Monster tank stand design

[outdrsyguy1]

Anyone care to comment on my tank stand design? Overall dimensions of the tank are 118" x 56" x 33" tall.
Bottom of tank will be roughly 32" or so (deciding that part tonight. I know it's between 30 and 33")
I left a large span in the back to slide a sump in and out that's 5' or less long.

I'm going to be building tomorrow with a carpenter buddy of mine. Buying wood tonight.

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[ghbrewer]

Gonna be to level out with all those feet being free standing like that. Might consider a skirt underneath all legs...
Also, I would consider laminated (glued and screwed) boards everywhere.


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[outdrsyguy1]

What do you mean by a "skirt"? I plan on skinning the whole thing later but I suspect you are talking about something different.
I considered less legs but I want to totally rule out the possibility of stress on a seam from deflection. Plus I plan on putting 4 drawers on the front so it kinda worked out.

 

[ghbrewer]

This would be the type of 2x4 construction that I would consider sturdy and somewhat easy to level out, if constructed square and true:

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[ghbrewer]

Laminated boards and lapped joints will help with strength and rigidity.


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[ghbrewer]

Thought you were looking at a steel stand?


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[outdrsyguy1]

Ah I see. This is going on a basement floor which is not level. It's about 1.5" off from one end of the tank to the other so each post will have to be cut in place to match the correct height to make the top level.

 

[outdrsyguy1]

Also, do you think it's OK to design to L/360 deflection standards or should I go crazy and do L/720?

 

[ghbrewer]

I cannot say which of those (if either) I would design for, as I am not versed well enough in beam mechanics to know if it even applies in this situation. There are a lot of different variables at play when you discuss the mechanics of aquariums and stands, and I don't know that I would base my calculations upon standards meant for typical home/building construction.

If you are concerned, I would suggest speaking with a registered professional engineer. If you do not know any, I imagine I could bring it up with one of my colleagues to see what might make the most sense.


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[grouper therapy]

I personally would stay away from dimensional lumber. That stand needs to be constructed with laminated plywood beams that are screwed and glued together with lapping joinery. You will have shear in both directions if not done properly. Keeping it flat will be a challenge as well if not designed properly.

 

[ghbrewer]

grouper therapy;1050380 wrote: I personally would stay away from dimensional lumber. That stand needs to be constructed with laminated plywood beams that are screwed and glued together with lapping joinery. You will have shear in both directions if not done properly. Keeping it flat will be a challenge as well if not designed properly.

Agreed, I just didn't want to come out and say that he can't use dimensional lumber. It can be used as well, if designed for and built properly. Using an appropriate plywood laminated using screws and glue would make for a much stronger and more mechanically sound structure, but still inferior to a steel stand. A steel stand would alleviate a lot of concerns in this case, especially the floor issue.



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[outdrsyguy1]

That's a good point about home design vs aquarium. If I approach this in another way and compare the manufactured stands we see day in and day out I can compare the construction.
Basically this tank is only a couple inches taller than my 110 and its supported by 3/4" plywood with some molding in the corners that looks structural in no way. There's also a 40 inch span across the back of the tank with 29" of water sitting on top of it. There's no cross bracing or corner posts.
Obviously this tanks larger in volume, but if I break it down into squares it's basically a bunch of tanks just like my 110 back to back.

 

[ghbrewer]

Is your new tank glass or acrylic? Maybe I am missing something here... I thought you went with an acrylic tank.


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[outdrsyguy1]

Hey grant. Was that picture you posted above dimensional lumber or engineered? It doesn't look anything like the laminated stuff you guys are referring to.

 

[outdrsyguy1]

It's acrylic

 

[ghbrewer]

It's dimensional lumber, what grouper brought up and I agreed too was using plywood that is laminated together.


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[ghbrewer]

Does your 110 have plastic trim? If so, that is an entirely different beast than designing for an acrylic tank.


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[outdrsyguy1]

Gotcha. I'll look at the span tables for engineered lumber after dinner and see what the deflection differences are. I'm confident what I have wont collapse, but I don't want to create any pressure points from deflection. Maybe it's not that big a deal with acrylic like it is with glass.

 

[outdrsyguy1]

Good point. It does have plastic trim. Though I never considered that it was structural in nature.

 

[ghbrewer]

With a trimmed tank, your load is distributed around the perimeter of the the tank.


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