Tank stand question! NEED QUICK REPLY!!

B

Bgolfer88

AC Members
Feb 17, 2010
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Virginia
I got a 28 bowfront/light combo at petsmart for $30 (yes $30) and need a stand asap b/c I have livestock I was hoping to move in soon. I'm a bit of a broke college student and can't afford much right now. so the question..

I have a solid table that will work but it's a little short by a couple inches on the sides, is this ok for now? I am going to find something that truelly works as soon as i can (shop goodwill etc).

As for any comments abouting making sure to cycle aquariums: I am using filters that are currently running (condensing guppy tanks), using gravel from cycled tanks, and am adding StressZyme (for additional bacteria), and will be monitering parameters closely with a master kit.
Thx!!!
 
It's highly recommended not to put an aquarium on a stand with the edges unsupported. I'm not sure if you can use plywood or something to support the entire bottom...if that would be ok for a short term solution. I think it also depends on the height of the table. Do you have the dimensions of the table? What's the table made of?

Is the aquarium glass or acrylic, btw?

You can make really cheap stands out of cinderblocks and plywood. Not pretty but, safe and functional :)
 
Picture without water please.

It sounds like it should work, (28[gal]x10[lbs per *aquarium* gallon=[roughly]280lbs) just make sure that table can hold 300lbs and your good. fyi I doubt it'll weigh this much, but for safety you should over exaggerate a little as water is ~8.5lbs/gallon.
 
Plywood/cinderblocks is super easy and works great. I did that for my 40 gal breeder. Took about 10 min to set it up (not including the paint that I insisted on using, which FYI doesn't even show... LOL). I'd do that over a table any day. I realized just how heavy water is when my 10 gal made my dresser bow out big time. And that's about 1/3 of the size of what you're talking about. I'd really hesitate to do it that way. JMO of course.
 
cinder blocks...2x4...plywood.....$20 tops...
 
I think they sell cheap rectangular metal stand that you assemble. If an edge slightly sticks out you can then place a 3/4-1" board that fits on top of the stand beneath the bottom tank panel. For a Bow front a board traced out and cut to fit would insure a good look but nothing thinner then 3/4" thick.

I have seen people use all solid wood old discarded matching night stands which becasue of there stout box construction make very strong end support with a solid 1" Bord overlay, same theory as the cinder block setup which I don't recommended on large tanks over 100 gallons but in your case this smaller tank should be fine with block as well.
 
Cinder block and 2x6 stands are way cheap, and you could even skin the setup to make it look like a custom stand!

That's funny, let your wife jump on the stand to see if it'll break. lol!
 
Bgolfer88 said:
i decided no way after having my wife jump on it.. I guess i'll have to wait to find something else.
Click to expand...

Jumping on something isn't necessarily a good indication of its integrity for holding a solid unmoving object. A tank stand with a solid top may not have any support in the middle but will still hold a tank due to the fact that it's braced to support the frame sitting around the edges. Acrylic tanks must be supported all the way along the bottom, but not glass tanks with a frame (You'll notice that stands for the average glass tank are not made to support the glass on the bottom. Most stands for glass tanks have no middle portion touching the tank at all).

That said, I would be hesitant to put an aquarium larger than 10-20g on something not specifically made for it (I did have a 125 on a desk, but it was supported evenly along the bottom and the desk had very solid bracing. The previous owner already had it filled with water sitting on there for years and there was no warping or anything.), and I would NEVER put a tank on anything, solidly braced or not, where it is not completely supporting the bottom frame, or at the least all 4 corners evenly. Also, bowfronts are more prone to leakage when torqued because of the shape and the way the glass has to be set in them, so you should not put a bowfront on a stand not made to sufficiently support the bottom frame ever (which is good advice for any tank really. Torquing something built of glass is never good). I've known a ton of people that had to reseal bowfronts even when put on frames made for them, just because it was not levelled properly.
If you choose to DIY the stand or use something not made for tanks then you need to make sure it's completely level where it supports the frame and the frame is fully supported all the way around the bottom.
 
If you're worried about the look, do the cinder block stand idea and then put a tablecloth over the whole thing and then the tank on top of that. That will at least add a nicer touch to it if you were planning on displaying it out somewhere!
 
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