22 replies to this topic

[truecrimson]

Hello,

I picked up a 25.25 x 18.25 aquarium cheap ($25) on Craigslist for a native set up. It did not come with a stand. I cannot find one to fit and have been quoted roughly $140 to $180 for a custom one. That's more than I want to spend.

Would it be safe using a 36x18.5 with this, with 1 edge of the aquarium unsupported?

How about a sturdy end table, lamp table, or desk?

Any other suggestions?

Thank you

[gerald]

A sturdy table or desk might work; but 'sturdy' is a judgement call.  You didnt specify the height, but if it's 18" tall that's 35 gallons, or about 300 pounds.   Using the 36 x 18 stand with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top would be a safer bet. on a on

 

Actually you could put that tank AND a 10 gal sideways on a 36 x 18  stand if you cut the board 36 x 20.   A 10-gal base is 10 x 20".  Hard core fish geeks always look for places to squeeze in an extra tank.

[truecrimson]

Sorry, it's about 23.25 inches tall, 40 gallons acording to the guy I got it from. Depending on which online calculator I use I get weight results between 400 and 480 pounds.

I like the idea of the plywood on top of the 36 inch stand and another aquarium. Thank you.

[truecrimson]

Well, now I have a new problem. The stand I was looking at is rated for 450 LBS. Two references I checked gave weights for full 40 gallon aquariums at 455 or 458 depending on dimensions. But I cannot find a reference that matches the dimensions of this tank.

Two online calculators in which you enter the dimensions yourself give 334 just based on gallons, 368 with dimensions entered, and 477 with dimensions entered.

I guess I could look for a 36 inch long stand rated for a larger aquarium.

[WheelsOC]

I've got a break-down iron stand made by Over The Edge that's going to support my oddly-sized Marineland 56-gallon, 30.25"x18.25" footprint display tank.

http://www.aquariumf...om/stands-racks

 

All their stands are designed to actually support MORE than one tank, with a bottom support bracing that can pull double-duty to hold a sump/refugium or merely a second display tank.

 

I found the price to be reasonable compared to many of the alternatives, especially wooden stands. They'll also give you a quote for custom sizes.

Edited by WheelsOC, 31 January 2017 - 06:50 AM.

[Chasmodes]

truecrimson, have you considered a DIY stand?  Maybe wood or a cinder block stand, if you or someone you know have some carpentry skills?  You might save some money that way...

 

This is a great link for making a wooden stand:  http://reefcentral.c...d.php?t=1169964.  Probably everything you'd ever want to know on how to build a wooden stand can be found in this thread, tons of people have chimed in.  In fact, there are about 224 pages of posts to read through if you have time  .  That said, I think the OP on that thread has a pretty good template especially for a tank your size.

[truecrimson]

I've got a break-down iron stand made by Over The Edge that's going to support my oddly-sized Marineland 56-gallon, 30.25"x18.25" footprint display tank.

http://www.aquariumf...om/stands-racks

 

All their stands are designed to actually support MORE than one tank, with a bottom support bracing that can pull double-duty to hold a sump/refugium or merely a second display tank.

 

I found the price to be reasonable compared to many of the alternatives, especially wooden stands. They'll also give you a quote for custom sizes.

 

I love their stands.  I found them other day and contacted them for a quote.  They are the place that quoted me $169 for fully welded, and $138 for take down.  There are some things that make me hesitate though.  I don't really want to pay that much for a stand when I only paid $25 for the tank.  Also, while I like the idea of 2 tanks on one stand I would have to find another tank that was 25 1/4 x 18 1/4 external dimensions to go on the bottom.  Clearly they exist as I have one sitting in my living room.  But I have not seen another.  Lastly it would take about 5 weeks to get made and delivered, and like most people these days I am impatient   

 

I may end up going with them if I don't find anything else, though.  I certainly expect to buy something from them in the future for a more normal sized aquarium.

 

truecrimson, have you considered a DIY stand?  Maybe wood or a cinder block stand, if you or someone you know have some carpentry skills?  You might save some money that way...

