I am building a large reef this summer, a 240 gallon plywood tank (the design is the one from Advanced Aquarists with a few changes), and I'm working on the stand design right now. I'm basing my stand design off of the article on Instructables titled "Aquarium Stand With Secret Door For Sump".
It's almost exactly the same as this design, except it's going to be a little over 24" wide (however wide the tank ends up being, which will be a little wider than 24"), probably at least 36" high, and a little over 96" long. BUT - the main difference between this and the other stand is that I need more access to the inside. I can probably keep a few braces in the middle, and I do want storage space for equipment inside (but that's probably not going to happen). However, I will have a 55 gallon aquarium in there as a cryptic fuge, which is a dark tank that is filled with base rock or holey rock, with a small powerhead in there ot stir up detritus on the bottom. This alone is 4 feet long so I've got about 4 more feet to go. After that, I need a completely open space with no braces in front - this will house the 29 gallon display refugium that will house a few smaller fish and nutrient-reducing plants. Once we've got that there's about 18" left - I need a small Rubbermaid bin after that to house the skimmer, and then the return pump after that.
So one of my questions is - can the front braces be: the far left corner, then 2 feet from that, then 2 feet from that, then 30" from that, then at the far right corner? This will allow for 2 doors that lead to the cryptic fuge, one door to clearly view the refugium, and then an area to view the skimmer and return pump. This is not the ideal setup for it as it will be a bit uneven, but will it support the tank?
Another question - what is the average price for a 55 gallon tank, both used and new? I don't need it with anything else, just the tank. Thanks!
It's almost exactly the same as this design, except it's going to be a little over 24" wide (however wide the tank ends up being, which will be a little wider than 24"), probably at least 36" high, and a little over 96" long. BUT - the main difference between this and the other stand is that I need more access to the inside. I can probably keep a few braces in the middle, and I do want storage space for equipment inside (but that's probably not going to happen). However, I will have a 55 gallon aquarium in there as a cryptic fuge, which is a dark tank that is filled with base rock or holey rock, with a small powerhead in there ot stir up detritus on the bottom. This alone is 4 feet long so I've got about 4 more feet to go. After that, I need a completely open space with no braces in front - this will house the 29 gallon display refugium that will house a few smaller fish and nutrient-reducing plants. Once we've got that there's about 18" left - I need a small Rubbermaid bin after that to house the skimmer, and then the return pump after that.
So one of my questions is - can the front braces be: the far left corner, then 2 feet from that, then 2 feet from that, then 30" from that, then at the far right corner? This will allow for 2 doors that lead to the cryptic fuge, one door to clearly view the refugium, and then an area to view the skimmer and return pump. This is not the ideal setup for it as it will be a bit uneven, but will it support the tank?
Another question - what is the average price for a 55 gallon tank, both used and new? I don't need it with anything else, just the tank. Thanks!
