new tank - stand question

[janderson]

Well, I admit it, I'm addicted...

I hadn't planned on it, but when I passed a garage sale Friday afternoon with a 37G sitting in the driveway, I had to take a look - and $30 later I had the tank, an eclipse3 hood with lights (2) and a stand in the truck

The owner apparently had a bad case of green algae, couldn't get a grip on it and eventually gave the fish away and drained the tank a few weeks ago. Supposedly the tank never sat outside - which I tend to believe: while the inside was pretty dirty, the outside was merely slightly dusty.

Anyway, I cleaned it, checked the wiring - everything's in working order - and set it up in my garage to test for any leaks. 48 hours later: all good.

The only problem: I think I need to replace the metal scroll stand. For aquascaping I was envisioning lots of river rock and since the stand looked a bit flimsy I thought I'd give better give it a try while it's still in my garage - and unfortunately the front is getting bowlegged.

I promptly drained the tank, but now I need to find a new stand. Not that I particularly like the one it came with, but I don't really have the time right now for a DIY project. Or a lot of spare cash sitting around. What I'm worried about is that stands for 30"x12" tanks are ususally intended for much lighter 29G. Any pointers?

Still, I'm rather excited about my new toy :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

[tel0004]

I think you will be fine. I have one 29 gallon tank next to a 30 gallon tank, both on the same stand you have. They are both built the exact same, and the 30 gallon is also built for 38 gallon tanks. There is a pretty big saftey margin built into those, also, I was worrried about the stand be sturdy as well, but after filling the tank up with water, it feels extreemly strong. I think you will be fine with it. If it does worry you or you dont like the look, then any 29 gallon stand will work, the difference in weight is only 65 lbs of water, and im sure some people with 29s do a lot of rock work as well. Or build your own and you know it will be strong. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[janderson]

I don't think I'm being paranoid -

the front part of the tank did buckle, leaving the front edge about 3/8" lover than the rear. By no means am I trusting that thing!!! Especially not on the second floor! It'll be out for trash pick-up on Wednesday, I just don't think it's still save. After all, the only thing holding the front up are two welds on each side...

Anyway, after doing some research this morning I decided that I'd probably have to build my own stand after all; the commercially available stands simply either don't fit my style - or my budget. After coming up with a $40 list of materials I decided to try one last LFS - the owner always keeps trade ins/commisioned used equipment around. And it must be my lucky day: he had a simple black wooden 46G bowfront stand in good condition - for $25! I think I'll brace it a bit, though, just to make sure there's support direcly under the edges of my (smaller) 37G.

And to make my day even better, they also just got a new shipment of plants in. I bought a huge java fern that's easily 14" and 7" wide for under $15. I can't wait to put it all together... :dance: