20 Gal Nano Reef Build thread!

[ryanb69]

Building my stand**

[FishyFishy!]

any pictures of the tank itself?

[ryanb69]

My brother lives in calgary and he actually gave me the tank as a birthday gift, but I wont be able to get it from him until mid december. I will also be getting his old ro/di. He picked up some sand, salt, and bulk rock for me in calgary as it was cheaper then at bayside corals here in town. All in all, December will be busy!

[FishyFishy!]

Thought so! thats my old tank haha

[ryanb69]

Haha cool!! I haven't seen it yet but my brother said its a nice little tank

[ryanb69]

I have gotten a good start on the Stand! I purchased some 2x4's at Rona along with screws and L brackets and went at 'er. I only have the frame done. The outside will have some sort of paneling, as well as 1/2" plywood on the top and in the bottom(where i'll store food and waterchange gear). I will be putting a door on the front and staining the whole thing! but picture time!

[ryanb69]

The stand is very near completion! I spent my whole holiday relaxing and didn't get much done on the stand, so it has been a few weeks since the start of the project. I now have the entire stand built to its completion, but I am waiting to apply a protective clear coat finish. It has been a very productive fish week for me as I also got my ro system plumbed into my basement. I currently have a 20g brute full of ro water, so come Monday, Hopefully there will be water in the tank! Here is the stand as of now! Let me know what ya think

[gregzz4]

The stand looks awesome. Lots of strength there
Because of the way we build these 2x4 stands, I'd recommend you use some styro between the tank and stand. It will take up a lot, but not all, of the variances between the 2. Has saved many a people broken tanks
This stuff, or something similar. 1" is the norm and most use the pink stuff
It's also a temperature insulator for the tank, so it's nice to have

[daniella3d]

Is this really necessary for a 20 gallons tank?? it does not weight much.

Originally Posted by gregzz4

The stand look awesome. Lots of strength there
Because of the way we build these 2x4 stands, I'd recommend you use some styro between the tank and stand. It will take up a lot, but not all, of the variances between the 2. Has saved many a people broken tanks
This stuff, or something similar. 1" is the norm and most use the pink stuff
It's also a temperature insulator for the tank, so it's nice to have

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

Is this really necessary for a 20 gallons tank?? it does not weight much.

This is not meant to cause concern for anyone not up on the topic, just some info to ponder ...
The purpose of rigid foam is to take up the minor inconsistencies between the tank and the stand.
In a lot of cases, especially with long glass surfaces, but also with small/thin-walled tanks, it helps or stops stress on the different panes by not flexing the tank.
It's a judgement call as to whether it's necessary for a 20g. After all, a 20g only holds 167 pounds of water, before you throw in sand and rock. So a larger estimate would be more like 2-250 pounds. Now, stand on a flat piece of glass with a pebble under one edge and see what happens
Grab a cardboard box and twist it. Eventually something will buckle.
With the stress already in a tank, why add to it?
Most store-bought stands are OK, but I've seen some crappy ones. Unless it's virtually flat, it's risky.
Hope that helps answer your question without raising more