My 240g tank journal

[crazy loaches]

Here are some pics of the stand construction:


Starting to build the stand. I am trying to build it so that it can be somewhat easily broken into pieces that will fit in and out of the house easily.



The top taking shape. I know the design is kinda weird, but this is basically going to be able to set on top of the frame of the stand and it will be the part the tank actually sits on.



Building the frame front and back panels.









Starting to take shape... I did notice however that my design was off for the 'joists' across the top. I designed the columns so that the side sections were a little wider than the center. This was to accommodate the sump tanks. But I wanted solid support running from base to top and the pieces on top were equally placed so I've changed them so the joists line up with the columns.



Here you can see what I was talking about in the last pic. I relocated the cross pieces directly over the columns. I'd also like to point out that bit on my drill. One handy piece... it drills and countersinks with one end and a simple flip and the other end has the screwdriver. A simple thing like that can save a lot of time and hassle. With this lumber you probably dont need the countersink, but I use it on other projects to.

[chefkeith]

Great job on the framing for the stand. That looks like a very solid design.

[Keith Wolcott]

Great job on the stand! I like your design. What height did you decide on for the stand? I look forward to pictures of how you put the tongue and grove siding on.

Are there any problems with your Glasscages aquarium? I have not heard any negatives about them. I am thinking of buying from them too so I would like to know about any potential problems.

[newshound]

bomb proof!
like the bronco

[andyroo]

I'd quiety disagree- probably better to have tank in-hand then build support to fit. Gives better forum for design-mind (as my wife calls it). You can see all aspects and move forward most efficiently/effectively/creatively. With ours, it was originally built based on someone's waste-glass after another project. Base was built to measure based on the owner's height -he was a 6 and a half footer easy- and wanted to observe from standing. Works well for us though, as our balcony is lop-sided. Bless third-world builders :)

How thick is the glass?
I've been having a terrible time finding math for glass thickness for larger tanks. Hope to up-grade by 100% next year.

A

[crazy loaches]

I'd quiety disagree- probably better to have tank in-hand then build support to fit. Gives better forum for design-mind (as my wife calls it). You can see all aspects and move forward most efficiently/effectively/creatively. With ours, it was originally built based on someone's waste-glass after another project. Base was built to measure based on the owner's height -he was a 6 and a half footer easy- and wanted to observe from standing. Works well for us though, as our balcony is lop-sided. Bless third-world builders

How thick is the glass?
I've been having a terrible time finding math for glass thickness for larger tanks. Hope to up-grade by 100% next year.

A

Yeah you do need to make sure to build the stand to match. But as long as you have exact dimensions shouldn't be a problem doing it ahead of time. The only problem with me is I have a crazy schedule and not often I can gather a few friends to help, so it would have been better in my situation to do it all the first time. No big deal though.

The tank is 1/2" glass which is the standard for 120g up to a few hundred gallons (not sure exactly). 3/4" thick was available but at additional costs obviously, and would have had to been custom built. If it was in a spot of a lot of traffic, 3/4" would be a little extra security. Acrylic would also be a good option. But when I started the project I was trying to keep it as cheap as possible, though I have deviated from that mentality along the way.

[Mark in Vancouver]

I've never had a 120g going, but even the first time you fill a 65 or 70 gallon tank, it feels like a huge gamble. It's a lot of water to have in the middle of your home! Even when I'm refilling my 30 after a water change, there's a slight feeling of trepidation...

Great looking DIY stand, Tristan.

[crazy loaches]

More stand pics:


I didn't really take into consideration the overflows when I built the stand. Nothing major, but I needed to cut out a section for the plumbing and bulkheads. The piece isn't weight bearing really so no big deal.



The whole thing built & disassembled to move inside. The front and back separate, the top comes off, and you can also see the plywood backing and the MDF I'll lay across the top.



Most of the pieces in the house. Sorry its messy! I guess I was too excited to get the tank into the house... will have to clean up a bit.



Getting it all put together.



My son is rather excited that I built him a new playhouse.



