# Aquarium stands



## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey guys, me again...

I was wondering, what type of wood is the best for holding aquariums. When I ask this question, I need strength to obviously be a big issue... But also, I need to know what types of wood will NOT puff up when they come in contact with water (freshwater, not many woods can withstand saltwater).


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

It's going to depend on the size of the tank you're talking about largely. However I'd advise a trip to the LFS. Take a look at the stands they sell for their larger tanks, 75+ gallons. It's plywood and not even particularly thick plywood.

Personally a stand for a 30 gallon or less tank I have no trouble building it from 1/2" plywood. Seal it well or place a cloth under the tank.


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

I am building one at the moment. The frame is made of 70mm x 35mm pine, with recessed joints screwed and glued. The shell, base and top surfaces will be made of MDF, either 12mm or 16mm. 

If you didn't want a cupboard at the bottom then you could just make the frame with a top on it.

MDF is not friendly with water, but you can either cover it with plastic or seal it using various different paint on sealants that you can pick up at bunnings. the types of stuff I am talking about are used for sealing bathroom gyprock and damp courses in houses.

As long as you have a frame, if your aquarium leaks and weakens the wood platform it is on it won't have much of an affect because the frame is the load bearer. In any case if you have a leak I am guessing a soggy bit of wood is the least of your problems hehe.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

The tank is an 80 Gallon, 4 foot*1.5 foot Footprint (sorry winnydapoo, got to speak in american terms since they dont use our metric system). 
Pine sounds good winny, but how much will it end up costing me to build a pine stand? That is, if I bought the pine and the materials from bunnings? I want the stand to be about 3 feet(90cm) high.
Also, you said something about MDF? no clue what that stands for. Also, can you reccommend a sealant you brush the pine off with once the stand is finished?
I think I might just end up making it myself... Just got to get into my dad's tools without him realising haha


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

If you are only making a frame and not a cupboard type stand, you should easily be able to make it for 100 dollars or less. Just ask the guys at bunnings to recommend a sealant for the pine, there are plenty of options. You could just use varnish if you want a high gloss finish on the pine. Make sure you try to get wood with minimal knots and a nice straight grain as it will be structurally stronger, but no need to be too fussy.

if you're going to build one with cupboards below, you'll probably end up doubling that cost because the wood you use for panels is more expensive than the pine you use for the frame. If you have access to a trailer, buy the panelling in big sheets (like 2.4m x 1.2m) and you'll save a bucket load of cash.

MDF is a type of man made fibre board like chipboard, only with a smoother finish and it is heavier. Basically a step up from chipboard but not as tolerant of wet conditions as ply. Ply is more expensive and will have a fairly crap finish relative to the man made boards. Most of the stuff in pet shops here is laminate, whish is just a covered man made fibre board.

At a length of about 1200mm I'd say you'd need a minimum of 3 vertical supports along the front and back of the stand (inclusing the ends), they will bear the brunt of the load. The difference in strength between a cabinet and just a frame is massive, a mate of mine in the building industry reckons a strength increase of up to 40 times can be achieved by adding supporting panel to a frame, but I have no idea how accurate that is so don't quote me 

Edit: Forgot to mention that standard widths for panelling here are 600, 900 and 1200 mm, so sticking to a height at or below 900mm will save you cost.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

I went to bunnings, just before it closed, spent about an hour there, got a lot of bunnings staff questioning me what the hell I was doing haha. Anyway I digress...

I looked around until surely enough, I came across some pine, that was actually called "stuctural pine". It had corrugations running lengthwise, not sure if thats a stuctural feature but anyway... I chose 90mm*35mm, as it was cheap at $2.20 a metre, and for the total lenth of 13 metres I figured it was going to take, it works around to a mere $28.60... 

Can you point me in the right direction in which screws and connectors I'll need to put the frame together? I'm sorry if that sounds stupid, but I don't want the frame falling apart and shattering my tank...

You were right about the MDF, it's gonna end up costing me $84... and the sealant $38...

At the end of the day though, altogether, it's costing me under $150 to make, which 

I am extremely happy with...
Thanks alot guys


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

Yeah the MDF is usually the killer. What size sheets were you looking at for that cost?

The structural pine is basically the stuff used to make house frames so it should be plenty strong enough.

For glue I've been using Selley's Liquid Nails (I use the fast grab stuff), you can get that in the paint section. you'll need that regardless of how you do the joins.

Depending on how you intend to do the joints where the horizontals meet the uprights, the type of screw you need would vary. if you aren't planning on doing any chiselled/routed joints at all, you'd need some pretty big bolts designed for taking heavy loads. Assuming your 80 gallons is US gallons, you're looking at just over 300kg of weght when it's full.

