I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

"The Ranger" wrote in message
ndwidth...
I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

plans? build a ladder frame for the 2 sides out of 2x4s add more 2x4s for
cross pieces. use 3/4" exterior plywood for shelves. use bolts to put it
together, not nails or drywall screws.

paint it black.

charlie wrote:

"The Ranger" wrote in message
ndwidth...
I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

plans? build a ladder frame for the 2 sides out of 2x4s add more 2x4s for
cross pieces. use 3/4" exterior plywood for shelves. use bolts to put it
together, not nails or drywall screws.

paint it black.

Building it out of 2x4s will work, but it will be pretty ugly and bulky
for what it does. I'd suggest finding someone who can weld up a decent
stand out of square structural tubing and expanded flattened mesh for
shelving, with adjustable leveling feet. That type of project would take
me about 2 hours and about $50 in materials to do (you prime and paint
it), so it shouldn't be that expensive if you find the right person.

Pete C. wrote:
charlie wrote:

"The Ranger" wrote in message
ndwidth...
I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to
handle the weight from the water, have an area underneath for
storage, and something that cannot be pulled over should a young
child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

plans? build a ladder frame for the 2 sides out of 2x4s add more
2x4s for cross pieces. use 3/4" exterior plywood for shelves. use
bolts to put it together, not nails or drywall screws.

paint it black.

Building it out of 2x4s will work, but it will be pretty ugly and
bulky for what it does. I'd suggest finding someone who can weld up a
decent stand out of square structural tubing and expanded flattened
mesh for shelving, with adjustable leveling feet. That type of
project would take me about 2 hours and about $50 in materials to do
(you prime and paint it), so it shouldn't be that expensive if you
find the right person.

Does the school have a metal shop?

HeyBub wrote in message
...
[snip]
Does the school have a metal shop?

No, unfortunately, it doesn't and neither do I have access to one. I can
_probably_ find a local welder to put something together but then I'd be
getting into costs I'd rather not.

The Ranger

The Ranger wrote:
HeyBub wrote in message
...
[snip]
Does the school have a metal shop?

No, unfortunately, it doesn't and neither do I have access to one. I
can _probably_ find a local welder to put something together but then
I'd be getting into costs I'd rather not.


Okay, maybe one of the kid's dad owns a metal shop?

Or beg a donation from the local pet stores (they could put up a discrete
sign to justify the gift...)?

A "Wanted" ad in Craigslist?

One more thing - anchor the sucker to the wall!

The Ranger wrote:
HeyBub wrote in message
...
[snip]
Does the school have a metal shop?

No, unfortunately, it doesn't and neither do I have access to one. I can
_probably_ find a local welder to put something together but then I'd be
getting into costs I'd rather not.

The Ranger

Here is your opportunity to start a fascinating hobby!
Come on over to sci.engr.joining.welding and ask the
great folks who do this kind of stuff every day, would
be my suggestion.

--Winston

The Ranger wrote:

HeyBub wrote in message
...
[snip]
Does the school have a metal shop?

No, unfortunately, it doesn't and neither do I have access to one. I can
_probably_ find a local welder to put something together but then I'd be
getting into costs I'd rather not.

The Ranger

2x4s, plywood and screws aren't free either you know. You may be able to
get a local welder to build it at materials cost if it's for a suitably
charitable use.

On Jun 17, 3:47*pm, "The Ranger" wrote:
I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

Are you looking for 1 stand for all three tanks, or three stands, one
for each tank?

If it's 1 stand, or you looking for 3 tall or 3 wide?

Important questions, don't you think? g

Anyway, when I built the stand for my 55 gallon tank, I went to a
couple of pet stores with my tape measure, a pad and a pencil and took
measurements from the various wooden stands that they carried. When
the clerk came over and asked if he could help, I simply said "I'm
building a stand for the fish tank and supplies I'm going to buy from
you when it's done." He was happy to let me continue taking the
measurements.

The stand I chose turned out to be nothing more than a weekend project
and it's been holding various tanks for well over 20 years.

It looks sort of like this, but I made it shorter so the kids could
see the fish when they were young (the kids, not the fish) and I
stained it to match my decor. The 2 large rectangles are doors with
spring loaded hinges.

http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...255000101B.jpg

DAGS and you'll find lots of sites like...

http://www.aquarium-stand-plans.com/

On Jun 17, 7:21�pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jun 17, 3:47�pm, "The Ranger" wrote:

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

Are you looking for 1 stand for all three tanks, or three stands, one
for each tank?

