Will this stand hold the weight? Long post

[padec21]

Instead of buying a stand for my 55g I decided to build one, but I want to make sure it will hold the weight.
All the stands in the stores are 1/2" press board with a glued on veneer or pine. (All the ones I saw anyway) and some corner brackets to assemble.
My stand -
front/back/sides/top/bottom = 3/4" oak cabinet plywood.
Side panel grain is verticle. Top overlaps all four sides. Front has 5" x 3/4" verticle pieces 1 on each end and 1 in the center. I also have 2 horizontal 5" x 3/4" long the top and bottom making a framed opening for the doors. Doors are approx. 17" by 22".
rear is same as front minus the doors.
All the joints have been drilled/dowled/glued/clamped and finish nailed.
The bottoms is basically a shelf 2.5" up from the floor.
The cabinet is very solid. I weight around 230# and climbed on top of it and it was still very solid.
I want to make sure it will hold the weight of the tank w/ water and rocks . approx. #500.
I am just sanding it now so I could add more wood to make it strongerbut that means more $ which will have to come out of my tank fund.

Compared to the store bought stands I saw it is night and day in terms of strength. Is this enough?

[tom]

I've never constructed a stand, but until a better qualified answer comes along...

Assuming no other variables such as where on the stand you stood (with two feet) and specific craftsmanship, your weight (force) at 230 lbs exerts significantly more pressure on the stand than a 500 lb tank whose area measures approx 48x13 in.

Given that and your description of the stand build, I'd certainly think it would do nicely.

[Ray]

I have built stands for my aquariums. basically for tanks 30 gallons up to 200 gallon you need at least a 2x4 frame.
\with severe attention paid to the ends and the center for support./
make your basic rectangle the length and width of the tank. out of the 2x4's then go back before you put on your' plywood, put a beam in the back of the frame in the center of of the length from top to bottom. this is your' center support. then work out away from the center support and place beams every 8 inches from top to bottom. then run boards across the top flush with the top of the frame so that the bottom of your' aquarium will be properly supported. the last thing you want to do is have the bottom of your' tank crack from lack of support. I am currently in the process of building a 125 gallon aquarium stand if you would like I can post pictures of it in various stages of complettion.

the most important part is that you have good support for the bottom of your' tank if it sags in any way in the center .. even a little.. it could cause your tank to crack. these are easy to build.
without little no worries. but you need a board in the center vertically, and then more 8 inches apart.
and then you need a board in the center going across front to back. and the more boards 8 inches apart. you'll need at least 2x4's for anything tank 30 gallons to 200 gallons. a 2x4 frame will hold up a 240 gallon tank filled and decorated. and larger than a 200 gallon tank you will want a 2x6 or by todays skimpy standards the 2x6 would be 5& 3/4 inches by 1& 3/4 inches. but the 2x6 will hold up to around 3oo gallons safely. anything larger you are going to probably use a concrete foundation to stand it on.

the larger the tank the more support you need across the bottom of your tank. the bottom panel of glass needs to sit flat and even. it cannot sag or give even a little. being that aquarium sealant can only give a tolerance of 1/8 inch safely without losing it's integrity and leaking.

[Ray]

A friend of mine put his 55 gallon tank on his counter top only to come home to a cracked tank and house full of water because the countertop was not supported in the center so it sagged and the glass panel in the bottom cracked. glass cannot flex. so the silicon has to until the pressure becomes too great and the glass cracks. you figure with water weighing 8.2 lbs per gallon and the addition of gravel and fish and decorations the weight works to around 10 pounds of pressure on the bottom of your tank per gallon of water so that 55 gallon aquarium once filled weighs about 550 lbs so be sure that your' floor is stable where you put it as well. and built the stand firm and solid.

[Ray]

the idea behind selling particle board stands is that they wear it a year or so. they just weren't designed to be used forever.
it is just another way of making a fast buck.
I build my own stands, but of course I build them stronger than they need to be. ( i just like the look of a solid stand.)
I do believe that yours will work and hold the tank. but I would reinforce it a little with a couple of cheap 2x4's they normally aren't but a few dollars each. the reinforcement should be given to the bottom of the tank water ever it takes to ensure that the bottom of the tank is supported well by the top of the stand.

[RustyNut]

Hmmm... My particle board stand for my 55g is still going strong 23 years later.....

[Northernblades]

glass tanks do not need to be suported in the middle at all, they can sit on an outside frame, up over 100 gallons anyway

most have a black trim.

use compressed foam (pink works good) to make sure you equalize the presure.

most store bought stands are not even 2/4 reinforced. people are paranoid. and and in responce to the countertop cracked aquarium, it was not that the entire bottom was not suported, it was that it was not FLAT. a high corner woudl do that. level is nice, strong is nice,. FLAT it #1

as they said, you can buy particle borad stands, for a 200 gallon tank. if 3 sides are solid, and the 4th is 30% not much will make a difference
a dado's or dovetail, parcile boad box (with 4 sides top and bottom, will suport MASIVE weight

[Ray]

I am not an expert, and not basing my thoughts here on research, but basically on the idea that given that th weight in your' tank is averaged at 10 pounds per gallon. ( water 8.2 lbs and gravel fish and decor bringing it up approximately 10 lbs per gallon. )
I wouldn't want glued together saw dust (partical board) holding up my 125 gallon (one thousand two hundred and fifty pound aquarium 1,250) it's just that I do not wish to gamble on a product that 1/ will fall apart over time if it gets wet, and 2/ a substandard product for the job it was used for.
I am happy that your' stand has held up so nicely, and I don't fault you for choosing a stand of that type. it's simply a personal preference. I know partical board stands are cheaper than a good wood stand, and I understand the money that you can get into in the fish hobby. but tv entertainment centers are made of partical board and they don't last a year with coming apart, and they don't hold the weight or have the risk of getting wet like aquariums stands do.. I am not accusing you of being untruthful, I am sure your' stand is 23 years old. but for me I have never owned anything made of partical board that lasted more than 2 years. so you have more luck with it than I do.

as far as aquariums being supported in the center, any tank that is 3 feet long or longer has a center support built into the bottom of the tanks plastice frame that goes across. and are supposed to be supported in the center for sure. you can check with any company that produces aquariums they will tell you this. they wioll also tell you that if your' tank cracks and was not supported in the center they will not honor the defect warranty.
The tank on the counter top cracked in the center because the counter top didn't have frame work in the center therefore it sagged in the middle and the tank had no suppport and the bottom glass cracked. the tank was level. I can assure oyou of this because I was there when he set it up, and as well saw the bottom panel of glass cracked in the middle afterwards.
so assumptions cannot be made contrary.

[Dirtilus]

Ray, Thnks for the info, I would like to see those pictures. I want a 125gal, but my wife said the stand would be to expensive, but if I build it myself maybe?
Thanks,
Dan

[Ray]

sure have a look at the stand it's in a post on here titled newly built 125 stand as far as tank there is another post here with my tanks on it.

[Ray]

and sure the stand is alot cheaper if you build it yourself rather than purchase the overpriced wood stands at the lfs.
I purchased my 125 gallon tank at petsmart and paid like 400.00 for it tax and all. and then built the stand, now of course I got the wood for free from my sisters house, she decided to rebuild her deck before the existing decking needed it.
so I got the existing decking for free but think about it, you can build a very nice stand out of 2x4s as well and they are cheaper, just tell them you want stud quality 2x4's so they don't sell you anything more expensive. 2x4's shouldn't cost more than 1.70 each.