kien's 150g Room Divider Mixed Reef & Stuff

[Dez]

Originally Posted by kien

That is one concern that I definitely had with the stand. I followed the same plans that just about everyone else on the web uses to build their stand, found here. The guy who came up with the plan says the centre supports are not needed. I've been keeping an eye on it since I filled it and I am getting no deflection at all. I realize that this doesn't mean I will *never* get any deflection though. At any rate, I am not as worried as I used to be. I think it helps a lot that I used a 2x6 for the top supporting rails (actually a must if you are running 72 inches) and on top of that there is a thick 2" slab of very rigid MDF that the tank rests on. I do have 2x2s cut already that I might put in, each 12" from either side so that the long span is no more than 48 inches. I don't plan on putting a centre brace right in the middle of my 72" span though.

If you build your own stand, be sure to use wood glue. It makes the whole thing much sturdier.

Sorry to hijack your thread kien.....my 150 sits on a 76" stand only supported on either end with 2 x 6 as a top rail. (My 150 is only 5' long). I don't think there's a concern with 2 x 6. My very first tank was a 90 gallon (4') and all I did was stacked cinder blocks 3 high on either side, slapped a piece of wood on the cinder blocks and that's what the tank sat on - NO top rail at all. Hope this helps.