stand to raise tank: possibly sump tank?

[agusf]

Hey,

Still in the process of preparing my 38 g tank for new inhabitants. I have it cycling on a low height coffee table sort furniture, but I'd like the tank to be a bit higher up because its not quite in ideal visual range for display. I figure I can put a sturdy block of anything that can support the weight underneath it. I also was thinking, I might as well use the opportunity, and maybe make the underlying block a sump tank; this would be more complicated of course. I would have to have some box that would be empty inside but still capable of supporting the weight - I.e. with like stilts within the cavity. Any thoughts on this? see attached pic.

 

[Colin_T]

Just build a double tier stand out of pine or metal. I use 70mm x 35mm pine and bolt it together with 6mm bolts. Some hardware stores sell slotted metal stands that click together and these can support a lot of weight. You can build them out of slotted angle iron and bolt them together, and if you are handy with a welder, just weld one up.

 

[Donya]

Just a word of caution on the click-together stands, which often have an appealing price tag: I had one of these for a larger tank on an upper floor and it was a bit wobbly even with the whole weight on it because of a combination of the floor having a small bit of spring (2nd floor wood, not cement slab) and the stand's flimsiness. It worked but wasn't exactly safe. If you have any free-roaming pets (like a big dog or a cat that could jump on it) or if there could be children coming into contact with it at any point, go for something more solid like the welded metal or wood stands (I use wood stands now).

On the furniture side, modular shelving and small benches come to mind but you'd need to make sure it could hold up to the equivalent of a couple of people sitting on it and isn't just particle board. Depending on how high it is though, even if made from sturdy materials, having a thing stacked on a thing without being bolted down may not be the safest way to go (like if you have a dog/cat again).

 

[agusf]

Ok. I do have a small jack russell terrier, he sometimes jumps around on the sofa but I doubt he would try to jump on the tank/stand. I'd be willing to take the risk. I'd probably go with the wooden stand & 6mm bolts. I've worked with wood before and its what I would be most comfortable with.

Any thoughts on housing a sump tank inside the stand though?

 

[agusf]

Soo making the pine stand is not something I'm against; but it would be something that would take a significant amount of time so it likely will delay the establishment of my tank for a while as I'm in the middle of my semester and am running around with tasks.

I kind of wish I could just buy something that works. Even if I can't have a sump tank beneath; I'll probably use it for the time being and maybe later on make the custom stand beneath.

Something that may concern me is whether, despite the sheer weight of the tank, an additional stand between the coffee table and tank would not create enough friction to keep it from slipping. maybe I could screw the added stand into the table? table is made of wood, and I'm willing to create the holes / damage on it if its worth ensuring the stand's mobility/stability.