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Ok, some of you might thing this is silly but to each his own. My current setup is seriously ready for an upgrade. I'm looking to go w/ either a 75gal or 120gal tank. I only have one Res but I'm still not sure of gender and I don't want to have to upgrade again anytime soon. My biggest dilema is that my wife was an interior decorator. She really has issues if things don't fit in. She knows we need to upgrade and supports that. We both like comtempory furniture. We both have been very disappointed in what we have found so far (the only thing we have both like is a wave shaped front tank and matching stand but that is retailing for almost a grand). Any one have a source for something different? Metal would be nice but nothing w/ scroll work please. I'm considering makeing my own but I am unsure how much support does the tank need? Will the entire bottom need support or just the edges? My current 20L has a simple white metal stand but it seems only the ends of the tank actually rest on the stand. I'm sure a 75Gal will weight considerably more. My wife suggested a low coffee table the we could modify and I can have a piece of aluminum plate cut to fit the top if need be. Any ideas/comments/sources would be appreciated. Thank you.

Given that a gallon of water weighs about 8.3 lbs., when you multiply that by the number of gallons you'll have in the tank and add that to the weight of the tank itself, you're looking at a lot of weight! I've heard of people using dressers and coffee tables to put their tanks on, but can't imagine putting a larger tank on something like that without some type of reinforcement.

Yea, we are definately not looking to use regular furniture. The coffee table idea would definately need some support. I was thinking I could cut a piece of 1/8" or 1/4" aluminum plate at work to better distribute the weight. It's just when you look at stands in the stores like Petco or Petsmart, they are all just particle board and they don't seem to really have much more support than a dresser? I've seen some nice solid wood stands but those are usually way out of my price range and very country or old fashion looking. I've tried to find some metal stands but those usually have some funny looking scroll work or flowers on them. I'm also concerned about the rig being top heavy because we have 4 cats and they most definately like to watch the turt. I've never caught them on the screen yet but there's been ample evidence they'be been there before. I'll keep looking...........

My 125 gallon tank has a steel stand that my brother welded together. I've seen several DIY aquarium sites (usually those that deal with reefs) that have 2x4 wood frame stands. Those are not very modern looking and are fairly bulky, but I'm your can design it to fit your decor.

Steve,
Can you post a pic of your stand or point me towards a pic? Does the stand support just the edges of the tank or the bottom also?

I don't think I have detailed pics of the stand, but I'll try to look for some or take a few new ones...

The stand is supported with 6 main legs. There is a frame all round that is padded, and that frame has 4 or 5 horizontal braces and plywood above that. The top of the tank has 1 and it supports my UVB light.


Tank/Stand corner


Middle stand leg


Primary horizontal support on the stand (sorry, don't have pics of just the stand)


Underneath the stand - the beam on the left is an extra support, the one on the right is the primary support.

I plan on using some paneling or press board to cover the sides of the tank.

Hi All,
Just picked up a fairly nice stand from a salt water retailer. Close out. He was offering a stand, 75gal All-Glass tank for $350. He had two stands and only wanted $100 for the stand. A friend and I each bought a stand. I didn't really feel like paying $250 for a tank so I went to Petco and found the same exact tank for $169. All I need now is a filter and I can move Bob over.

PS. Petco has several RES larger than mine. They have both male and female side by side. This enabled me to determine that Bob is indeed a girl. Might have to rethink the name thing. We'll see.

Just keep in mind that your female RES is going to grow to be 9-12 inches in length. The rule of thumb for tank size is 10 gallons per inch of turtle.