Cheap Tank Stand from Big Al's?

[Omega]

Hi everybody,

I recently bought a 90-gallon tank and stand from Big Al's. The brand is Perfecto (Marineland). Even though I steared clear of the partical-board stands and instead opted for solid pine, my brother, who likes building stuff, thinks the stand is too weak. It's not even held together with screws or nails.

My question is, if the tank or stand breaks due to the weight of the water and there's water damage, would I be liable or Marineland? The tank comes with a 20-year warranty but I'm not sure about the stand. Also, do any of you have homeowner insurance that would cover that?

 

[Persimmon]

You need to talk to your insurance company, not all plans are the same. As far as the stand, if you do not trust it, send it back. If it is just pine, you cna porbably build a much better one for less than half the cost.

 

[Jay-Stew]

HI, I just bought a 65 G perfecto pine stand from Big Al's. Typically you would never use nail's on a stand for fastening strength. Wood screw's and glue are alway's recommended. If you look at the FRAME of the stand it is constucted of a HARDWOOD. THey used glue and power staple's to fasten it together. As far as I can see these stand's are constucted properly. I did alot of research on building one myself and you really don't need to constuct a frame that would hold the weight of the world. Alot of the plan's say they are using overkill in the design's. Have faith in their stand! Just be sure your stand is set-up level , flat and on a stable floor. As for the liability, I have yet to hear of a insurance company that would gladly fill a claim. I also donot recall geting a warranty with my stand. I have mine set-up now and it probably weigh's 750 lbs. and I am not doubting it's structure. Good luck with the set-up!!!

 

[Omega]

Glue and staples doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me.

 

[Soulcoffr]

Well, glue and staples are very strong in the right application. Remember that this stand isn't going to be moving around much. It's a static application. So all it really needs to do is be able to support the weight of the tank. There's no torsional stress on it (except for maybe some if it's not quite level.)

This isn't a sofa we're talking about here. There isn't people getting up and down on it and there's no one jumping onto it. It's like a TV stand. Your tank isn't a moving thing. The strength of the stand is in the vertical members that transfer the weight of your tank to the floor. So as long as the vertical members aren't shoddily made, it should handle the dead weight of the tank. Then as long as the members which support the edges of your tank are OK, then you should have no problems.

Having said that, however, keep in mind that Perfecto is building these stands to a price point. So they're going to be building them with the minimum amount of materials. But they're also not going to sell you something that's going to collapse under the weight of 1000 lbs of tank. That wouldn't be good business for them. They're a reputable company, so you're probably going to be OK with this stand, I'd think.

If you move a lot, you'd want to replace the stand after a couple of moves. Moving is hard on most furniture.

 

[beviking]

Supposedly (I've never tested it) the glue to wood bond is stronger than the wood itself. Any professional (contractors/construction types) or woodworking hobbyist I've talked to has said this (not that third hand information is always true). Granted the shear strength of a staple isn't much, but it isn't the staples holding up the stand, it's the wood. Keep it dry and it will hold up the tank.

A friend of mine wasn't impressed with the hardwood stand he bought so he reinforced it with more wood.

My motto is if you're worried about it, replace it or do something to satisfy your suspicion.

 

[Soulcoffr]

Exactly. If you have doubts about the stand, you can always have your brother reinforce it to his liking. But just make sure in reinforcing the structure, you don't weaken it.