# DIY Aquarium Stand



## snyderguy

So right now I've got a 20 gallon long tank just on the floor. I want to make my own stand for it though that's only about 3 feet tall. Doesn't need to be fancy or even have siding. Anyone know how to go about doing this? I've found some plans online but they weren't really helpful.


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## emc7

search the old DIY thread using advanced. Quickest is 2 x 4s with long star bit titanium coated deck screws. Only slow part is shims and leveling.


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## funlad3

Yeah, 2x4 and 3" dry wall screws will be all you need. Don't worry about the structural design, with just the wood needed to build a basic box frame, you'll easily be able to support three times the weight of the filled tank. Pictures once you're done please!


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## snyderguy

I actually did look it up and didn't see anything but do you think 1 2x4 for each leg would be sufficient? Or should I use 2 for each leg?


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## funlad3

Thing four rectangles, two of which are the vertical supports, and the other two make up the base/top-where-the-tank-sits. 16 pieces of wood altogether. Want me to draw you up a design?


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## snyderguy

I guess I'm thinking of something like this on this site..
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/diy-stand-for-20g-long-with-pics-131454.html

Except it wont' be as tall.

Edit: Just measured it out, I want the whole project to be 44" tall including tank and stand. The tank is about 12" tall so plan is to build a stand that is 32" tall.


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## funlad3

WAY overbuilt, but it'll work.


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## snyderguy

Ok, now I'm looking around too much. This guy has a 20 gallon long on top and 3 10 gallons that are sideways. I'm definitely going to do something like this! Here's the link to it

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/145530-diy-stand-multiple-tanks-2.html


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## snyderguy

And actually funlad, would you be ever so kind to draw me up some plans? I would do it myself but have no way to do it on my computer at least to my knowledge. I have a macpro, so I don't have paint.


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## funlad3

I have a macbook pro too, but I have windows on it too, so I can use some crazy engineering software.


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## funlad3

Actually, before I draw anything up, it looks like there will be room for two 20 gallon tanks on top with three ten gallons on the bottom. Are you okay with that?


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## snyderguy

That puts it at 4 feet, no? If so, that's probably too long... I'd like to stick it in a spot that is 3 feet


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## funlad3

Actually, They would be side by side, so it would almost be a 3x3 foot cube.


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## lohachata

snyder...see how this rack is designed....i can redesign it to be 36" or slightly over...will hold a pair of 20 longs on top and a 40 breeder or 3 20 longs on the bottom...










as you can see it is single 2x4 construction...each of those sections is 39" on the inside of the uprights..

here is one with tanks on it...


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## snyderguy

Ahh ok, I see what you mean. I'm not home right now to measure it out but it still seems like that might be too big.. but that still sounds good! I could get a couple more 20 tall's and put future discus fry in there. I'd like to measure it out first before you draw it up though. I'll let you know when I get that chance.

That set up looks great loha. Let's see what you got!


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## grogan

yeah loha show us some pics of your new setup!


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## Obsidian

Damn there are some big snails in there! I had one almost that big, loved it!


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## grogan

Holy awesome tank room lohachata! If I had that setup I would be farming some serious plants.


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## lohachata

i moved the fishroom pics to the fish and aquarium pictures section instead of getting too far off topic on this one...
josh...can you squeeze 2'11" instead of the 2'9"....
these racks are 30" deep...and at 35" wide can handle a pair of 20 longs on top and 3 tanks on the bottom...either 10..15..20 long...20 high or 29 gallon.......or......you could build 1 large plywood tank to fit....31" x 30" x 16'.....approx. 64 gallons..you would need 1 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood..1 piece of 3/16" or1/4" glass..


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## snyderguy

Loha, no problem. I don't mind getting off topic. Makes the thread more interesting! :]

I can deal with 2'11". I like the 2 x 20's on top and the 20 long on bottom idea.

