180 gal build.

[lmm1967]

Please don't put that stand the way it currently is in your house with that tank full of water

All your weight is being supported by a few screws for the most part and 4x4's warp - I would not trust that stand without doing what @trizzino is saying.

The top is much less of a concern for me as rimmed tanks are generally supported on the corners.

 

[Froster92]

Looks good. If it were my stand I would add 2x4 on the outer sides of your 4x4’s to support the weight all the way around. Right now the load appears to be on the 4x4’s. The perimeter border is screwed into the posts with nothing supporting it. You would have two 2x4 piece on each corner. It would also smooth out the frame so when you skin and add doors it will be much easier.

Rough sketch of what I’m trying to explain.
View attachment 40883

I planned to do that anyway but didn’t think it would add any actual support. I will go pick up some 2x4s and do it


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[Froster92]

Black sharpie to that pink foam board?

I did plan to black it out. Just wasn’t sure how yet. Sharpie I guess isn’t a bad idea.


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[Froster92]

Took yalls advice and added some 2x4s for more support. Unfortunately couldnt put it on that back 4x4 because the tank was 3/4 full and no way i could move it.

 

[sharis100]

I think everyone is trying to be helpful here based on years of experience so that you do not have any unnecessary tank failure in the long run. I am not a carpenter; however, from a structural point of view, the 2x4s should join at the corners to support the bulk of the weight. Empty the tank and put the supports in place to avoid issues long term. When a tank weakens or torques, the end result is not pretty as I can personally attest. The way most tank stands are supported have the long boards like you have touch the floor. Then, you use the shorter outside boards to create the corner joints. Tried to find you some photos to demonstrate:

 

[Steve Burton]

Looks easy enough to slide them in and screw from the front through the 4×4

 

[Froster92]

Looks easy enough to slide them in and screw from the front through the 4×4

I could do that but I don’t have any screws long enough to do that.


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[Froster92]

I think everyone is trying to be helpful here based on years of experience so that you do not have any unnecessary tank failure in the long run. I am not a carpenter; however, from a structural point of view, the 2x4s should join at the corners to support the bulk of the weight. Empty the tank and put the supports in place to avoid issues long term. When a tank weakens or torques, the end result is not pretty as I can personally attest. The way most tank stands are supported have the long boards like you have touch the floor. Then, you use the shorter outside boards to create the corner joints. Tried to find you some photos to demonstrate: View attachment 40894View attachment 40895View attachment 40896

Ah I see what you’re saying. I can adjust them. I would’ve drained it but I have nowhere to put that much water and I’m already running my water bill up so I don’t wanna just dump that much water out...


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[Froster92]

Looks easy enough to slide them in and screw from the front through the 4×4

The only one i couldnt get to was the center back one, I could get a long screw and go through the 4x4 but would need a super long screw for that.

 

[lmm1967]

I think you're in much better shape now than earlier!

The other benefit is you are now spreading that load across your floor spread across the entire tank area rather than all the weight being concentrated in the 4 small sections directly under your 4X4's. That's due to the downward force now being transferred through your new 2x4's to the bottom frame.


The only other thing I might do is add shims between your new 2x4's and the top frame of the stand (I see an air gap on at least 1 of them) - you want ALL that weight to be carried by those 2x4's - not the 4x4's. The 4x4's should be fine for stability and keeping the stand from racking.

Remember - you are well over 2,000 pounds on that stand.

 

[Froster92]

Squared the corners up

 

[sharis100]

Just so you know, brute trashcans that you can pick up at Lowe’s or Home Depot or ace etc are what is commonly used to hold water. Pick up a brute and the wheels as your place to make water, store water, mix water and you will be in great shape. Rinse it out before using first time. Sometimes folks on ARC board sell these. Well worth the minimal relatively speaking investment.

 

[Froster92]

Just so you know, brute trashcans that you can pick up at Lowe’s or Home Depot or ace etc are what is commonly used to hold water. Pick up a brute and the wheels as your place to make water, store water, mix water and you will be in great shape. Rinse it out before using first time. Sometimes folks on ARC board sell these. Well worth the minimal relatively speaking investment.

Thanks I already have a 50 gal one I picked up for that purpose. Def needs to be rinsed cause it’s covered in pollen.


