nice pics

Rj, looking good so far my friend.

i feel very similar to Adam right now, being a memeber of the "75 crew" and wondering how T-5's are going to do on the tall 90.

I think I'm seeing pressure treated lumber in those pix. Especially if you plan on a sump in the stand, you might want to rethink that before you get any further. Pressure treated lumber is not allowed for inside construction by code (here, at least) because it is treated with Arsnick. Not the most Marine animal friendly chemical.

hmm... I did not know that. I used the pressure treated lumber on my 55g tank stand as well. I figured it was all ready treated and would not warp and such, which of course was a concern.

AJP: A glass tank has more direct pressure on the 4 corners which is where the weight will be mostly. It should be good.

I'd suggest a few thick coats of a high gloss paint over that pressure treat wood. Killz Oil based primer is pretty good stuff for covering.

Good eye on that Larry - I didn't notice at all..

i strongly agree with agp about strengthening the stand

Strenghthening the stand would always be a plus=-)
Great pics and keep up updated.

Looking awesome RJ!!!!!! I can't wait to see everything in it!!!!!


Amanda

I did check with the lumber yard and they stopped treating the Green Wood with arsnic over a year and use other stuff that is not much of a concern.

This stand is actually more sturdy than what they sell for the 90g tanks at the LFS, it should be good.

You're right - the 2X4 is much more strength than the 2X1 that AGA uses. Difference is - the corner of the tank sit's on the 2X1 not on a rim that's connected to the vertical posts by a couple screws. I have to agree with AJP here - I would strongly suggest even just a 1X1 post at each corner that connects the top outside frame with the bottom.

Then again - I guess it depends on what you skin it with. If you're using 3/4 or 1" ply, you'll probably be fine.

It looks like the rim is level with the 6 2x4s that are in the corners and the 2x4s go all the way to the ground. If this is true there will not be much weight on the rim, all the weight will be transfered to the 6 2x4s and they would be more then enough to hold a 90g tank as long as the plywood is strong enough. I would guess he will be fine but would have done it a bit different and had the rim set on top of the 2x4s.

Hey RJ sorry to sound like we are ripping you all to shreds, we just want to make sure that you don't have your stand come down. As your tank is now all the weight will be on the rim, the rim is held to the supports by screws, so all the weight is held up by screws. By just wedging in some 2x4's it will improve stablity about 500%.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sinistard [/i]
[B]It looks like the rim is level with the 6 2x4s that are in the corners and the 2x4s go all the way to the ground. If this is true there will not be much weight on the rim, all the weight will be transfered to the 6 2x4s and they would be more then enough to hold a 90g tank as long as the plywood is strong enough. I would guess he will be fine but would have done it a bit different and had the rim set on top of the 2x4s. [/B][/QUOTE]
You are correct on that, the 2x4's go all the way to the ground & flush with the rim as well as the plywood is the strong kind 1/2" thick. The weight will be evenly ditributed on the top and 2x4's and there will also be 1/2" oak panels on the side and the front to hold the two front doors. I used quite a few screws to secure it good as well as stagering the screws to be more secure.

Now you guys got me thinking on that OSB plywood for the top. You know how sometimes you drip water down the sides of the tank while doing work. This happening over a 2-4 year period could have a big impact on the OSB to not release the water enough and could rot after some time. This in turn could put more pressure on the outside and not allow the weight to be evenly ditributed over time. I may need to go to at least a B-Grade plywood for the top of the stand instead of the C grade OSB.

Thanks for the insight everyone, I hadn't thought about that until you got me thinking on these kinds of things. This is why it is great to start a thread on a new setup, all the idea's you get from other's as well as making you think a bit more about what you are doing.

Thanks again!

OSB is suppose to be as strong and even stronger than plywood in most cases, but time and time again on Bob Vila, they state about it not being good in wet conditions. Things improve for OSB every year that science helps in making use of new technology, glue and such that has properties that do not fail under wet conditions.

