Room divider install suggestions pls
 

Thinking of doing a built-in room divider in my new place in a highrise condo - a 4' tank so either a 90gal or 120gal and a sump underneath.

I'm trying to figure out some dimensions to give my contractor.

How high should I build the stand if I have 8' ceilings so the whole setup is balanced and still viewable & serviceable?

The top will be enclosed and wall would be about 8' long.

Any suggestions?

I guess that it's also called a penninsula tank.

I'm thinking in the 32"-34" range - What has anyone else used & how do you find it, especially for ease of maintenance on the display and in the sump below it?

The most visually appealing (to me anyway ;)) is to have the top third point in height of the tank close to eye level. With the two tanks you mentioned the height (most common anyway) is 22" or 24", so you want the eye-height above 16" up the tank, on a 6' person that puts the bottom of the tank at 40" to 56" from the floor.

Just my opinion.

Charles

I usually go the same height as my counter tops (36"). Good for standing viewing and about perfect for me for seated viewing. At this height I can do all maintenance from the floor and I use a 2-step step stool if I have to ever reach the bottom of the tank with my hands. This also gives lots of room for the sump and skimmer and lots of height left above the tank.

That's how I hang paintings etc, too.

I thought about doing it this way, but I don't know if I want it that high for a tank because most of the time it will be viewed from either the dining room or living room, but sitting down.

Be nice to try with a 36" or 48" tank to have the extra height, but maybe not the extra lighting you'd need for it :(

i was wondering about that - If I knock down the wall in the kitchen and put in an island, I'm thinking the tank (which would only be 5-10' away) would have better symmetry if it was at counter height.

Do you have enough room underneath for the sump with skimmer?

my peninsula tank sits on a stand that's about 34" high and that has worked out well. Mind you, I'm sort, so I didn't want my tank much higher. The tank itself is only 20" high. I suppose if I was taller I could get away with a taller stand that would give me more room underneath. But in 5 years of running this tank I haven't found it an issue working under there.

I have 2x4's at the stands base followed by 1/2" plywood and 1/2" foam for the sump to sit on. The top of the stand is cross braced with 2x4's as well. On top of the foam I have a standard 29g tank converted into a sump and my skimmer is 21" high. I have no problems removing the entire skimmer out of the sump even with losing 8" of height under the stand due to building material. The height of your sump and skimmer size should be taken into consideration when planning out your stand.

I agree if you are standing to admire your tank. I like to sit at my desk and view the tank at a height of 34 inches stand height. I guess it depends on how you like to view your tank.

I remember seeing your tank on a trip to Calgary, while I was still living in the East Kootenays. Very nice installation.

You didn't have a top going up to the ceiling, I think, and it seemed balanced in the space.

My custom stand (at the time) could have used a couple of extra inches of space under the stand, so I'm being more cautious on this build ... :biggrin:

Anyone know how much weight (ie: how many gallons) can be supported on a 2x4 vs. a 2x6 stand across a 4' span & a 6' span?

How big is your tank?

The cross-bracing is one of my concerns for room underneath. What you've done is pretty much the same thing I was thinking of, too. 2x4's would help create more head-room.

My tank is a 75g custom that measures 36"Lx24"Wx24"H and is frameless with an external overflow. The cross bracing I used isn't to help support the weight just to prevent any warping of the 2x4's and plywood. Years ago I had a standard 75g on a 2x4 stand as well without any issues with one vertical support in the middle of the long run.

So the 2x4 stands will hold a lot of weight ... :)

You could easily put a full sized truck on a simple 2x4 frame. If you're worried about earthquakes or people running into it from the side you'd need a little more lateral support (cross bracing). Here is mine made from 2x6 for a 270g. It's so overkill it's humorous :)

http://www.lithicimages.com/photos/i...-vtcb3dD-L.jpg

http://www.lithicimages.com/photos/i...-w7jFw5W-L.jpg

http://www.lithicimages.com/photos/i...-2cccMML-L.jpg

Yeah - that's the $million question - how much vertical bracing for the weight (like a house frame to the foundation) and how much vertical for the span.

Big Al's has a 3/4" square tube steel stand that is just a single tube in all directions - no centre bracing - supposedly it will support the weight ... :question:

PM Steve (sphelps) and ask him. He will know, or at least have an educated guess for you.

Thanks I'll give him a shout.