I've also considered selling my 72 bowfront off and making a stand to fit 2 x 29's on top and 3 x 20's on the bottom


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## snyderguy

So I did some rough drawings and this is what i came up with... Still planning on having 3 x 10 gallons underneath

Length of stand: 35 in
Width of stand: 15 in
Height of stand: 30 in
Height of stand with 20L: 42 in
10 gallon shelf: 3 inches above ground


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## emc7

You need room between the tanks to stick your hand in, but the bottom tank needs to be high enough to gravity siphon unless you own a pump.


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## snyderguy

Ah, forgot about that... So if I raise the shelf to around 9 inches, that'll give me about 10 inches of room above the tank to stick my hand in there. Seems sufficient enough but I don't know if the tanks will be high enough to siphon water out... What do you think?


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## funlad3

If the height really matters, then just buy a $15 Maxi-Jet utility pump.


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## snyderguy

That sounds good, the height does matter here. It's going underneath a lofted bed.


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## snyderguy

Funlad, still wanna it up for me?


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## funlad3

Yeah, I'll have it for you by tomorrow.  Just for my reference, what are the final possible dimensions?


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## snyderguy

I'm hoping for 35"x15"x30" (LxWxH).. Not sure if that works out for you but feel free to +/- 2 inches if must. Thanks for doing this! Really appreciate it.


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## snyderguy

I'm really struggling with the best way to put this together. I'd like to go about doing how loha has shown me but I don't know how to figure out how long I need the pieces. I'm thinking I'm gonna need

4 legs at 30 in" tall
4 pieces to connect legs at 15" long
4 pieces as the base of the tanks at 35" long

Does this sound all right?


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## funlad3

Sorry, I missed the size you wanted. I'll have it done by tomorrow!


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## snyderguy

Oh, sweet. Thanks man. Really appreciate it.


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## snyderguy

So I talked to my uncle, who builds houses, and he's concerned about this thing tipping over so I need to come up with something that will keep it from doing so


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## emc7

Tipping over? You'd have to hit it pretty hard sideways. Water is such a heavy, straight down force it tends to keep things upright. I have tanks on 3 block high x 1 wide concrete 1/2 blocks and there is no danger of tipping even if I lean on the rack. Stick I wouldn't wrestle in a room with a tank. Do you have an unruly sibling or large dog? You can stick a L-bracket and screw to hold it to the wall, but I really doubt if that would help if it really wanted to go over. You need flat ends on your uprights and shim it to level, thats it. But you could put a rectangle on the floor to make him happy.


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## snyderguy

Hah no, I live with a couple roommates and it's gonna go in my room so I shouldn't be too worried about it tipping over. I thought about putting two right triangles in the front to keep it from tipping over, if it ever were to think about it.


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## Chrispixx

lohachata said:


> snyder...see how this rack is designed....i can redesign it to be 36" or slightly over...will hold a pair of 20 longs on top and a 40 breeder or 3 20 longs on the bottom...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> as you can see it is single 2x4 construction...each of those sections is 39" on the inside of the uprights..
> 
> here is one with tanks on it...



Are you opening a fish store??


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## lohachata

nope...not opening a store..this is just our hobby...although i already sell foods..in the future we plan on selling plants and fish..but only in very limited varieties..


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## emc7

MTS. Once you get up around 50 tanks,you have to sell fish or they over run you. But I don't keep any fish that would actually pay their way, let alone make a profit. 

Breeding pet store bettas breaks one of my "try not to lose too much rules". Don't try to compete with asia or even florida. Breed what you can't get from your local LFS. Don't breed anything you see in a PetChain. The best aquarium money maker where I am seems to be live plants.


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## Mr. fish

Building ur own stand is the way to go... only advice i would give you is get creative... dont settle for a basic stand.. do it right the first time!


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## emc7

Creative, make it Barbie Pink. lol. Nothing wrong with basic. But do take the time to make it level. Square and true and pretty are nice. But go for level. You don't want water creeping out one corner of a tank and dripping off a cord or hose. If you paint or stain it, let it get all the way dry before you load it.


