Anyone have any ideas/blueprints/pics for building a dual 180 gallon stand? Would love to get 2 stands built for 4 180 gallon tanks.
thanks!
thanks!
180 tank double stand?
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I think I'd want to use steel. 2 180 gallon tanks is going to be around 4000 lbs.
Most basement concrete floors are poured with 3000 PSI concrete, you're going to want to spread the load around a bit. If there is any defect in the cement at all you'll find it with 8000lbs (4 180's)
If you used box steel I don't think you'd have much trouble carrying the load and having maximum visibility into the tanks (meaning not having braces run in front of the middle tank).
You could then wrap the steel in plywood to make your cabinet.
I tend to overbuild. In all honesty, 2x4's would hold that up for a while. But I'd hate to see a kid climb up on the rack and pull 1000 lbs of glass and 3000lbs of water over.
Most basement concrete floors are poured with 3000 PSI concrete, you're going to want to spread the load around a bit. If there is any defect in the cement at all you'll find it with 8000lbs (4 180's)
If you used box steel I don't think you'd have much trouble carrying the load and having maximum visibility into the tanks (meaning not having braces run in front of the middle tank).
You could then wrap the steel in plywood to make your cabinet.
I tend to overbuild. In all honesty, 2x4's would hold that up for a while. But I'd hate to see a kid climb up on the rack and pull 1000 lbs of glass and 3000lbs of water over.
I would go steel - but skip the ply wood - stainless or aluminum panels would be super gangster! Seriously though i would look at any of the welded stand threads and go from there. There are a few guys here who have built nice stuff that could hold up 4000 pounds. It's all in gusseting and reinforcing. I thing anyone who loves their craft - be it wood or metal - could guide you. I'd go steel though - it's more gangster 
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kallmond;3625021; said:
This has always bugged be so I just want to clear up how strong concrete is. Lets say you stack all the 180's on the same stand. From the above quote thats 8000 pounds over a 2X6 foot area.
The concrete is rated at 3000 PSI (pounds per square inch)
1 foot has 144 square inches the 2X6 foot stand has 1728 square inches
So 8000 pounds distributed over 1728 square inches comes out to 4.7 pounds per square inch on a surface that is rated for 3000 pounds per square inch LOL
Lets say you put all the weight on one 2X4. That has a 5.25 square inch base with 8000 pounds on it. Comes out to 1523 pounds per square inch on a surface rated for 3000 pounds per square inch!!!!!!
All I'm saying is don't worry about your concrete, it will hold.
Next subject is wood 2X4 strength.............I don't have the numbers right in front of me sorry. A 2X4 stand will easily hold that weight. Disclaimer: it must be built right! I would skin it with 3/4" ply to keep it from rocking/shifting. Avoid any type of shear connections where all the weight is supported by screws. I have seen a garage full of triple stacked 125's on just 2X4's, no issues. I'll try to find a pic.
Cheers
but few stands have a bottom that has the whole surface area in contact with the floor.
most stands have legs.
if you have a 2x4 stand with 4 legs thats (4*2*4) =32 square inches.
8000 pounds/32 square inches =250 pounds per square inch, not 4.7.
this is obviously an issue for a non concrete wood floor that might be rated for 40 PSI. those legs would be putting a lot of pressure on that type of floor. possibly digging in.
if it is a perimeter stand, the PSI is less than it would be for a 4 legged stand.
obviously the concrete will hold. easily, there isn't much of a limit.
but its not like the weight of the tank is spread over a 2x6 area.
it is transfered to the floor only on the part of the stand that is making contact with the floor.
this is more of an issue for upper floor tanks really, but its worth pointing out that the weight is not distributed over the surface area of the tank but rather, the surface area of the stand that is in contact with the floor.
I have seen stacked 135's in my area using tube steel.
I have a 150g on a tube steel stand that uses 1.5" steel and it is very strong:
I would imagine that 2" tube steel would be fine for a stacked 180g setup.
tube steel is very strong.
I have a 150g on a tube steel stand that uses 1.5" steel and it is very strong:
I would imagine that 2" tube steel would be fine for a stacked 180g setup.
tube steel is very strong.
Egon;3625074; said:
On paper I agree with your math. The problem lies in the difference between paper engineering and real world application.
How many people put those quarter sized "adjustable" feet and put on the bottom of the legs to help level their home-made stand. Or have not perfectly squarely cut legs.
What happens if their is a piece of aggregate slightly bulging the skim-coat of the concrete, and the weight is centered there.
What happens if, when pouring the concrete floor, the concrete truck had an hour drive in traffic, and then when he got there he had to wait another 45 minutes for them to finish the forms, and THEN it had to be pumped through 100 feet of hose to make it to the floor.
Then, the guys doing the concrete finishing were having a bad day, and they over-worked the surface of the concrete, pushing all the aggregate down.
And their vibrator was broken that day so they just used a shovel handle to try and stir all the air out.
These are all things I've seen happen when I worked in construction, and every one of them can cause structural defect in concrete.
So, I agree with your math. I'd even agree with you that most of the time it wouldn't cause any problem what-so-ever. But I'm not willing to risk it on paper engineering. In the real world there are too many variables, not the least of which is water and time. Water and time carved the grand canyon.
On the topic of 2x4s,
As I said, 2 x 4's WOULD hold that. Have you ever seen a 2x4 with an interior knot? I had a seemingly perfect 2x4 split in half and fall into two pieces from hitting a knot with a saw blade. How strong would that 2x4 have been.. (Not common, just an experience I had)
If you want to build out of 2x4's remember the rule of structural carpentry is that the load should focus the energy down and towards the center, not out and at the edges.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Spend a little extra (time, money, effort, energy) do it right the first time and sleep well at night.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Spend a little extra (time, money, effort, energy) do it right the first time and sleep well at night.[/QUOTE]
I agree. I don't like playing on the edge. A little extra time, money, effort, and energy is well spent when it comes to hundreds of gallons of water suspended 3 feet above the ground in the middle of your home.
I agree. I don't like playing on the edge. A little extra time, money, effort, and energy is well spent when it comes to hundreds of gallons of water suspended 3 feet above the ground in the middle of your home.