stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Hello everyone! I got a 30 gallon tank today (my 15 gallon broke ) and it came with an aluminium stand. My question is, is it solid enough to support the weight of my tank? Do I need to change it for a wood one? Thank you Link to comment
Gilligan Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Got a picture? It depend on the construction, specifically will it bow in the center. Something made out of aluminum should be decent as it is not a cheap material to build with. Curious how did your 15g break? That sucks. Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 I attached a picture. Yea well my husband threw me a SHOE and thought that I would catch it (lolll) of course, I didnt catch it and broke my tank in millions of pieces, a real nightmare...because of a shoe, it really sucks. Link to comment
bonsaidarrell Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Was this stand sold as an aquarium stand? There is nothing wrong with aluminum as a material, though I can't tell how sturdy the one in your picture is. Does it wobble side to side at all? Link to comment
Gilligan Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Shoe throwing is popular in some countries. OK so if the stand came with the stand and is intended for the stand,I guess it must have held. Aquarium stands are shockingly under-built. Small tanks are easier to build for as they could be pretty much supported by just the corners. A 30 gallon stand, I would like to see a little stronger. The concern is there is no angle bracing and the metal, steel or aluminum would bend very easily across the middle part of the tank. If you take the tank off and push down you will see what I mean. Also if you were to push the aquarium sideways too hard, it could easily collapse if it leaned too far. If you like the clean look of it, have some angle braces welded or bolted on that go from the center at the top, down to the outside corners. It would still have a clean look, similar to the ADA tanks, but with a upside-down "V" instead of an "X". This will reduce/eliminate sagging as well as adding shear strength side to side. You can see on the ADA tank stand that it has a thicker piece that goes under the tank to resist deflection. There is also a rubber mat in between that makes any little bend be corrected by the mat to some extent. http://glassbox-design.com/2008/simplicity-aqua-design-amano/ Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Well... I don' t really like the clean look of the stand to be honest, maybe I should consider your idea of the upside down V instead of buying another stand, I will need to think about it :sThank you very much for your advice Link to comment
Mojado Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 That corner joint makes me nervous. If it was a butt joint, then maybe. Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Ya I don't like it too... :s Link to comment
Gilligan Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 It would be a convenient stand to attach some veneered plywood to. If you get the matching "edge" tape, you can iron or glue it on the edges (contact cement) for a clean look. Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 There is nothing wrong with aluminum as a material, though I can't tell how sturdy the one in your picture is. Does it wobble side to side at all?: It doesn't wobble at all though Link to comment
Gilligan Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Well you are probably good to go then, just being cautious. You could always put a few screws through it into the wall studs behind, this would add side to side strength as well as eliminate any sag on the back rail at least. Nice and easy. Maybe have a few cedar shims handy in case your floor is not perfectly perpendicular to your wall. Link to comment
Tamberav Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I have a steel stand that looks almost the same except it has some cross bars. It is solid as a rock and hold 2 40B's. I plan on skinning it with wood one of these days so it's a lot prettier. it looks like yours was made similar and would hold a 2nd tank of the same size at the bottom. Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Wow they really look similar!! Ya I am pretty sure that another tank would fit at the bottom of mine too.. For how long do you use this stand? Link to comment
stephanie4784674 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Update: my husband inspected the stand and he's pretty sure that it's steel, not aluminium! Link to comment
Tamberav Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Used it for a year now. The steel stands are nothing to worry about. It will hold and its treated to be rust resistant. Link to comment
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