If you can take the time and do chisselled or routed joints, you'll probably only need screws because then the structure will bear most of the load, instead of the screws.

Have a think about how you'll do the joins first  Would be worth looking at one in your lfs to see how it is done as well.

On another note, how tall are you? at a height of 900mm for your stand, your tank will be pretty high up, especially if you are going to build a hood for it as well.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

MDF was pretty cheap, buying pine would quadriple my cost quite easily, so im happy with MDF...

Would you be able to draw me a simple diagram on how to cut the joints to fit into each other? I'd probably end up stuffing it up...

I wont be making a hood for the tank, im hanging a light on top...

BTW i'm just under 178cm


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Also, to add to my last message...

How would 10mm thick plasterboard hold up? just for the side panels and back... for the front ill just put a curtain there..........
And for the top and bottom ill probably end up using pine sheets for strength...


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

I would probably advise against using plasterboard for the sides, because it won't handle any moisture at all. 

I will try to get a photo of how I joined my frame and post/send it


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

I attached a picture of the joins on a frame I am making, hopefully it works and you can see what I did


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Umm, for some reason, it doesn't look as strong as simply bolting the two whole pieces of pine together?

Can you explain what you did there please?
I'm sorry if im frustrating you


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Picture explains all :thumbsup:


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

yeah basically the vertical is cut back as are the horizontals, then the horizontals overlap and rest on the vertical ledge so that the vertical takes the weight and doesn't stress the screws. Hope that makes sense haha


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Then what is keeping the horizontal square figure sitting on top of the vertical planks? Just a few more screws? I take it your project is not yet completed?

The thickness of my wood is 90mm*45mm. Is this a good thickness? And what type of screws am I looking at buying? As in what metal should they be? I really want this to be a solid stand, thats why im not taking any chances and asking all the stupid little questions too...


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

This picture should better show what I was talking about, you can see the cuts easier when it's seperated.... note that one of the horizontals should have a shorter overlap than the other, but these were just some practice cuts I had laying around  Overall idea is the same.

The reason it's strongher than just bolting a couple of bits of pine together is, this way screws don't take a huge amount of vertical force, they mainly just hold the shape of the frame. it's the vertical plank that takes the vertical force, and it can support alot more than a couple of screws can (I read somewhere pine will hold up to about 700lbs per square inch).


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

There are two screws at the end of each horizintal to fix it to the vertical. All joints are glued with liquid nails as well  The metal you choose for the screws really doesn't matter, as long as they are about 35-45mm long (given the thickness of your structural pine). I say that because I am pretty sure that all the screws in bunnings are either galvanised or alloys that don't rust. They're all labelled so just get some that are suitable for pine and away you go.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Thankyou so very much for your help, I think i'm ready to start constructing my stand...

As soon as i'm finished i'll post some pics up 
Just got to get my HSC out of the way first lol, dumb HSC (just kidding)


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

http://www.fishforum.com/diy-aquarium/diy-55-gallon-tank-stand-240/


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Well thats just dandy isn't it now mate? It's been what? 5 days, and now you decide to show up! great..... I could have been started on my stand by now. It's all your fault SK...


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Ok, i'm gonna make my own stand, for some reason it's confusing using other peoples designs...

Pretty basic stuff heres the general layout of it...
And the second photo is the photo of the joints... Exactly like Winnydapoo's stand...

The thing that bothers me, is that im not 100% sure on how to do the middle joints... The corner joints I get but what about the middle braces?


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

I have attached a picture of how I would(and have) join the verticals to the horizontals for the middle two struts on each side. 

I don't think the red horizontals between the vertical two struts, in your full diagram, need to be joined in this manner, as they are not load bearing and are mainly there to hold the shape of the cabinet. In this case, just screw and glue them.

Hope that helps.

PS - I noticed your end joins are slightly different to mine. I am not an engineer but they may be slightly weaker when under the vertical force of the tank weight, than mine are


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

In what way do you mean, my design is weaker? I'll have a look over yours again so I can get it at close as possible, but I didn't notice any differences...


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

Don't worry too much, it should be fine either way


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Very Very Very stupid question now, I never payed attention in woodwork, lol... Umm, do the holes for the screws need to be pre-drilled?
Also, in my first diagram, should the black or the red vertical strut have the longer overlap? you referred to one of the vertical struts having the longer overlap?


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

I have attached a picture with the exact measurements based on the 90 x 45 wood you're using.

