[Steak Taco]

First off I want to say hi - I've been reading lots of useful info on here for some time.

I've had aquariums off and on for the last ten years and now that we are in a house I plan to stay in for a long time I want to go all out with at least one wall in one room of my house.

The space I have to work with is 9' 10" wide and I would like to put two 75 gallon tanks side by side and also put a couple smaller tanks below those not sure on size yet. It looks to me that the easiest and sturdiest way for me to accomplish this is with cinder blocks.

The only concern I have is with looks, what I am thinking about doing is building small frame of 1x1 around top and bottom to attach plywood to so that it looks good. I have a couple more questions before I go to home depot and start building.

How high can I safely go with the blocks? I want to be as high as possible to have the two top tanks off the ground away from my dogs. The bottom tanks will more than likely be only 12" deep so they can be set back some.

The blocks will be on carpet so is putting a piece of plywood under blocks good idea? If it is it would make attaching 1x1 and plywood sides much easier.

How many columns of blocks should I use to support weight?

Thats all the questions I can think of for now, any help with ideas, comments, suggestions very appreciated.

 

[BillD]

Lots of people use blocks to build tank stands. A couple of things to consider, is whether they will be cementeed together or, freestanding, and how you will level them. Personally, I would only use them if they were going on concrete, and the first ones would be level, and all at the same height. This can be accomplised by setting them in mortar, or sand mix.
One other consideration that has to do with height is how you will work on the tanks. If you don't mind working off a step ladder or stool, height is less of an issue.

 

[Steak Taco]

The stand will be on a concrete slab, out here in Arizona thats how most houses are built with no basement. As far as the height goes I'm not wanting it super tall just around same height as store bought stand. After looking at lowe's earlier I seen the blocks are 8" high so four tall would be good plus 3 1/2" for the frame and 3/4" for the plywood top would bring it out to around 36 - 37" tall stand.

 

[BillD]

That is definitely not a tall stand, and ffour blocks should not be an issue. My reason for stating I would prefer to place it directly on concrete, rather than over carpet, is so I could set the first ones on concrete for leveling purposes. I do understand why you wouldn't want to remove the carpet from underneath. If you are planning to attach plywood sides for cosmetic reasons, it would be easier to build entirely out of wood, especially if you are going to have a lower shelf. Good luck, however you decide to do it.

 

[Steak Taco]

Ya I don't think my wife will let me tear up any carpet, she might not like that very much. :roll: I still haven't told her my plans yet.

I was thinking about wood also but thought I might be better off playing it safe with the blocks and having the little bit of wood work just be cosmetic. As far as the lower shelf what I was thinking was just making a couple smaller block stands in between the supports for the top sands maybe one block high and flush with the outside edge so I could skin it all evenly. That way I could put maybe 20 gallon tanks down below. Hope this makes sense if it don't let me know and I will try and explain better.

 

[Mcdaphnia]

The weight of the block plus the tanks will soon destroy any carpet under them, so you might as well remove the carpet. Put ceramic tile on that section of the floor and even face the cement blocks with tile. There was a thread here a long time ago with photos of what great things a talented or patient person can do with cement blocks and some ceramic tile. Maybe someone remembers the link.

Too bad you are not in Phoenix. My daughter lives near there and had a landscaping company build a tiled and stuccoed cement block stand for a grill beside their patio. The company must make their profit from the quantity discount they get on materials, because you could barely buy the raw materials for the job for what they charged for the whole thing finished and ready to use.

 

[Steak Taco]

I found the thread with the guy that did it with tile and looks very nice. After thinking about it some more I probably will remove the carpet about 2' off the back wall. The bad part is I have no experience with tile work. I wish I did because he did do a very nice job. Here is the link if you haven't seen it. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... c&&start=0

I'm still thinking I could skin the front fairly easy if I attach the plywood to the 2x6 frame on the top and make a 2x4 frame abound bottom to attach to. I won't need to do the sides because you won't be able to see them if I go tight up to the wall on both sides. Has anybody done this before or have any examples of someone else that has?

 

[Steak Taco]

Well after going back to lowe's the cinder blocks I found are 16" deep so that would make my stand almost 36" off the back wall. So I'm back to the drawing board might end up having to use wood. Also very strongly thinking a sump would be nice instead of the two smaller tanks down below.