# Stand Alternatives? - 55 Gallon



## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

You could build a stand yourself and have it be cheaper than going out and purchasing one. That is what I'm doing with my new 40B from the PetCo $1/gallon sale


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

There are many alternates for stands which may cost less and work fine. Lots will depend on what you like and what you happen into, though. Older furniture is often well made of real wood and will hold plenty. Look for things that transfer the load from the top to the bottom directly on four corners of wood. The corners need support but the horizontal parts are more needed to keep things together and keep them from folding over sideways like a stack of cards. Old cedar chests, coffee tables, two end tables of the same height, are all things which might work. 

I see a few concrete blocks with a couple 2X laid across the top that do the job. I prefer a bit more upscale look but they work.


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## tobystanton (Jun 27, 2012)

Get a customizable rack from costco, they have heavy duty ones for 100$ you can fit 6 tanks on, each shelf can support 2200 lbs.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I use concrete blocks and make a frame out of 2 x 4 lumber. Not fancy, but quick! I add a sheet of Styrofoam on top of the 2 x 4 frame. 1/2" thick is plenty. 

I add some shelving material across the lowest CMUs. 

The simplest way to fancy this up is to add some fabric to the 2 x 4 frame to hide the CMUs.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

WITWRCMUs?


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## Laura (Nov 18, 2010)

Those big concrete blocks... check out the stand I built for my 55. Used 2x4 stolen from my dads garage lol. Even i (33 year old power tool handicapped woman) can build a stand. Of course it could be improved on and look better, but it gets the job done.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

That's the type setup I often see. When one is in college and moving frequently there is no value in paying big bucks for a super nice stand. Function and value become much greater when you move often. I see painted blocks, painted frames or left natural. Some go further and fasten panels of plywood around the front and sides. 

One point on using concrete blocks is that they are much less likely to crumble if they are laid with the holes up and down rather than sideways. Blocks are not terribly strong on their sides and can give way.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I have used the blocks that are only 6" wide instead of 8". That is still a big chunk of concrete, though. And not kind to hardwood floors. 

Works great in the fishroom, though, where the floor gets wet.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

> ...a cheaper method for a stand...


CMU and 2 x 4 frame is about as cheap as you can get. 
A strong stand, built all from 2 x 4 is also pretty cheap, though not as cheap as the stand with CMUs. 

I have also built custom stands using some really nice wood, that I got as rejects from a job site. To buy that wood would have been WAY more expensive than to buy a manufactured stand. 

Using non-aquarium furniture works just fine for smaller tanks (say, up to about 20 gallons). Figure the weight of the tank, filled, substrate, filter... about 10 lbs per gallon. 
A 55 gallon tank weighs as much as 3 adults. That much weight supported on most of the furniture I see today will not work. One of the problems is that the legs of the furniture are not directly under the corners of the tank. Another is that furniture today is often particle board and just stapled together. 
I have used dressers and desks to support smaller tanks. Several 10s or a 40 breeder. The furniture sagged.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

To find furniture to hold a tank it will take looking at OLD furniture. The current line of furniture will not do as it is often just a thin layer of wood veneer over particleboard.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

I like using clinker blocks as my CMU when building a CBS. However I tend to stay away from PTSYP.


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