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[Trizzino]

I think you’re in much better shape now with the stand and weight distribution of the tank. Can’t wait to see the progress of the rest of the build.

 

[destineyfoster]

It's almost full. We haven't put in the sand yet because it's live sand so we need to add the salt first. I'm a little nervous because I notice the water moves with vibrations when you walk by the tank. But it is on load baring joists under the floor. I'm thinking it may be because our floor is 50 year old hardwood flooring.

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[sharis100]

It's almost full. We haven't put in the sand yet because it's live sand so we need to add the salt first. I'm a little nervous because I notice the water moves with vibrations when you walk by the tank. But it is on load baring joists under the floor. I'm thinking it may be because our floor is 50 year old hardwood flooring.

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Vibrations of water can mean many things.
Are you running perpendicular to your joists? Did you determine if the joists have the capacity to carry the additional load of the tank without the need for additional support? Running an extra beam or support underneath the floor for carrying the load of a tank -when not on slab- is pretty common for larger systems. Hardwood flooring probably is not the cause of the vibrations. Vibrations of water in larger systems typically have to do with structural support- either of the floor via the joists or of the stand itself. Get a structural engineer to look when in doubt.

 

[Froster92]

Vibrations of water can mean many things.
Are you running perpendicular to your joists? Did you determine if the joists have the capacity to carry the additional load of the tank without the need for additional support? Running an extra beam or support underneath the floor for carrying the load of a tank -when not on slab- is pretty common for larger systems. Hardwood flooring probably is not the cause of the vibrations. Vibrations of water in larger systems typically have to do with structural support- either of the floor via the joists or of the stand itself. Get a structural engineer to look when in doubt.

We did look and it is perpendicular. I will probably have someone come out and look at it.


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[Froster92]

Well had our first set back today. Started adding salt and turned the plumbing on to circulate. Apparently the glass I used for the sump was too thin and the baffle I built for the refugium broke under the pressure. Was unable to find thicker glass so I bought a larger sheet of glass and we cut two pieces and are siliconing them together to create a thicker baffle. No a big deal just not what I was expecting for today’s adventure.

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[Froster92]

Update: We are currently in the process on cycling the tanks. We've had a couple mishaps since the last update. The first one was the glass i used to build the sump must have been too thin. Once everything was filled and i turned off the flow to make sure the sump wouldnt overflow, the glass pane that holds the most water for the fuge area of the sump broke from the pressure. We were able to cute out the old one and this time we have thicker glass in now. Seems to be holding well. Second mishap, My skimmer was too deep in the water and started overflowing with water while I was sleeping and flooded the container so I woke up to a small flood form that. Third and biggest mishap, While messing with the sump I quickly learned that my hose from the return pump to the plumbing wasnt secure. I bumped the hose off and my return "returned" water all over my living room.

So for the good stuff. We started the cycled. I put 3 jumbo shrimp in there from the Kroger Seafood Department. Left them in there for a few days while we went on vacation. We took a trip to the Florida Keys. Stopped in Orlando and visited World Wide Corals while there. That's a pretty cool place. Super clean and nice. We ended up picking up a cool rock piece there too. I tried to convince them to allow me into the aquaculture area, one guy said he'd take me back there but then he got busy so I didnt bother him. While in the Keys me and the wife tried SCUBA diving for the first time and actually got to SCUBA in the reefs. It was so cool to see everything in the wild. We got to see a lot of Corals and Fish some that Ive never seen before. I also saw a tang that Id never seen before, the Blue Caribbean Tang. Never seen one in a tank before but after that experience Im considering adding one to our tank. Unfortunately during that I ruptured my left eardrum so Im dealing with that.

Cycle is moving alone well. Tank is looking good. So all in all everything is going well. Uploading some pics and from WWC and our scuba trip.

 

[Froster92]

Update: Still cycling the tank. All the ammonia appears to be gone but Nitrites and Nitrates are pretty high. I was able to pick up 2 20g longs for a QT and Hospital tank or maybe a frag tank. I ended up picking up a couple AI Hydra 64s to go on the T5 hybrids I have. Still gotta set those up. We set up one of the 20g for a QT may pick up a sailfin tang and a purple tang tomorrow to start Qting. Oh yeah! I went to Atlanta Aquarium with a friend so he could get some live rock, I ended up picking up some copepods to put in the 180. Everything is going smooth so far. Just trying to be patient.