henward Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 Hi all i have a 8 foot by 49cms and a 6 foot by 55 cms tank i am wondering stands are blooooody expensive with the price of steel do you think that i can get cinder blocks and use that as a stand? has anyone done this?> or is it not recomended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 I don't like it, get someone to build you a timber one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 timber is more expensive isnt it? im pretty sure timber ismore expensive unless i am mistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 I had a basic, chunky and rather tall stand build for a four foot tank of timber, materials cost being $90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 timber is more expensive isnt it? im pretty sure timber ismore expensive unless i am mistaken Not more expensive than a broken tank! But yeah, it will cost more than cinder blocks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 i meant over steel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 You could use the cinder blocks (we call them breeze blocks - basically hollow concrete blocks) for the uprights, then put wood over the top (spanning the whole length of the tank) and add polystyrene on top of that. I don't see any problem as long as the whole thing is level, and as long as you have enough 'upright' parts that the timber doesn't sag in the middle. As with anything this size & weight, check that the floor is structurally sound before you start as there will be a lot of weight involved! Disclaimer: Personally I have only ever used timber stands so I have no specific experience using concrete blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 Another idea ...maybe not cheaper is to use macro sleepers. I have seen this done on a mates 6x2x2. He cribloged short sleepers to provide a "leg" at each end, then ran sleepers along the "top" to form the base. Placed 5 mm or there abouts ply on that with poly on top top act as cushion. Looks good (if you like that sort of thing), and works well. Sump fits underneath and no issues with structural support ( i think). HTH Navarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 I often use cinder blocks as a cheap stand. Not pretty but you can cover them with cloth. The holes are handy storage It has a sheet of customwood then polystyrene under it. The other layer is a Pinex under tank heat pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 has anyone here used cinder blocks type of like this the pictures above on a 8 foot tank and a 6 foot tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 I've seen it done with big tanks (600g!) but never done it myself. The biggest concern for me is that the edges of the tank aren't evenly supported as they would be with a length of steel or timber running under them. Unless it is crazy thick and the blocks are close together, ply of customwood will sag in between the blocks, remember that glass does not bend at all, so the ply/customwood won't do a very good job of spreading the load. At the very lesat I would build a 4x2 table-top to sit on top of the blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 The tank in the pic is a 4ft. I can't see ply bowing in a gap the size as shown, even on a larger tank. Having the base means it is evenly supported. If the middle row was removed it would definitely sag. See I also have some blocks running the other way at the back too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Is it ply or chipboard? It looks pretty thick, and chipboard will be more rigid than ply. The gap doesn't look very big either, so it probably won't be a problem. But on an 8' tank you're going to need a heck of a lot of cinder blocks to keep the gaps that narrow. Also, if you can see it sagging you have a big problem! Glass does not sag at all, so the sag may be less than 1mm but it would be enough to stop the ply spreading the load. Try wiggle the polystyrene in the middle of the gap between the blocks and see if there's any less weight on it than directly above the blocks. There shouldn't be if the tank is evenly supported, and given that you've had it set up like that for a long time now then I'm guessing there won't be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 if its been there awhil, then it should be ok. those blocks support tons and tons of weight, its the evenness that matters i guess. poly spreads weiiht well as well as wood how bout puuting two layers of poly and 1 wood this would give a better spread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 poly spreads weiiht well as well as wood how bout puuting two layers of poly and 1 wood this would give a better spread Poly only absorbs small lumps and bumps, like a screw-head sticking up a few mm from the ply or a rough weld on a steel stand if you don't use any wood. It doesn't compress enough to absorb a gradual change like an uneven stand like mine was, if it did then it would gradually compress flat with the weight of the aquarium. If you want to use cinder blocks then it would be easy to build a nice level benchtop using 4x2 and ply for the tank to sit on, that would be much safer than just ply/customwood on top of the blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 I remember having to line up the blocks first and swap them around as they were slightly uneven in size and it took a bit of shuffling to make sure they were even. I no longer have the tank and blocks so can't look but I am pretty sure it was chip board, not ply. The base was 1.5 - 2cm thick. The blocks are 19cm wide so the gap I had between them would have been about 22 - 25cm. That tank ran for about 4 years sitting on those blocks. I had a 3ft in the lounge, also on blocks, that was set up even longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 ... If you want to use cinder blocks then it would be easy to build a nice level benchtop using 4x2 and ply for the tank to sit on, that would be much safer than just ply/customwood on top of the blocks. This gets my vote, too. Cinder/breeze blocks for the uprights, a nicely braced timber structure for the horizontal elements. The 4 x 2 horizontal bracing will spread the load beautifully across the bottom of the tank. And don't forget a layer of poly right under the glass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 i used cinder blocks similar in the way caroyl did, except i used some timber i found under the house and used that as the top and i had another layer of wood between the bricks to use as a shelf, havnt got any pics of it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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