60x24x24 Tank - Danger?

[fry_lover]

Curious to know what people think of placing a 5x2x2 (519 litres, 137 USg) on a Juwel stand designed to hold a 48x20"x24" (333litres, 88USg) - with a 5x2 MDF on top of the Juwel stand.

My instincts are telling me no, but just wondered what others thought?

 

[Sailor]

I wouldn’t but you could probably “beef up” the stand to make it safer. MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard right? I would use something that doesn’t weaken when it gets wet something like ply wood.

 

[fry_lover]

yeh

well this is what the stand looks like, the middle shelf comes out, so i could use that area to add some kind of reinforcement

trouble is i couldnt use the compartments to the right and left of the centre as thats where i store my external filters and they take up a lot of room

so i would only be able to reinforce the middle of the stand (which is 33% of the entire stand)

 

[shroob]

I wouldn't use it, but that isn't to say its not safe. I wouldn't like the overhang eitherside of the stand, if you could somehow extend the length and width so that all the base of the tank is covered then it would be better.

 

[Tolak]

I wouldn't use mdf, especially directly under a tank. When it gets wet it turns back to wood fiber, basically mush. 3/4" plywood, with a 2x4 frame to reinforce the plywood should hold the top level. Without seeing the stand hands on, it's hard to determine if it will hold the weight, as long as you are cutting 2x4's it couldn't hurt to cut a few more to strengthen the stand.

 

[fry_lover]

Tolak, what do you mean by 2x4's? Sorry but i skipped all forms of carpentry thus far in life!


I think i am too ambitious in what i am trying to do.

Lets make it less ambitious than my first quote

Can i just ask.......

It is possible (to do it safely) - have a tank that is a few inches bigger (possibly both in length and width) than the stand is designed for (therefore more weight to bare). Perhaps literally talking 4" total more in lenth and 4" total more in width. Or if less ambitious, 2" more in length and 2" more in width?.... if the stand is reinforced properly

EDIT: i decided its DEPTH i am more interested in adding, not length.

The stands i can get are either Rio 400 or Rio 300 (20") deep, i want my tank that i am having made to be either 22" or 24" deep


EDIT:

okay worked about about 2x4's

if you look at the Juwel Stand at the top of the thread..... what if i used x2 lots of 2x4's bits of timber in each of the 3 compartments of the stand and put my external filters behind the stand

That would be x6 lots of 2x4's supporting the stand.

 

[Tolak]

Don't feel bad about the carpentry thing, I've managed to skate by this long without taking any algebra. The 6 upright 2x4's should hold it just fine, yes it is possible, with a few modifications, to hold that tank safely with that stand.

 

[fry_lover]

thank you Tolak,

I did by the power of Google learn what you meant by 2x4 though, as someone else also said this on another forum to me, so you learn something everyday, it's basically 47x100mm sawn timber if i am correct.

 

[BINKSY]

it's basically 47x100mm sawn timber if i am correct.

Yes fry lover you are quite right, although you can get it in planed timber, or rough sawn timber.

Planed being smooth to touch.

Rough sawn is rough too touch, usually used for exterior work.


Cheers Gordon

 

[CFC]

I wouldnt trust a juwel stand to hold that kind of weight, they are just laminated chip board and it only takes a side on knock and the side panel will fold in half and whole thing would collapse. If you are buying timber and ply then you might as well just build a stand completely from scratch and then finish it off by painting it to match your house and fit a couple of kitchen cabinet doors for the front (you can get cabinet doors from places like B&Q)

 

[Tolak]

Sounds like you have the hands on that I don't with this make & model of stand CFC. I can't believe they still make stands out of junk like that. I had a stand made like that get wet and "melt" on me, it's the reason I started making my own stands long ago. Waking up to a 55 gallon with the right side 1" lower makes for a fun day, especially when it's 6am, and I have to be at work at 7am.