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## Mr. fish

Nothing wrong with basic but you see that all the time.. if you gonna build something why not take the extra time to make something out of the ordinary? But true, whatever you decide to do make sure its level and dry before loading


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## lohachata

our current fishroom is not quite done setting up..about 30 or so more tanks to set up..that will be all the room we have..unless i empty the coal cellar and use it for cooler water fish such as aspidoras and a couple of cories..and a few others..but for right now we have about 70 tanks running according to the wife..i like this rack design because i use less lighting and can set up more tanks than a stacked rack.plus...i designed them so they can be easily and quickly taken down and then set back up..and overall length can be altered to suit your needs....not to mention that they are very strong..
the design can even be dressed up to look more custom...
most importantly is that folks have space limitations..so they have to design and build to fit within those limitations..
not always an easy thing...lol


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## giggitygiggity

dam look at the size of those snails!


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## lohachata

those were only about 1/2 grown.....apple snails..


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## arch aquatics

i have taken Loha's design and modified it to work for the tanks i am setting up currently

The rack i built today will hold 200 or 210 gallons depending if i put 2 20 longs on top or 5 10's

it holds 4 40 breeders on the bottom and the shelf style that Loha has on his for the top layer.

Pictures to come after i finish painting it LOL


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## snyderguy

I'd love to see it. I built a model on my computer. Should post it on here to show you guys


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## arch aquatics

Here is the overall rack









It will hold 2 40 breeders on the bottom 2 more on top of those then i can put either 2 20 longs or other small tanks on the 13" wide shelf

Here is the Jack leg detail to show how wood is supporting the tanks not hardware. I do not trust carriage bolts or wood screws to hold the weights that can be achieved with a full tank.

By using jack legs i may lose 4.5 inches for the rack in floor space but i gain total piece of mind that the rack will not fail.










I did not want to make a 6 foot span without a support in the center for the upper shelf so i made a sandwiched leg in the center to hold up the center of the top shelf.










Overall depth front->back 










Overall Lenght










Overall Height without top tanks










Overall im happy with the design 










By placing the smaller tanks on top i cut the overall height of this rack way down. It sits 6 inches back from the front of the 40 breeder so it makes my access without having to be spaced like the bottom layer.

Total gallons of the rack will be 200

Total square footage taken up is 11.11

4 breeding groups of Victorians in my near future


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## snyderguy

That looks great! I really want to build this stand. I just have no time. Nor a powerdrill... Maybe I can get over to Menards soon now that i'm done with school.


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## arch aquatics

i will be building 4 more of these exact racks for the rest of our 40 breeders.

Not a hard build and nothing tricky about the cuts.

Can be scaled to any size tank, ours just happen to be 40 breeders for the bottom tanks


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## snyderguy

So I completely changed directions now with this stand. Thinking 29 on top, 20L on bottom. Here's a picture of my plans. Does this look alright?


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## arch aquatics

Looks good but remember to try to always have wood sitting on wood and not requiring the hardware to hold any of the tanks weight.

Just when i thought it was safe to go outside on the lower patio.................


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## snyderguy

Not sure I understand what you mean by that.


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## arch aquatics

lemme go out and get some good pics of the joint areas to show you

gimme a little i will get them uploaded with a long explination


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## lohachata

ralph...i like the racks....maybe when we move again i will have enough room to build a few..mabe 50 breeders on the bottom ; 40s over them and 15s or 20 highs on top...


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## snyderguy

How wide are those stands of yours, not the length of the stand but more like the "depth" of the stand?


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## Chrispixx

arch aquatics said:


> Looks good but remember to try to always have wood sitting on wood and not requiring the hardware to hold any of the tanks weight.





snyderguy said:


> Not sure I understand what you mean by that.


@Snyderguy, You need to take your design and incorporate archaquatics double verticle supports like the picture below. so you need 4 more pieces for the top and 4 more for the bottom. you also need to adjust your stand dimensions width wise so the tank on the bottom will fit in with the extra wood in place. this will give it more support, and you absolutely have to do double verticals under the bottom tank so all the weight is transferred to the floor.


arch aquatics said:


>


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## Chrispixx

@Snyderguy, I modified your picture crudely and added the wood needed in dark gray, to show what i was explaining in the post above. this would need to be done front and back.


