DIY Tank stand

[ZOOT098]

Thought i would post this for all my fellow newbs as well as others who could use it. I actually Paid $2.00 for this plan on Ebay and found it helpful mainly for ideas anyway use it as you see fit. Its a word doc

[fatman]

Please note that all the weight of the tank is borne by the legs of the stand and the rest of the materials are to hold the legs upright and to provide attachment surfaces for the finished panels of plywood. Lumber paneling could easily replace the plywood as long as it was well screwed down. The covering must be attached well enough to prevent the possibility of diagonal movement during movement such as when you lean on tank or during an earth quake. Wood bears compression loads so well that even 3/4"inch lumber could be used for the uprights. However water proof glue instead of screws or nails would be used to attach lumber cross pieces to uprights. No rocket science involved. There is a lot of potential space wasted with this design however due to the large size of the uprights (2" x 4"). It is however a simple design made of readily available materials that would require little skill for construction and would offer a huge margin of error in the way of strength. Backs in aquarium stands are not necessary, but at least half the area (1/4 on each side of back) should be well screwed down plywood or lumber to prevent diagonal movement. As seen no uprights are needed under center of tank. The small gap between doors should be covered by a strip of wood added to back of one cabinet door. This will prevent light from refugium light from shinging through crack at night. This door wood be opened second and closed first.