For screws, you shoud pre-drill the holes on the outside struts (e.g. the front ad the side in the diagram) big enough so that the screw slips through by hand, then screw it into the wood of the vertical. There shouldn't be a need to drill holes into the vertical unless your screws are gigantic.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Perfect!!!
I was at bunnings yesterday and got them to cut up all the sizes i need, ill just have to cut the joints to fit... Thankyou so much Winny.
And btw, Fishforum.com.au isn't as good as this site, australia's abit behind when it comes to fishkeeping, I saw you browsing through it, and was going to say something but I didn't want to offend the fishkeepers on that forum lol... I'm using them to find some oto's lol!


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

A little off topic:

From what I've seen, the fishkeeping hobby is a lot more expensive in AU than it is in the US/Canada. The equipment itself is more expensive, I believe. Also, aren't there a lot of water usage restrictions in AU? How difficult is it to keep a good water change schedule if your water use is limited?


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

Yeah all the equipment does seem to be more expensive here, unfortunately.

Water restrictions apply mainly to outdoor use of water, not so much to indoor use so in that respect it's not too bad.


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Yeah there are water restrictions. But they apply to things like watering your grass or filling up your swimming pool, or washing your car with a hose. As long as you pay the bill when it comes round, its all sweet(that's what parents are for lol).
Australia is very expensive when it comes to fishkeeping, it is as you say. Since all the good brands are imported from other countries, we pay even more ontop of what you guys do...
Thing is, we pay alot less for marine fish, thanks to all the reefs along the Australian coast line. To bad i'm not in to marine yet. Will be soon though, when I can pocket some cash, hehe...


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## Oldman47 (Sep 7, 2007)

Kritas, the joints that you drew at first are definitely weaker than he ones that Winnydapoo has drawn for you. The big difference in strength comes from you cutting the notch in the horizontal frame members. By notching the horizontals, the support of the vertical member is only given to the top part of your horizontal beam. That makes the horizontal beam unable to carry as much weight. To easily understand the strength loss, think of how weak that horizontal beam would be if you cut away all but the last 1 or 2 mm and then let that carry your weight. What you are doing is less extreme so the strength loss is also much less but it is very real. 
I usually build my stands with smaller outside frame members but brace them internally with what are called 2 x 2 boards, they measure about 40 mm by 40 mm. I know that sounds small but I do not cut away anything from the support. What I do is put a thinner board onto the outside of the legs as both the decorative surface and to provide support to prevent the stand from moving sideways and collapsing. It takes a little more lumber but is a very strong stand. Mine end up with a tank on top and another on the bottom so they need to be quite strong. I never use MDF because I worry too much about water problems. Some of my stands use plywood at what you would call 15 mm thick and others I make the shelves out of nominal 1 inch lumber which is only really 3/4 inches thick (19 mm). Neither one looks as nice as the MDF but both of those solutions will take a major water spill during tank maintenance without weakening at all. 
On the rare occasion that I build a stand with an enclosed bottom, I tend to use panels made from a thin sheet of plywood. I am talking about very thin material at only 6 mm thick. It is plenty strong enough to hold in all the things that you hide under a tank, is easy to finish and will provide an amazing amount of support to prevent the stand folding up due to any sideways forces, like a kid leaning on the stand or a slightly out of level floor.


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## winnydapoo (Oct 3, 2008)

So are we going to get progress shots? :-D


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## kritas (Feb 29, 2008)

Yeah I know, I made an unintended mistake in my drawing, thats not how its getting jointed together...

Winnydapoo, regarding progress shots.... lmao, what progress? All I have so far is just the timber lengths cut to size... hehe, i've been working on constructing my frog tank, so it might be a while


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## FuzzAz (Oct 22, 2007)

Pine is fine, 2 X 4s or framing studs cost about $2 for a 2" X 4"X 8'. for a large stand use 4 X 4's for the legs. I am almost finished building mine I spent $105 at home depot for all the materials including stain, hardware, side panneling, and a 1 inch thick solid pine table top 52" X 21" that was $35 itself. To just build the frame I would have only spent $40 but I want mine to look more like a piece of firniture. keep in mind pine tends to warp over time, if you want somthing that will last a long long time use a harder wood like oak, poplar, yellow pine. but prepare to spend big $$$. I have also used 3/4" HDF to build a stand, its probably only okay to use for 55 gal. or less. HDF and water do not mix well, basicially it turns into sawdust, so it must be sealed with a sturdy coat of paint. But a 4' X 8' HDF only cost about $30 + $25 for screws, glue, and paint and that should be enough to build a stand. Main thing to watch out for is make sure it is flat, level and sturdy. Unless you are an archetect, rather than try and calculate how strong to make it, just try to go way overkill. Also I have learned google sketchup (free download) is a great tool for these kinds of projects.


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