 

This is a great link for making a wooden stand:  http://reefcentral.c...d.php?t=1169964.  Probably everything you'd ever want to know on how to build a wooden stand can be found in this thread, tons of people have chimed in.  In fact, there are about 224 pages of posts to read through if you have time  .  That said, I think the OP on that thread has a pretty good template especially for a tank your size.

 

I did, but I didn't think I had the resources.  However that thread you linked to makes me think I could do it if I had the place I bought the wood cut it for me.  I'm about 6 pages into that thread so far and a lot of it is way over my head.

 

A metal 2 tank 36 x 18 or so stand popped up on Craigslist for $20.  I'm going to look at it Friday.  The lady selling it doesn't seem to know much about it and I couldn't get her to give me accurate measurements.  If that doesn't pan out then I will definitely revisit both of these ideas.

 

Thank you guys very much for the help.

[Khai Wan]

I have used costco steel rack (those that comes with wheel, right now it cost $90). Each shelf can sustain 800 lbs on even surface. I have placed 40-45 gallon on the shelf and have no problem. I have used it for the last 10 years, no accident. The plastic sleeves that come with the box are very hard and strong; these sleevs are to hold the shelf on the poles. There are six shelves in a box. It also comes with eight steel poles with connectors. Basically I split them into two racks; each rack has three shelves. I don't use the wheels as it cannot sustain such heavy water weight.

[Khai Wan]

Forgot to mention, each shelf can hold four 10-gallon tank also.

[Doug_Dame]

I have used costco steel rack (those that comes with wheel, right now it cost $90). Each shelf can sustain 800 lbs on even surface. I have placed 40-45 gallon on the shelf and have no problem. I have used it for the last 10 years, no accident. The plastic sleeves that come with the box are very hard and strong; these sleevs are to hold the shelf on the poles. There are six shelves in a box. It also comes with eight steel poles with connectors. Basically I split them into two racks; each rack has three shelves. I don't use the wheels as it cannot sustain such heavy water weight.

 

I have several of those type units in my garage.

 

Basically, they come in two flavors:

(1) those where the box clearly states the load the shelves can handle, and

(2) those that look identical from a cosmetic point of view, but there is no mention of the load capacity.

 

Beware Type (2). 

 

----

 

Regarding DIY with 2x4s: A basic miter-box and hand saw combo costs under $25 at most any home improvement store. 

 

One thing to look for in a good design for a wood stand is 

   tank weight --> wood --> wood --> ground. 

In other words, at no place on "the path to the ground" do you want to have the tank's (or tanks') weight supported by screws, bolts or nails. 

 

Certainly, you CAN put in enough screws etc that they'd hold up a truck. But if you're building something for only a couple of tanks, it's just as easy to design it so all the weight is supported by solid wood. Use the screws to hold things together, and for providing some lateral stability. 

[truecrimson]

Cool.  I'll have to look up what a miter-box is   Thank God for youtube

 

Tomorrow I'm going to look at a stand from craigslist.  At $20 I'll probably buy it for future tanks even if it doesn't fit my current one.  I'm thinking the hard part is going to be figuring out it's weight capacity.

 

If that doesn't pan out I will likely take another look at DIY.  That thread Chasmodes linked to is monstrously long and some of the physics discussions rival the biology and ecology discussions here.  I'm still chewing my way through.  But the basics of it seem doable.  Put the wood together and screw in the screws.  I'd also have to get wood that doesn't need further finishing.  I've already had an ongoing problem for a number of years trying to de rust and paint cheap AK mags in an apartment setting.  Lesson learned.  Staining, painting, powder coating, and other forms of finishing are probably deal killers right now for me.

[truecrimson]

Khai Wan, we have some of those metal shelves in our spare bedroom for storage of stuff.  I'm not sure they are stable on carpet, though maybe with +/- 450 pounds on them they would be.  Do you think they would work on wall to wall carpet?  My wife is worried about our cats knocking over a stand that isn't rock solid,

Edited by truecrimson, 02 February 2017 - 02:11 PM.

