. Remember, it only needs support at the edges. Any of the styrofoam in the middle of the tank shouldn't be touching the tank bottom anyway. Glass tank, right?


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## cichlids _killer (Apr 13, 2008)

if it a glass tank ..only need the plywood on the bottom between the stand and the tank , styrofoam work better with the arcylic tank.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

murcat said:


> how much of a difference will the 3/8 overhang make. I'm worried about it...


 either split the styro lengthwise, so the gap runs under the center of the tank, or give up the styro completely. i would want the styrofoam to stick out past the tank by an inch all around. gaps under the tank are no issue. but edges with insufficient support will create an opportunity for crushing. 3/4 stryro will not improve anything. in fact, it could prove a negative, if again, the styro does decide to crush. IMO.


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## njpiranha (Dec 28, 2008)

any know about how much nice kitchen cabinet doors cost? i want to put some on the front of my 180g stand


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

Ok this is going to be a dumb question, but why do people put styrofoam under their tanks?


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## murcat (Jan 29, 2008)

the styrofoam is used to counter uneven floors/stand. my stand is level lengthways but front to back the bubble on the level is in the middle but not perfect should i be worried, it's because of the floors. that is why i'm thinking about styrofoam, it's an all glass tank as well.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

murcat said:


> ...but front to back the bubble on the level is in the middle but not perfect should i be worried, it's because of the floors. that is why i'm thinking about styrofoam...


 IMO, your better off the shim the cabinet (at the floor) to perfect, rather than expect styro to somehow make tiny corrections. if all is leaning forward, i would anticipate the stryo to stress under that lean, and might actually compliment the lean further by crushing.
consider also, that if the floor has an aged lean in any direction, additional weight might also accentuate that fault. if my wood floor dropped level, as it traveled further from a wall, i would prefer my stand to lean inwards slightly before loading that tank. if the floor level was too far off, i would go downstairs and reassess construction design, before loading it. you can bet a tank like yours, was not assumed to be a likely piece of furniture, when the building plans were laid out.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

njpiranha said:


> any know about how much nice kitchen cabinet doors cost? i want to put some on the front of my 180g stand


I paid about $25 for nice oak doors for my stand. I think they're 15x 20"? Got them at Menards, but I don't think Menards exists on the east coast. I got mine in Ohio.

I used to have a link for a place online that was reasonable, but I lost it. Cabinetdoorsandpulls or something like that. Sorry for the useless answer =D>


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