Advise needed on tank support....

[HawgHunter]

Ok....I'm trying to get the 75 up and going but have run into a little dilemma. Our foyer has 2 brick walls seperating it from the living room. Each measure 30" Tall X 17" Wide X 56" Long. I want to put a 75 on each of them. My 75 measures 21 1/2" Tall X 18 1/2" Wide X 48 1/2" Long....Exactly 1 1/2" wider than the walls. And to top it off, the walls are uneven. So, I figured I could just slide some wood under the tank to make up the difference. I have 1/4" plywood, 1/2" plywood, 2x4s, 2x6s, 2x8s, and 1x12s.

What would be the best bet on wood to slide between the tank bottom and the wall top?

How should I go about filling in the gaps between the wood and wall?

Thank y'all in advance for any and all info....

[sunkenmetal]

build a platform with 2x4s and 1/2 plywood that spans both walls. Level the platform then put your tanks on it.

[trbkrb]

You want that surface to be flat and level. I would use a double layer of 1" plywood on it, glued and screwed together. Then I would level it out on the bricks using some wooden shims to fill in the spots to make sure the plywood is level. Use caulk or liquid nails to secure it to the bricks. If there are a few open places between the bricks and the wood, then use shims to fill them too.

After it is attached, then you can trimming it out. Find some edge trim or wood molding you like and glue it to the edge of the plywood to cover the ends. You might need some small nails to hold it while the glue dries. Since the wood overhangs the bricks, you can also attach some trim to the bottom of the plywood flush against the bricks, kind of like how a window sill is constructed. Then paint or stain the wood as you want. If you stain, be sure you prepare the wood properly and don't get any stray glue on the exposed wood to get a good even coat of stain.

It sounds like a neat project. Good luck on it.

[TexSun]

Re: Advise needed on tank support....

I'm having trouble visualizing this. A picture would help immensly.

[Totenkampf]

you just need to envision that all the weight of that aquarium will be resting on the outer perimeter of the glass and frame. you have to support this or it will pop a seam. i wouldnt use just plywood to support the aquarium frame because it moves and voids in the wood can collapse. i would use 2X4s on edge (with the ~4" side in the vertcal plane) to make a square frame and then maybe a stringer or two across the depth sides. nicks suggestion of cladding the top with plywood is good and will add much strength, which is good because it cant flex as much in the x and y axis (assuming z axis is perpendecular to gravity). but if it does flex and the plywood cladding buckles up into the bare glass bottom then you could get a break. I would almost consider dropping some legs at the corners to help it stay level, but then i overbuild everything. i would end up with a typical stand straddling the wall over a slot cut in it lol.

[HawgHunter]

Great idea's....I'm fixing to move the tank and will get some pics of the wall.

[SteveCGG]

I like the idea of basically making a stand that fits around and over the wall. If done right, not only will you feel more comfortable with the weight suspension, it would look nicer too!

[black_knight]

Ok....I'm trying to get the 75 up and going but have run into a little dilemma. Our foyer has 2 brick walls seperating it from the living room. Each measure 30" Tall X 17" Wide X 56" Long. I want to put a 75 on each of them. My 75 measures 21 1/2" Tall X 18 1/2" Wide X 48 1/2" Long....Exactly 1 1/2" wider than the walls. And to top it off, the walls are uneven. So, I figured I could just slide some wood under the tank to make up the difference. I have 1/4" plywood, 1/2" plywood, 2x4s, 2x6s, 2x8s, and 1x12s.

What would be the best bet on wood to slide between the tank bottom and the wall top?

How should I go about filling in the gaps between the wood and wall?

Thank y'all in advance for any and all info....

The biggest thing to consider is that brick wall you intend to rest the tank on solid. If it is you should be ok with resting the weight of the tank on top of it. I would put at least two layers of blue poly styrene sheets cut the with of the wall under two sheets of plywood. Since you have a diffrence of 1 1/2 inches or so on either side you will want to attach a piece of wood that runs the full length on either side to hold (so it looks like a U when viewed from the side this will hold the platform in place.
platform.pngview of the bottom- fit over the wall

[Crude]

The biggest thing to consider is that brick wall you intend to rest the tank on solid. If it is you should be ok with resting the weight of the tank on top of it. I would put at least two layers of blue poly styrene sheets cut the with of the wall under two sheets of plywood. Since you have a diffrence of 1 1/2 inches or so on either side you will want to attach a piece of wood that runs the full length on either side to hold (so it looks like a U when viewed from the side this will hold the platform in place.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14712[/ATTACH]view of the bottom- fit over the wall

My suggestion as well!

[allysangels]

my 75g (same measurements) has been sitting on a makeshift stand of 12 cinderblocks for 3 years now. the center is empty for storage, with 6 blocks holding up each end. 2 blocks deep, 3 high. a layer of 2x4s over the cinderblocks with a layer of plywood over that.

http://virtuallyamy.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/build-a-strong-inexpensive-aquarium-stand/

great ideas here, hope it helps.

[troy tucker]

Capping the brick is a great idea. I would cut 3/4 plywood to fit the brick 17 1/8 + 56 1/8 using a leval cut a shim out of 2+4 spacing every 12" :Exampole the first shim on the high side would be 1" the next 1 1/8 next 1 1/4 and so on for a toddle of 6 shims. After your top is leval add a trim around the brick. Nailing the trim to the shims and plywood. 45ing the out side corners. ( if you use a 1+4 to trim it should come out 18 5/8 + 56 7/8 . Lite sand it and stane. This is the kind of custom work I do...

[HawgHunter]

Sorry it took so long to get back to this....been real busy with work lately.

So here are some pics of the 2 walls I'm wanting to put 75's on.

HPIM9735.jpgHPIM9738.jpgHPIM9739.jpgHPIM9740.jpg

Here you can see how unlevel they are.

HPIM9716.jpgHPIM9717.jpg

[troy tucker]

Get the biggest number across and cut a 3/4 " plywood top. Leval with shims glueing in place with Liquidnails trim it out with 1"+ 4" sand and stane or paint.

[HawgHunter]

Thank you everyone for all the replies....I have some 1" board that I'm going to reinforce with a 2x4 frame. Installing with shims to fill the gaps. I'll post updates as I progress.

[L&M]

Advise needed on tank support....

That looks like it will be very cool once you have everything done. Looking forward to seeing pictures of the final product.

Where are you going to put your filters and such?