Check out the garf site; http/garf.org/

Scroll down to the diy folder, there is a stand building program that gives you a cut list when you plug in your numbers. If you have any construction problems or concerns post them, there are plenty of stand builders here who can help.

 

[fry_lover]

thanks CFC and Tolak for feedback,

perhaps in fairness to Juwel they sell so many set-ups and i've never heard of a stand collapsing?

Although i wont argue with the basic facts of what they are made with, as you mention CFC

Perhaps i am just living in "hope" rather than common sense, but surely with proper reinforcement with the right materials, a Juwel stand would be perfectly okay for a tank that is maybe 50 litres more than it would be if it were the Juwel Tank (this is 50 kg extra i think) with 1 litre being 1kg?

Although, as someone said, if one is (me!) to go to all the trouble or buying materials for reinforcement, one might as well build one a new stand i guess?

 

[fry_lover]

Sounds like you have the hands on that I don't with this make & model of stand CFC. I can't believe they still make stands out of junk like that. I had a stand made like that get wet and "melt" on me, it's the reason I started making my own stands long ago. Waking up to a 55 gallon with the right side 1" lower makes for a fun day, especially when it's 6am, and I have to be at work at 7am.

Check out the garf site; [URL="http/garf.org/"]http/garf.org/[/URL]

Scroll down to the diy folder, there is a stand building program that gives you a cut list when you plug in your numbers. If you have any construction problems or concerns post them, there are plenty of stand builders here who can help.

very helpful and informative, thanks

 

[CFC]

thanks CFC and Tolak for feedback,

perhaps in fairness to Juwel they sell so many set-ups and i've never heard of a stand collapsing?

Although i wont argue with the basic facts of what they are made with, as you mention CFC

Perhaps i am just living in "hope" rather than common sense, but surely with proper reinforcement with the right materials, a Juwel stand would be perfectly okay for a tank that is maybe 50 litres more than it would be if it were the Juwel Tank (this is 50 kg extra i think) with 1 litre being 1kg?

Although, as someone said, if one is (me!) to go to all the trouble or buying materials for reinforcement, one might as well build one a new stand i guess?

Thats exactly it, the juwel stands are built to take the weight of the juwel tank and not the extra weight of the heavier tank. Without structurely reinforcing ALL the vertical supports i wouldnt recomend putting 450 litres of water on a stand built for 400 litres with no solid timber in the stand anywhere.

Heres an experiment you can try, place a heavy weight on top of an empty drinks can, the can will hold the weight, leaving the weight in place give the side of the can a tap with a solid object, the side of the can will colapse in on itself and that is exactly what can happen when you overload the weight on a sheet of chipboard.

 

[fry_lover]

Right, its going to be a 5x2x2 tank

and i am just going to use 18mm Plywood and Concrete Blocks as a stand with some material over the front of the stand to hide the concrete blocks.

Questions:

--> I am on the ground floor with laminate flooring in my lounge. Will x1 18mm 5x2 Plywood sheet be enough to disperse the weight from the concrete blocks, or should i go for x2 18mm sheets of Plywood at the bottom of this stand?

--> The Concrete blocks are 440 x 215 x 100mm, so thats basically 100mm (3.94" high), i want the tank about 28" off the floor, which would mean using x18 blocks (3 rows of 6 high). Does that sound ok?

--> What do people think of this as a structure (below)

one or two sheets of 18mm Plywood (5x2) at bottom of structure
then...................
three rows of concrete blocks (stacked x3 high)
then...................
one sheet of 18mm Plywood (5x2) to act as a shelf to store medications and food etc
then...................
three more rows of concrete blocks (stacked x3 high)
then...................
Finally one or two sheets of 18mm Plywood (5x2) at top of structure
then...................
Finished off with polystyrene

This would make it between 66cm (26") and 70cm (27.5") high depending on how many sheets of plywood i use

The slight issue is having to store my external filters behind the tank rather than under it