Can I use 3 milk crates for a stand on my 40 gallon tank
 

i got a new 40 gallon tank for sale at the petstore for $40 bucks,

long story short , I still ahve my other tanks , but now that ive moved out of my parents house and Im here at an apartment ,

i was wondering if its ok to cut a Long piece of plywood, the width and length of the tank and then stack 3 milk crates across it then lay another piece of plywood on top of those milk crates and then lay on top of that my tank


MONEY IS A Factor now , where it wasnt before , so if this would work it would be great

its the Long version of the 40 gallon , I dont have the exact dimensions , but 3 milk crates ther is one on each end and then one right in the middle



let me know guys

That defiantly doesn't sound safe at all. Why not get some 2x4s and build a stand?

i can
burt i dont see why this wouldnt work

i mean milk crates are sturdy

or you could use cement blocks. cheap, strong but heavy. I've used 2x4's and cement blocks.

Yeah , that is a possibility

I used to help my dad build houses, ive built stands before , its just I work all the time now and I didnt really want to squeeze int he time to do it ,

ive had 20;s before on milk crates,

I know it wouldnt work not having the plywood underneat or on top , but that way its smooth where as i just had my 20's on top of the crate with nothign betwen them


I cant wait to bring my eel to my apartment from my house

it would be pretty ugly, saltwater tanks can be beautiful, dont ruin it on a ugly stand :)

Not nearly sturdy enough IMO.

How would you make sure the weight is supported on all the edges? I'd think that would be an issue, Plus it would be awfully low to the ground.

ok , i guess i will make a stand, though , it will be a small stand
cuase i dotn want the tank any higher than the height of milk crates , the reason is cause its right by my bed and its in a carpeted room , the higher the stand in a carpeted room, the more wobbly it is

I dont think they would be strong enough ultimately.

Because they have an open side they will support the weight differently. Try sitting on one and see what I mean. I know the weight will be spread more evenly then when you sit on it directly but the tank will weigh 380-400 lbs just filled with water, with no rock or sand etc. I dont think it will crush them but I think it will start to sag towards the unsupported open side of the crate.

I would agree that making a simple 2x2 or 2x4 stand would be much safer and not much harder then what you are proposing. Plus it will be easier to put a facade around it then the crates.

Ages ago I used to work at Safeway. You get all the milk piled up on a big pallet. The crates on the bottom have easily 1000 pounds of weight on them. I think the milk creates will work no problem. Just make sure to put a sturdy board on the top of them.

Have the open side facing down.

why don't you call the manufacturer of the milk crates and ask for a rough estimate of their strength. at least you will be able to figure out if it is 100 lbs per crate or 1000...

remember that all the weight is on the edges on not on the center of any one panel. I think calling the manufacturer is a good idea. I've been looking on google and it seems there is a million different kinds of milk crates. Some seem a lot better built than others.

maybe I am not understanding the orientation that he is wanting to use them in. I was under the impression he wanted to stand them on end so they stood up "tall-wise". If you are planning to use them as intended open side up or even open side down with a plank over it then you would likely break a hole in the floor before the crates gave in.

yeah, I think using them on their ends is not such a good idea either.

I use milk grates for my QT, it works. make sure they are the same color, that way you won't look so broke.

P,S if you look closely you will notice it is a felony to be in possession of said milk crates, just thought I would let you know hehe

I would vote for the concrete blocks and then cover it with a black sheet of some sorts. That wouldn't look too bad and would be cheap and quick.

Guess it would depend on what type of milk crates. I've had milk crates that could hardly support the weight of a 20" tv.

I'd scrap the idea. It's not going to look good. After a few months, you're not going to be happy with it. A halfway decent stand for a 40 isn't that much. I've had a cheap AGA stand in use under my 38 for 5 years now and it's as good as the day I got it.

yes
 

yea the idea as for the open side to be facing down , with a board underneat them all the full length of the tank , and then a full board on top


I might try thi s,

im glad you guys have lots of opnions,


it really woudnt take me very long to make a stand its just I hae to have dad cut the plywood, for the bottom of the stand ,


I usually dont put plywood on the very bottoms , butg since this is going to be on carpet , then this way it shouldnt wobble as bad,




I HATE CARPET lol


and yes its the strong milk crates that holds the milk at grocery stores

Owning a milk crate a felony? What?

[url]http://www.dairyherd.com/directories.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=5814[/url] ...probably only in cali


Milk crates would hold the tanks weight just fine on concrete but on carpet they will not settle equally twisting the tank and ultimately causing it to fail sometime down the road.

Make a stand out of 2x4's. [url=http://www.garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp]Garf's Website Stand Calculator[/URL] is real easy to use, just enter in your specs and it spits out your stand.

Many home improvement stores will cut a sheet of plywood you are buying from them.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10377087#post10377087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by InvaderJim [/i]
[B]Owning a milk crate a felony? What? [/B][/QUOTE]

If they are stolen.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10377143#post10377143 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grins [/i]
[B]If they are stolen. [/B][/QUOTE]

That's retarded. Sorry for getting off topic. :D