If it's 1 stand, or you looking for 3 tall or 3 wide?

Important questions, don't you think? g

Anyway, when I built the stand for my 55 gallon tank, I went to a
couple of pet stores with my tape measure, a pad and a pencil and took
measurements from the various wooden stands that they carried. When
the clerk came over and asked if he could help, I simply said "I'm
building a stand for the fish tank and supplies I'm going to buy from
you when it's done." He was happy to let me continue taking the
measurements.

The stand I chose turned out to be nothing more than a weekend project
and it's been holding various tanks for well over 20 years.

It looks sort of like this, but I made it shorter so the kids could
see the fish when they were young (the kids, not the fish) and I
stained it to match my decor. The 2 large rectangles are doors with
spring loaded hinges.

http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...255000101B.jpg

DAGS and you'll find lots of sites like...

http://www.aquarium-stand-plans.com/

My buddy with a metal shop built me a nice strong stand out of steel
box beams, its on casters for easy movement. best thing i did

DerbyDad03 wrote in message
...
Are you looking for 1 stand for all three tanks, or three
stands, one for each tank?

If it's 1 stand, or you looking for 3 tall or 3 wide?

Important questions, don't you think? g

Very! 2 long by 2 wide but I also thought 3 long by 1 wide, attaching it to
the wall and using it as a divide for the reading area and remaining
classroom.

http://www.aquarium-stand-plans.com/

Coo-elle. Thanks!

The Ranger

"The Ranger" wrote

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

You want a table with a lower shelf. Can you bolt it to the wall? If so,
you have the stability needed. A simple 90 degree angle bracket to the base
and wall will do this.

If you want 30G water total on one table with 3 tanks, you will need a
center pole at front and back or the wood will bend, based on standard sizes
of tanks.

1 inch thick plywood for the top, cut 14-24 inches 'deep' depending on your
wants for display area before the tanks. (cut to 24 inches if you have the
space and set to 36-40inch tall and you do not need to bolt to the wall). A
standard 8ft long will work for this or you can tighten for most tanks to
6ft.

6 posts of 2x4 (can get away with 1x2 for center support set but creates
problem with cross-pieces). May want to split this every 2 feet if you
want 8ft long top so need 2 sets of center posts.
Corner-center-center-Corner.

Now the harder part. I personally would use 90 degree metal angle brackets
to secure the lower shelf and legs to each other and prevent 'wobble' but I
bet you want to cut a top stabilizing set that fits between each 'leg' at
the top and perhaps sister the legs at the bottom for the bottom shelf. You
need to be sure the kids can't pull it over.

To secure it, look at your standard coffee table. See how it has a wood
part cut to fit between the legs? It's not there just for looks. You will
pretty much build the top then then legs then flip it on the backside (legs
up) and measure carefully and cut to fit pieces that fit between along the
legs and nail or angle bracket them in. Flip it back to standing position
and nail a shorter bit of wood to the legs that starts from bottom up to how
high you want the second shelf underneath to be, then cut the plywood so it
leaves room for the legs and just rests on them.

I hope this helps.

On Jun 17, 7:44*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
"The Ranger" wrote

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

You want a table with a lower shelf. *Can you bolt it to the wall? If so,
you have the stability needed. *A simple 90 degree angle bracket to the base
and wall will do this.

If you want 30G water total on one table with 3 tanks, you will need a
center pole at front and back or the wood will bend, based on standard sizes
of tanks.

1 inch thick plywood for the top, cut 14-24 inches 'deep' depending on your
wants for display area before the tanks. *(cut to 24 inches if you have the
space and set to 36-40inch tall and you do not need to bolt to the wall). *A
standard 8ft long will work for this or you can tighten for most tanks to
6ft.

6 posts of 2x4 (can get away with 1x2 for center support set but creates
problem with cross-pieces). * May want to split this every 2 feet if you
want 8ft long top so need 2 sets of center posts.
Corner-center-center-Corner.

Now the harder part. *I personally would use 90 degree metal angle brackets
to secure the lower shelf and legs to each other and prevent 'wobble' but I
bet you want to cut a top stabilizing set that fits between each 'leg' at
the top and perhaps sister the legs at the bottom for the bottom shelf. *You
need to be sure the kids can't pull it over.

