75 Gallon stand... Granite?

Hey guys so a buddy of mine and I are building the stand for my 75 gallon and he used some great looking Brazilian Teak wood for what was supposed to be my temp stand which will now be my perm stand, what do you guys think should I have a dark granite top? I should be able to get sum scrap that would fit perfectly and look great, what do you guys think btw heres the stand as it is right now, once he has more free time I will be adding paneling and doors to match

 

The extra weight of a granite slab maybe a bit much, up to 30lbs. a square foot You may want to try granite tiles on top 3/4 plywood. With but joints, sealer, and properly level it could save you 20lbs. a square foot. Cabinet looks great though.

 

thanks, yeah I asked him the same question, whether or not he thinks that might add to much extra weight, I really love the look of the cumaru wood, nvr would have though to use Teak but he had a bunch extra so it works haha I was a little concerned if it would be able to hold all that weight but he was saying it is one of the densest woods so that makes me feel a little better

 

That's going to be beautiful! One thing though (and don't take this wrong), but is there going to be more robust bracing? A 75 reef could easily weigh close to 800 lbs., and from the pic it doesn't look like it would do that safely. Maybe I'm missing something though.

 

Teak is dense and strong, plus it holds up fine to saltwater. I would oil the teak 2-3 times a year to keep it from drying out.

 

awesome so do you agree that the stand should be strong enough? I was reading something and it said that the Cumaru we used is up to 8 times stronger than red wood!!!!! oh and the granit slab would add approx an extra hundred pounds.... oh and good point on oiling the teak

 

That looks really flimsy to me. But then again I know nothing about teak wood. It looks great though. That would make a great show piece as well as your tank. Haha. Ill have to look into teak now. You have got me intrigued.

 

It does look a little on the light side. Are those 2.5x2.5's?

Maybe add some handsome cross braces. The stand looks good, and you want to preserve that look.

It would be a lot of weight sitting on those 4 skinny poles.

 

600 pounds in just water. Not to mention rock and the tank itself. So to be safe I would plan for atleast 800 pounds sitting on top. That 600 gallons of water doesnt include displacement from the rock though.

 

I know Teak is very strong, but it's not the strength of the wood that's going to give you problems, it's the joints and lack of bracing. Just not enough structure there in my opinion. Also, if it matters, I've done a TON of wood construction including several aquarium stands. I just don't want to see a catastrophe happen.

edit: (my 2 cents) those four (guessing) 2X2's have plenty of strength to support the four corners of an 800 lb object, but they will twist, plus the tank will have no mid-support. I say buy some more wood and keep building. You have a good starting point there and it could be a gorgeous stand.