# DIY aquarium stand calculator!



## XbrandonX

Wow, how cool is this?

http://www.fishandtips.com/index.php

I think its pretty cool.


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## Mr Fishies

That's a pretty neat tool - really helpful for the non-DIY to figure out costs and materials...at first glance. A word of caution to anyone who uses this: The diagrams it provides are not truly accurate. 4x4 (or 2x4) lumber _*IS NOT*_ actually 4x4 (or 2x4) inches. This hasn't been the case since sometime in the late '50s or '60s when lumber started to be planed/sanded smooth by the mills.

It's more like 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 (or 3-1/2 x 1-1/2) which will drop your stand height and your top depth by one (1) inch if you go by their diagrams as you loose 1/2 inch on the top and bottom frames.

I wonder how many people have built stands that came out wrong and thought _they the DIY'er _made a mistake? If you add the 1/2 inch "for precision safety" as they suggest, the diagram is still wrong. I sent them an email a long time ago to point out this issue and it's not been changed. I think they just added the "DISCLAIMER" instead of fixing it.

--

Unless you are or have access to an engineer, a useful online tool when it comes to designing DIY stands is the Sagulator. http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm It's intended more to design bookshelves etc without having them sag under load of books etc - but with a bit of effort to include both top and bottom structures of your stand, it translates easily to stand design too to calculate worst case scenario in terms of the top surface of your stand deforming.


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## XbrandonX

Ya I noticed that too and and just quietly went Hmmph..

But for the rough Idea of placement I thought it was a neat tool.


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## Mr Fishies

XbrandonX said:


> Ya I noticed that too and and just quietly went Hmmph..


My beef is not the fact there is an error - just that they won't fix it. They just put in, as they say in France, "une solution de contournement" (workaround).


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## Sunstar

they have add at least half an inch to your measurements for safety. 

my tank is 30 x 12 and I put in 30.5 x 12.5

I think it's a good tool. Anyone who makes something should always double check to ensure the sizes are as intended.


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## XbrandonX

Sunstar said:


> they have add at least half an inch to your measurements for safety.


Right but the measurements are still off, you're best bet would be to add an inch to each end when you enter the original measurements.

Even with a half inch to each end you might be cut short because 2x4's are not actually 2 inches by 4 inches. Much smaller actually.


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## Sunstar

last time I was in school I think they were 3 3/4. that was 12 years ago. I majored in wood tech.


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## Mr Fishies

Sunstar said:


> last time I was in school I think they were 3 3/4. that was 12 years ago. I majored in wood tech.


In the world of squeezing for max profit, dimensional lumber is now another even smaller than it was - it's a full 1/2 in less than the stated dimensions.

It started with 1/8 being removed from all faces to make lumber easier to handle without splintering (which was a great idea). I think the extra 1/4 inch being removed at saw time means 1 additional 2x4 for every 28 cut - an extra 3.5% profit. I wonder how much smaller it has to get before they can't be called 2x4 anymore?

I agree with the double checking (we all know measure twice, cut once), but people who will use and need this type of help may not be so diligent and could be easily misled.


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## sawman88

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACtually.....  dimesional lumber... 2x4 2x6 2x8 so on and so forth is cut at that at the mill. when it is dried its cut down and becomes what it is.. usualy its 1.5x3.5 or 1.5 x 5.5 or 1.5x 7 1/4. they arnt really cheeping anyoine out becuase as a wall stud a 2x4 has the same amount of strengh as a 2x6. before dimensional lumber the mills simply cut whatever they felt like.. ive seen 3x8 1x12 4x6 all kinds.. so


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## ka NUK

Ah! ...that explains it: I always measured _once_ (usually "by eye") then cut _twice_ ...or six times. Or used wood filler, or glued short pieces together ...

Maybe I'll take apart our balloon-framed 102 year old home and use the lumber for my stand. The 2 x 4s are actually 2 x 4 inches!

Cheers
ka NUK


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## gullyfourmyle

*Dimensional Correctness*

Most of you will never need this post. But for those who want to explore designing and building an aquarium stand, what follows should be kept in mind:

While the dimensional correctness of the drawings have not allowed for milling, on the site French site there are overall dimensions on the drawings and it's only these that are important. Carpenters build to the finished dimensions, not the detail dimensions. Detail dimensions vary from country to country in all sorts of things because there has to be allowance for the different types of building materials including woods that predominate in a given area. So you note the overall dimensions and cut your lumber accordingly. No one should make a mistake. Measure twice, cut once.

The drawing patterns as shown don't show the corners properly so you wouldn't build a stand from something designed this way if you wanted it to last more than a minute after the tank was filled. The drawings are for estimating the cost of lumber only. That could be why the drawings haven't been changed.

Building an aquarium stand from 2" X 4"s isn't a really great way to go anyway. Plywood is much better and more versatile. Plus it looks better when finished.

When building an aquarium stand stability and levelness of the four corners is paramount. So for sure you use a plywood top. You don't rely on getting your corners true with handyman's tools unless you're an experienced, skilled carpenter. Otherwise the bottom of the tank is eventually going to crack.

Even then it's a good idea to put a 1 1/2" sheet of styrofoam under the tank to allow for any uneveness in the wood. It doesn't take much to crack a sheet of glass.

The design as shown has no structural integrity to it without more detail.

These days you would do your working drawings, double check your dimensions for accuracy, then triple check. Then take your drawing to the Home Centre and if you can find an experienced carpenter, get him to check your work before you place your order. Then have everything cut to fit on their saw so all you have to do is assembly when you get home. Check the dimensions of each piece before you leave the store.

I have seen very sturdy stands made out of 1 X 2" pine with 3 three levels of shelves all bolted together. Each stand was 48" long, 20" deep and 72" high (and painted purple). The shelves were 1/2" plywood. Each shelf had four 10 gallon aquariums which are 10" wide by 20" long. This set up was very economical to build and the entire set up filled an entire double car garage. The whole thing was insulated with styrofoam. None of the aquariums had heaters but the temperature in the garage was a steady 80 degrees year round.

So if you weren't putting a bunch of 10 gallons on the stands, you would have room for fairly large tanks of other sizes. 2" X 4" construction is old fashioned and a waste of materials and space other than as strategic blocking.

Professionally made stands are not made from 2" X 4"s although there is lumber inside for blocking. Mostly they're made from laminted particle board. You can't duplicate that process but you can use plywood, then if it's a cabinet, you can line the inside with Plastic Laminate. The outside you can finish with stain and urethane. You can use mouldings to finish off the edges and make it look really good, something that adds to the room.

You can put the whole thing on industrial casters too. They're inexpensive and in a basement, they make large tank cleaning much easier.


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## damianrosario2000

*aquarium calculator*

you can find this page interesting as well. works for me!


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## KhuliLoachFan

I would prefer to do a dimensioned sketch in Google SketchUp and go with that.

You can easily create dimensioned lumber pieces, and do simulated "cuts" of your 2x4 (at actual dimensions).

W


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