DIY - Projects & Ideas • Reinforce or build new?

[TheOriginalFuzzy]

I'm going to be installing a custom sump soon in my existing stand under my 55g Malawi tank. Plans are in the works for a 122g to be built on the same stand (in place of the 55g) this fall, but I want to plan ahead and do any necessary reinforcement now while I have the stand apart to install the sump. The future tank is going to be 49X20.5X30, 12mm glass. I have reservations about trusting 2X4 reinforcement to hold that kind of weight. Would it be adequzte to use 2X4's to reinforce or should I use steel square tubing, or should I just build a new stand altogether?

[TheOriginalFuzzy]

here are pics of the existing stand:




I know many of you have large tanks and DIY stands so I figure someone has to know what works best by now. This will be the biggest tank I have had so far so I'm not really sure what is going to work best... All I know is a tank that size is HEAVY! Haha

[Rick_Lindsey]

2x4's have an amazing compression strength, but i'm not sure how you're planning to install the reinforcements. I would certainly feel comfortable with a stand built out of 2x4's. Most of the DIY stands you'll see on here are massively overbuilt (not necesarily a bad thing, if it makes you feel more comfortable)

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)

[TheOriginalFuzzy]

thanks... I was wondering how long it would take before someone answered! I saw a lot on here but nothing about whether they started bowing after a short time or not... haha thanks again