stand question

[Kingumar]

Im getting ready to set up my 90gal. The problem im having is that the sump can only be fitted from the top and i dont want to be stuck with the same sump in case i want to fit a bigger one down the road. Can i remove the brace in the front? And to cover for taking it out, can i add additional wood beams/planks to the four corners(red arrows)?



and this is the top of the stand. The tank doesn't sit on this but im sure that's there to give more support to the stand. I am thinking about getting a stronger pice of wood there for additional support.






Any suggestions?

 

[gothunder3022]

Removing that center brace is going to increase the weight burden on the horizontal tank support. Adding additional support to the corners or cross bracing really won't help. You'd be better off scabbing an additional 2x (like a 2x6) against the inside of the horizontal support. Bracing in the middle (cross braces) may help with some shear support for the stand, but doesn't do much for glass tanks since they really only need support on the edges.

Another idea would be to modify the stand to allow one of the ends to me taken off, then you could slide the sump out that way. You can attach the stand end with hinges or magnets.

 

[gothunder3022]

Oh...and Welcome to RF, btw!

 

[thatguy559]

i wouldnt with that stand.

its possible with a car jack and 2x4 this is how i had to do it when i cracked my sump

 

[vinny2261]

THose braces are just stabled in. I have remove them and then screwed them back in. The way these stands are made I would make sure to leave in the braces. Put the sump in and the put the braces back in for assembly. If you want to change out the sump later just remove the screws from the center piece and then put it back. :}

 

[jrgilles]

I got around this problem by using gusset plates in the corners and a 2X6 on the top (instead of a 2X4). My stand is way over built though, so I think if you reinforced the corners with some gusset plates to stop any flexing, you'd probably be ok?

Here is how I did mine without any center supports (page 4-8 or thereabouts):

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B9...NGRjOWQ0NzI1ZGE0&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

 

[Kingumar]

Thanks for the suggestions.
Its amazing how these stands are made.. I got it from a guy who had the tank running for 4 years and the stand is light enough to be carried by 1 person easily. It looks and feels like it will break with all that weight. I was also thinking about things I can put in to make it stronger so I can sleep better at night lol. But again, it was being used without any problems.

Jrgilles- the links not working? It asks me to log into my google account but doesn't take me anywhere after I do.