[truecrimson]

Well, the stand from craigslist was a bust.  Apparently the seller couldn't tell the difference between 13 inches and 18 inches.  She assured me that she had two 55 gallons tanks on it that overhung front and back for many years.  I declined to take the chance.  That was in Reading.

 

So then we decided to go to That Fish Place, so we drove all the way back to the other side of Lancaster.  It was a fun place to visit, with lots of fish to look at and a ray petting tank, but not really worth it in the end.  They had a very limited number of stands.  Several met the size requirements, but were upwards of $140 to $180.

 

We ended going all the way back across Lancaster to Petco and got an Imagitarium Brooklyn 40 gallon tank stand which is 36.5 x 18.5.  They had it marked at $10 more than the price on their website, but they matched the online price.

 

I'll put a piece of wood on top of it.  The only thing that bothers me is that while it says it is a 40 gallon stand I cannot find an actual weight capacity anywhere.  It gets good reviews, and no one has mentioned any issues that I have seen.  Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

[truecrimson]

Ok another stand question.  We really liked the idea of putting a piece of plywood on top of the 36 inch long stand and putting another aquarium on the end.  My wife is now getting into this now and has become interested in a 15 gallon column that is 13 3/4 x 13 5/8.  This stand is  18.5 x 36.5.  My 40 gallon is 25.25 x 18.25.  If we got the board for the top 40 x 18.5 do you think that would be enough to support the 15 column on the end where it would extend by a little more than 3 inches?

 

Do you think the stand would support both aquariums?  There is not a weight capacity listed, but I have live chatted with Petco customer service twice.  They cannot tell me a weight capacity, but someone is supposed to be contacting me.  One of them told me that it should hold about 150 pounds more than the full weight of a 40 gallon.  The other told that it would support a full aquarium possibly up to 455 gallons.  So I ma not sure about 2 aquariums on it.

 

This is the stand we bought 

http://www.petco.com...and-40-gallons#

[Squeaky McMurdo]

My 50 gallon has a 36x18 footprint and is sitting on a sturdy little table with a board across it. I'm sure your stand would accommodate a 50 gallon too. You usually find things made for those measurements labeled 50/40 breeder. Excuse the mess. My kids "cleaned" which translated to shove everything under the stand. I don't know why it's upside down either.

 corrected photo.jpg   158.86KB   1 downloads

I also have a 75 gallon sitting on an old refinished dresser. Old furniture tends to be built pretty sturdy. I wouldn't trust today's particle board stuff. I think you're in good shape with your metal stand. The legs are probably better or equivalent to a 2x4.

[truecrimson]

That is awesome.  Thank you.  Cute kid too.  I guess I am over thinking it, and being a little paranoid.

[truecrimson]

Well, my wife has decided to buy her own aquarium and stand so now the 10 x 18.5 (or larger with a board) left over space at the end is mine to use. Do you think a 15 or 20 gallon would be too much additional weight for a 2nd aquarium?

Edited by truecrimson, 11 February 2017 - 09:29 PM.

[truecrimson]

I went out in search of a board or plywood for the top of the stand today and ran into another problem. All of the wood needs to be stained or otherwise sealed, which I cannot do in my apartment.

Almost got sold MDF (I think it was MDF) by one Home Depot employee. Then another told that it would absorb water and swell. He told me to get PVC board.

Do you guys think PVC board will work on top of the stand under the aquarium?

[gerald]

I've use plain unfinished plywood to support tanks on metal stands for many years. Even if you spill water now and then it shouldn't stay wet long enough to do any real structural damage - just wipe it dry.   A styrofaom layer on top of the wood will give you a bit more peace of mind and safety margin for wiping up spills.  Dunno about plastic wood: it's certainly more water resistant, but probably less rigid under a long-term weight load.

[Cu455]

I used unfinished wood too. If you are concerned you can use flexseal or flex tape. All you have to do it the top edges.

How about some pictures?