I just wasn't sure if 2 2x4's was going to be strong enough for the columns. Remember we're talking about over a ton of weight, probably around 2,500 lbs. I'd guess. I figured it would be easy to add a 3rd 2x4 to the front, spanning between the 2x6 base and 2x8 top. That would also turn the 2x6's and 2x8's into load bearing pieces.



Since I was adding the extra piece after the fact, I cut each one so that it was a very tight fight so as to be useful for support. Now I basically have the equivalent of 8 4x6 columns. No worries now.



Everything is in place, 3/4" foam will cushion the glass-bottom tank. I am actually going to cover up the frame with tongue and groove later. I just need to get the tank out of the garage to have the space to work on the finishing pieces.

[Mark in Vancouver]

It will be handy if you ever need to park a bus on top of it. Great work.

[Whitey_MacLeod]

Looking good. I don't think you need to worry about it being strong enough- the compressive strength of wood is enormous, and you've done a very solid job on the bracing. You could probably park two buses on it if you need to I'm looking forward to more pictures.

[crazy loaches]

Painting the tank. It was my first time painting a tank so I decided on latex that would come off easy.



The first couple coats went on very thin. The pic doesn't really show it well, but I was really worried how many coats it would take. I didn't take any more pics till it was done but it was like 6 coats.


.....and finally a few days later:

Tank is finally out of the garage and on the stand! It was a bit of a production getting it from garage to family room despite the move being only about 25 foot. There were 4 of us in all, but the hallway was to small for anyone on the sides. Two of my friends actually carried it all the way through the hallway themselves. That was a little nerve wracking. I had some rollers for the floor I figured we could roll the tank, but they wanted to carry it themselves rather than have to set it all the way down and pick it back up again from floor level.



Another pic for size reference. I'm placing the bulkheads in the overflows. Definitely not going to be easy to reach the bottom when completed, but doable. I wont be doing any low growing plants that will need frequent pruning.

The stand did end up being a little taller than I had envisioned, which will make in tank maintanence a bit harder. I think I will build a sort of scaffolding that can be setup quick when I need to get into it.



Bulkheads in. Used schedule 80 1" and 1.5" on both overflows. Just 4 of those bulkheads is over $50. Plus two bulkheads I got for the sump tank put my order like around $75 just for bulkheads. These parts do add up quick.

[chefkeith]

That tank looks awesome.

That reminds me of when I moved my 8ft tank inside. Unfortunately we couldn't fit it in through the hallway. So in the fishroom, we had to take out the sliding windows and move it in through the window frame. Luckily the tank is acrylic and only weights about 125 pounds.

[shari2]

Nice, Tristan! The black background is lovely. Looks like it's almost big enough to swim in. Yes, it is a tall stand for such a big tank, but I bet you'll appreciate the space underneath it for all the 'goodies' you'll have room for in there.

[crazy loaches]

That tank looks awesome.

That reminds me of when I moved my 8ft tank inside. Unfortunately we couldn't fit it in through the hallway. So in the fishroom, we had to take out the sliding windows and move it in through the window frame. Luckily the tank is acrylic and only weights about 125 pounds.

Yes I remember you moving it in through the window! Actually my house has very small windows that wouldn't have worked if I tried! Just glad I got some big friends lol. Personally I am a cross country runner not a power weight lifter! I don't know how much it weighs but I was guessing over 300 pounds at least.

Nice, Tristan! The black background is lovely. Looks like it's almost big enough to swim in. Yes, it is a tall stand for such a big tank, but I bet you'll appreciate the space underneath it for all the 'goodies' you'll have room for in there.

Thanks Shari! I've always liked the look of black for backgrounds - as long as you have lots of plants to focus on you don't want the background 'taking away' from the main subjects. The stand is a bit taller than I would have liked but no going back now! The big 2x8 across the top doesn't help for space either. And there will be lots of stuff packed in there dont you worry lol. I'm already running out of room quick because of my somewhat poor choices for the way I did the sumps... thats soon to come.

[crazy loaches]

Oh, and I was wondering if anyone else has had troubles viewing any of the pics? Since I do run the webserver myself if anyone has any issues give me a shout through PM so I can try and catch any problems I might have quicker.