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## arch aquatics

snyderguy said:


> How wide are those stands of yours, not the length of the stand but more like the "depth" of the stand?


from the wall out to the front edge is


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## snyderguy

Chrispixx said:


> @Snyderguy, I modified your picture crudely and added the wood needed in dark gray, to show what i was explaining in the post above. this would need to be done front and back.


Ahh, ok. I see what you're saying. Thanks for the help chris


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## snyderguy

arch aquatics said:


> from the wall out to the front edge is


Sorry about that, didn't see that above. I've been trying for weeks now to get this thing together. I'm not going to be able to do it next weekend but maybe the following weekend.


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## lohachata

if we were talkin 1200 or so pounds here i would agree on doubling up on the supports...but for a couple of 20 gallon tanks i really don't think it is needed..


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## arch aquatics

lohachata said:


> if we were talkin 1200 or so pounds here i would agree on doubling up on the supports...but for a couple of 20 gallon tanks i really don't think it is needed..


+1

the 40 breeders have the jack leg under the middle row and a 2 x 4 axial radial strength when it is less than 25" is amazing! It will be easier to show how this rack works once i get tanks in it so you can easily see what goes where!

Tomorrow i am going to try to get them painted but i also got a 1200 specimen fish shipment coming in so it may not happen till Tuesday.

Then gotta run the drain line....yadda yadda yadda .....fish room coming together....yadda yadda yadda....it never ends!


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## Chrispixx

lohachata said:


> if we were talkin 1200 or so pounds here i would agree on doubling up on the supports...but for a couple of 20 gallon tanks i really don't think it is needed..


 Better over engineered than under.


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## lohachata

ralph....how much room is there on the middle shelf ? from top of board to bottom of board...i am gonna need a ladder for the top row aren't i ........lol..


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## arch aquatics

No Loha, the total rack height is 49.5 inches plus another 12 for a 20 long/other "shelf" tank = a total of 61.5 inches or 5 foot 1.5 inches!

now im a giant but even my wife can reach to her eye level to work in tanks!

ofcourse mine are getting jacked up on cinder blocks for a drain line on the auto changer but then again i am 6'6" but it will still make this tank 5'9" total height once its on them.

its a very workable design for our needs of retro fitting racks to assorted tanks.


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## emc7

My only concern is the clearance over the bottom tank. You really only "need" enough space for your hand, but the tighter it is, the more of a pain it is to do anything.


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## snyderguy

So I kinda gave up on the building my own stand and ended up just going out and buying a metal shelving unit. Let me know what you think...


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## emc7

Those should do the trick. Only thing I might do is put a water-resistant paint or clear-coat on the shelves. Plywood is very strong dry, but can warp a lot if you get it wet.


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## arch aquatics

paint it exterior black and it will blend away LOL


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## snyderguy

Not sure if it's actually plywood. Might be. But I do know it's already been treated for water resistance. I'm still careful about getting it wet though.


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## georgedv

Regarding Lohachatas rack design...I think its exactly what I have been looking for. However, I want to place 55gal tanks at the bottom level. That would force the distance between uprights to 49". Supporting the bottom level would be no problem, since I can slide supports underneath. I just question the strength of the mid and top levels.

I want to place 29gal highs on the mid level and 20gal highs on the top level. Can anyone say how feasible that is and/or suggestion on to convert that design to make my dream rack come true.

Thanks to all in advance....I'm sure you understand how important this is to me.
George


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## grogan

Thanks guys for this post. I too am planning to build a rack system. I was thinking of using a 55, 40l, 33l, and 33l sump. I would plumb the 3 into the sump and simply have 1 heater, 1 pump, and 1 CO2 diffuser. Yup, I'm going to build my own plant grow out system and start cultivating plants for sale. I like the idea of bringing the bottom tank out for ease of maintenance. It would also give me access to the plumbing behind the tank without having the rack spaced from the wall. This a rough sketch:


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