The beginnings of a new aquarium stand

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I've got a 55 gal aquarium on a wooden stand and am tired of squatting to look into it or bending over to work on it. I started a new stand today, the base will be 50" tall making the vast majority of the aquarium at eye level. Due to rough surfaced tile in the house, I made the legs to where they could be independently leveled. Still have internal bracing to do for the weight and then encase the framework in stained oak with double doors in the front to access two shelf areas inside the case. (First pic is the stand upside down as I was working on the levelers).......
Reply:It's coming along nicely. Are the bolts for mock-up? Personally, I would use leveling feet with the plastic bottoms to avoid damaging the floor.
Reply:Yes, the bolts are just for sliding it around on the carport while finishing it, I've got another set of bolts with flat rubber heads to put on when I move it into the house.
Reply:Looks good & tall.  Hope my eyes are failing & no kids around with 55 gallons of water up that high.  Might want to put a bracket on the back side you can moly bolt it to the drywall.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Two studs have eye bolts screwed into them already to secure it to the wall once I move it inside.
Reply:Not sure if you are aware of this or not. Large aquariums need to be set on a flat surface. If your frame is bowed there's a chance it will crack your tank or leak. Before you go too far, I'd check this with a good straight edge and maybe a flat sheet of plywood. If the plywood rocks you probably need to start looking at how to fix it before you put the tank on the stand and fill it. Leveling legs will not fix a bow, only help with keeping the whole unit stable on an uneven floor surface..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I wouldn't trust plywood to be that flat.  It usually has enough cup, that if he made this sit flat with plywood, that would be out enough to break an glass.What he needs to do, is make sure that when the empty glass is sitting on the frame, it doesn't rock, AND all four feet are firmly planted.55 gallons heh.  That's about 700lbs sitting on the floor in that spot.
Reply:Originally Posted by rlitmanI wouldn't trust plywood to be that flat.  It usually has enough cup, that if he made this sit flat with plywood, that would be out enough to break an glass.What he needs to do, is make sure that when the empty glass is sitting on the frame, it doesn't rock, AND all four feet are firmly planted.55 gallons heh.  That's about 700lbs sitting on the floor in that spot.
Reply:Originally Posted by HardwareYou're including the weight of the aquarium and the stand I assume?Water alone at 55 gal would be just under 460 lbs by my reckoning...
Reply:I've got a similar one, 75 gallon on top and I made it where I could put a 55 on the bottom. I've had a 28 and 2 10's on the bottom but don't have a 55 to put there yet. It isn't going to tip over, 55 stand won't be as deep but I would think it would still be stable.HH 187Miller Bluestar1EAHP AlphaTig 200X
Reply:Cool stand.   Does your 55G glass tank sit on the full bottom or does it sit on black trim?I don't want to hijack the thread but has anyone made an all-in-one saltwater tank stand?   I am getting a 24"x48"x8" shallow acrylic tank for coral.  I plan on building a stand that will house the 70 gallon display tank, 30 gallon sump, 20 gallon mixed saltwater, 20 gallon RODI water, and 5 stage RODI system.
Reply:Nice fun project! I'm sure your stand will be completely fine given the 55gallon  tank you are building it for. Floor will be fine as well. Just use a nice, rustproof paint because water WILL find it's way onto the metal.I had a beautiful 125 gallon tank in my first home about 13 years ago. We had the home built and after I moved the tank into place, I noticed a ripple in the dry-walled seam adjacent to the tank. What I found was that despite the building being sound, and the aquarium being directly over an I-Beam, the foundation must have shifted enough to cause the added weight (from the aquarium) to "buckle" a small area.No way to be sure what was the cause, but one would assume that given the vicinity of the damage and location of the aquarium, the two were invariably related to each other. Needless-to-say, I had an incident happen with the power and my stingray perished and the tank was soon to follow.................Granthttp://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWNot sure if you are aware of this or not. Large aquariums need to be set on a flat surface. If your frame is bowed there's a chance it will crack your tank or leak. Before you go too far, I'd check this with a good straight edge and maybe a flat sheet of plywood. If the plywood rocks you probably need to start looking at how to fix it before you put the tank on the stand and fill it. Leveling legs will not fix a bow, only help with keeping the whole unit stable on an uneven floor surface.
Reply:Originally Posted by deadman1474DSW is correct if the frame is bowed it will crack. You want to make sure it is not bowed and that the tank is set up level. Another good idea is to use a piece of rubber or similar to go in between the tank and stand to make up for any imperfections that might be in the steel
Reply:Originally Posted by jackalopeThe rubber is no substitute for a straight and level structure. What the rubber IS good for is the shock absorbing characteristics more so for the fish. The added benefit is it is another barrier between the possible water touching the steel=rust.Stand needs to be straight, but again, for this small of a tank, the stress is not going to be big deal if we are talking about a 1/16" over the span.Easy way to ensure flat surface is to flip it upside down and fixture it to a flat weding table, weld, and allow to cool clamped down.
Reply:I use to have a bunch of tanks. My main display was a 120G Reef Tank that was build in the wall. It was pretty cool but a lot of work. Always messing with it one time or another.  It has to be level and all but like everyone said but I dont consider a 55G on the large side. Just make sure the empty aquarium sits flush on the stand empty, then take it in the house and put an inch or so of water in it to get it level (best way to level a fish tank). Other than that, it looks good. You say it will be covered in Oak. You could have build the entire thing out of oak and the weight would have been no problem.Hobart Handler 210 with SpoolgunHypertherm PM30 PlasmaHTP 221 Tig WelderHF BandsawHF Auto Dark Helmet
Reply:Nice work. I have always put the hard blue or pink foam they sell at depot under my glass tanks the weight always evens out on the foam.They used to sell 3/8'' but don't recall seeing it lately. What kind of fish do you have? I buit mine in the wall at my new house.365 gallons, about 3050 of water weight. The tank is about 450 pounds and somewhere around 350 to 400 pounds of rock. post some pics when it is done.