Part of me is thinking not to worry about it, as Bob Vila's site talks about it rotting over a period of 15-20 years. (I am sure that there application of it though does not support 1100 lbs in such a small area. Man... this stuff just drives us crazy when thinking about all the different things that can fail over time.) I will not have this tank up for more than about 3-4 years probably without moving it or replacing it with something different. (I am sure you have seen my track record with 2 different tanks over a 2 1/2 year period, I guess I should just go with a 180g now. ;) )

There will be 1/2" oak panels on the sides and front, as well as a 2x1 in the front center for the doors to close against. I will put the 2x1 up front after I get my sump in there.

Looks like its going to be a good thread to follow.

Well... My wife and I were looking at the different type of trim available and the fancier were way to fancy for our application, so she wanted it to be nice but not to fancy shmancy. We are going with a trim around the border of the doors and a straight piece across the middle of the door, something kinda like this I think.

[IMG]http://rjwilson41.com/docs/aquarium/90g/Setup/standdesign.jpg[/IMG]

Bigger doors if you can. My 125 has 3 doors and it makes it difficult to get things done under the tank.

The drawback of using treated lumber is if it is wet like yours is now. The color of the newly built stand is a dead giveaway. If you don't allow it to dry out for a few weeks, as it dries now it will begin to flex and warp. Maybe not a lot, but it will indeed do so unfortunately. This is why carpenters recommend purchasing treated lumber several weeks in advance before building a deck, so everything stays true. And before anyone tries to debate me, I spent several years as a framer's assistant, and if he was going to build something for his own home, he'd wait. For the impatient customer, he might not but then again he doesn't have to see it every day after that. ;)

Regarding the stand as it is now, with a solid top, the weight it transferred from the surface sheet to the outer 2x4 frame to the upright 2x4s. He could add more screws now or install uprights to really beef up the top perimeter. Frankly, I don't see a stand even as it is now failing. Putting uprights in the corners will allow for the skin (trim) to look better.

Robert, my 29g's stand is over 8 years old and still is in excellent condition, and it was made with 3/4" birch plywood. It got wet plenty of times, but I poly-urethaned it a number of times before the tank ever went on it.

Btw, I love how your frilly mushrooms are growing on the old overflow. I wish mine would do something like that and get off the rockwork!

RJ,

I have followed your 55 from as early as I can remember and I'm excited to see what you will do with the 90. It will be interesting to see what the T5s do with that depth.

Brian

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by melev [/i]
[B]The drawback of using treated lumber is if it is wet like yours is now. The color of the newly built stand is a dead giveaway. If you don't allow it to dry out for a few weeks, as it dries now it will begin to flex and warp. Maybe not a lot, but it will indeed do so unfortunately.

Btw, I love how your frilly mushrooms are growing on the old overflow. I wish mine would do something like that and get off the rockwork! [/B][/QUOTE]
hmmm... On that first note... the stand frame is built... oops.. Since it is built and there are a lot of screws holding it together very sturdily, I would think it will hold it's shape and stay flat and level like it is now? I hope!:confused:

On the 2nd note, yep it is nice to have the frilly mushrooms grow on the overflow as well as the Zoa's.. but now I am moving it all to a bigger tank.. crud! I will glue the zoa's to a rock, but I may just trade the frilly's once I take them off, more will grow over the next 6-8 months. :p

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by melev [/i]
[B]
Robert, my 29g's stand is over 8 years old and still is in excellent condition, and it was made with 3/4" birch plywood. It got wet plenty of times, but I poly-urethaned it a number of times before the tank ever went on it.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I read a lot on the OSB and it seems like it will work out ok for me, I like that when I scewed it down to the 2x4's the wood did not plinter or seperate like the plywood top on my 55g did. If I treat it with a bunch of poly-urethane, I think that will help it out a bit and keep the water from soaking in to bad if I do spill some, what do you think?

The Rustoleum oil based black paint that I used on the back of my tank states it is great for wood and it also states that it is a tough resin that resists moisture and weathering. So I used it on the top of the stand on that OSB board. That should protect it from moisture and weathering, not that there will be much of that, but it should protect it some.