To secure it, look at your standard coffee table. *See how it has a wood
part cut to fit between the legs? *It's not there just for looks. *You will
pretty much build the top then then legs then flip it on the backside (legs
up) and measure carefully and cut to fit pieces that fit between along the
legs and nail or angle bracket them in. *Flip it back to standing position
and nail a shorter bit of wood to the legs that starts from bottom up to how
high you want the second shelf underneath to be, then cut the plywood so it
leaves room for the legs and just rests on them.

I hope this helps.

An enclosed cabinet would look better (IMO) and probably be more
stable if built correctly.

The beauty of the one I built is that I didn't have to rip a single
piece of wood. I didn't have a table saw at the time, so I planned it
all around standard 1 by sizes.

The two sides are 1 x 12's, the top and bottom are 1 x 4's, mitered to
form a rectangle, the front and rear face frames are 1 x 2's and the
panels and doors are 1 x 6's. The only sawdust I made was from simple
crosscuts and routing of bullnoses.

With the top and bottom rectangles doweled together at the miters and
then glued and screwed to the 1 x 12s and the face frames, and the
face frames glued and screwed to the 1 x 12's, there's no way for this
unit to rack or wobble.

Like I said, it's similar to this, but shorter, and really not much
more than a weekend project.

http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...255000101B.jpg

cshenk wrote in message
...
"The Ranger" wrote

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

You want a table with a lower shelf. Can you bolt it to the wall? If so,
you have the stability needed. A simple 90 degree angle bracket to the
base and wall will do this.

If you want 30G water total on one table with 3 tanks, you will need a
center pole at front and back or the wood will bend, based on standard
sizes of tanks.

1 inch thick plywood for the top, cut 14-24 inches 'deep' depending on
your wants for display area before the tanks. (cut to 24 inches if you
have the space and set to 36-40inch tall and you do not need to bolt to
the wall). A standard 8ft long will work for this or you can tighten for
most tanks to 6ft.

6 posts of 2x4 (can get away with 1x2 for center support set but creates
problem with cross-pieces). May want to split this every 2 feet if you
want 8ft long top so need 2 sets of center posts.
Corner-center-center-Corner.

Now the harder part. I personally would use 90 degree metal angle
brackets to secure the lower shelf and legs to each other and prevent
'wobble' but I bet you want to cut a top stabilizing set that fits between
each 'leg' at the top and perhaps sister the legs at the bottom for the
bottom shelf. You need to be sure the kids can't pull it over.

To secure it, look at your standard coffee table. See how it has a wood
part cut to fit between the legs? It's not there just for looks. You
will pretty much build the top then then legs then flip it on the backside
(legs up) and measure carefully and cut to fit pieces that fit between
along the legs and nail or angle bracket them in. Flip it back to
standing position and nail a shorter bit of wood to the legs that starts
from bottom up to how high you want the second shelf underneath to be,
then cut the plywood so it leaves room for the legs and just rests on
them.

I hope this helps.

It did and it is appreciated.

The Ranger

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:47:04 -0700, "The Ranger"
wrote:

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger



The hard part is not allowing a child to climb onto it. Do not put a
shelf underneath, but a cabinet is okay. Make the stand as low as
practically possible to lower the center of gravity and let all know
that touching the tank and/or stand is an infraction. It should be
easy and cheap enough to build one from 2x4's.

Phisherman wrote in message
...
[snip]
The hard part is not allowing a child to climb onto it.

It's easier than you think; "no" worked the charm this last year quite
nicely. It was the single child that kept coming into the classroom from
another area and pounding on the tank that was my Achilles Heel.

Do not put a shelf underneath, but a cabinet is okay.

Why? I can store food, equipment, and other items away without having them
walk off.

Make the stand as low as practically possible
to lower the center of gravity and let all know
that touching the tank and/or stand is an infraction.
It should be easy and cheap enough to build one
from 2x4's.

That's what I've implemented and continuing to count on.

The Ranger

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:47:04 -0700, "The Ranger"
wrote:

I'd like to build a stand for three 10-gallon fish aquariums for my
classroom. Preferably, I'd like something that is strong enough to handle
the weight from the water, have an area underneath for storage, and
something that cannot be pulled over should a young child "lean" on it.

Are there any "plans" out there for building such?

Many thanks!

The Ranger

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ighlight=stand

wrote in message
...
[snip]

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ighlight=stand

Thanks!

The Ranger