I am in the process of building a bench for my 160-liter aquarium (the dimensions are 100x40 cm).
The bench top consists of two glued and screwed-together shelves made of laminated Nordic pine, each with a thickness of 18mm.
These rest on a couple of lecablocks (15x19x59 cm), a total of 9 lecablocks according to the drawing below:
(viewed from above. The dashed part is the lecablock section that should be cut. All blocks are the same dimensions, there's an error in the drawing)
What I wonder is if this will hold securely. Note that at the right end of the shelves there are two stacks of lecablocks while on the left side there is only one stack. This shouldn't matter, right?
The gap under the bench will be 26 cm, which is needed because the pump will be placed there.
I have a 350-liter aquarium with a lot of stones in it that stands on a homemade bench made of MDF. It is a 19mm board on the top, then three boards on edge and then one as the bottom, under that a wooden frame with adjustable feet.
Hey thomasx, thanks for the response! Suddenly I feel calmer. And a bit impressed with your build actually.
I now realize that having two shelves totaling 36mm might be excessive if your 350-liter can manage on 19mm MDF. It's not even worth considering that the concrete blocks would give way.
My aquarium is all-glass, meaning no bottom frame or anything like that. Could that change how I should think?
No problem at all, but the important thing is to make sure everything is level. A "twisted" aquarium does not do well.
Leca is very stable since you get a large contact area with the floor, which minimizes the risk of tilting if you get swells in the tank. But it's only 160 liters, which is not particularly much.
Thank you ichgary. Yep, I'm going to let a cross laser decide the matter when the table is finished. Thanks for the tip!
I've started to realize that 160 liters isn't that much. The weight is really no more than me and a buddy together, and then it suddenly sounds much more manageable.
The most important thing of all is that the board is not warped, especially when you have a full glass aquarium, and that it does not become warped when you load it by filling it with water. You should also place a polystyrene board between the aquarium and the board since you are placing a full glass on a flat board, 5-10mm thick is sufficient. All this is to prevent the bottom from cracking.
No exactly, it must be completely flat. I've come across the expression "it's the corners that support the aquarium" and I interpret it as meaning that it's not the end of the world if, as in my design, there might be slightly less pressure under those 26 centimeters than in the rest of the surface. Worse in that case with a bulge in the same surface, I suppose.
I've ordered an aquarium pad to put under it. A bit more rubbery than a sleeping mat, otherwise there wasn't much of a difference. Thanks again for the tips and thoughts!
That's correct, ramakvarier are quite common, where everything except the edge around the bottom is free-hanging. Then these are often placed on aluminum stands that "only" have legs in the corners and at regular intervals along the long sides.
