aquarium stand disaster?

[LockChan]

Hey! So my uncle is gonna give me his fish tank that is very large but didn't tell me how many gallons.

Problem is there is no stand for it. I was prepared to buy a proper stand once i see the tank but... My dad got this bright idea to use these..tree stumps/blocks as stands. I tried to convince him it'll be uneven and the tank will break but he's gonna wing it!

Can i take the heavy stumps to home depot and have them saw it even for me??? Or any other suggestions please!! Thank you!

 

[Lisak1]

Oh boy. I would really encourage you to continue to talk to your dad about this one. You are right about the stand needing to be even, but a tank also need support across the entire span. Maybe you could use the stumps as "legs" but create a stable, flat base out of a piece of plywood or something. Knowing how big the tank is would help.

And I don't know about your local big box stores but ours won't even cut the wood they sell anymore, let alone something you bring in. Sawing a trunk or stump can be tricky - a knot or imperfection in the wood that you can't see can lead to disaster.

 

[LockChan]

Oh boy. I would really encourage you to continue to talk to your dad about this one. You are right about the stand needing to be even, but a tank also need support across the entire span. Maybe you could use the stumps as "legs" but create a stable, flat base out of a piece of plywood or something. Knowing how big the tank is would help.

And I don't know about your local big box stores but ours won't even cut the wood they sell anymore, let alone something you bring in. Sawing a trunk or stump can be tricky - a knot or imperfection in the wood that you can't see can lead to disaster.

Yes! My dad intends to use a big board or planks as a base. Which is cool, but whats crazy is that he's gonna rotate the stumps till its leveled and add another stump to support the middle. I am guessing he'll wedge random things to the stump to make it stable. @-@

 

[MitchM]

Aquariums have almost zero tolerence for sitting on a poorly made stand.
Ask your dad if he is willing to have a tank full of water crack and spill everything onto the floor.

It's hard to tell you what kind of stand you need without knowing the size and shape of the tank.

.

 

[Marshall]

Hey! So my uncle is gonna give me his fish tank that is very large but didn't tell me how many gallons.

Problem is there is no stand for it. I was prepared to buy a proper stand once i see the tank but... My dad got this bright idea to use these..tree stumps/blocks as stands. I tried to convince him it'll be uneven and the tank will break but he's gonna wing it!

Can i take the heavy stumps to home depot and have them saw it even for me??? Or any other suggestions please!! Thank you!

Well I have to admit I am stumped by this one. Sorry to say but the tree stump idea is doomed to fail I would not even try using them as legs to be honest. Maybe you can set up the tank accidentally during a time your father is away? A purpose made stand is not gonna set you back that much especially considering you don't have to buy a tank.

 

[LockChan]

Well I have to admit I am stumped by this one. Sorry to say but the tree stump idea is doomed to fail I would not even try using them as legs to be honest. Maybe you can set up the tank accidentally during a time your father is away? A purpose made stand is not gonna set you back that much especially considering you don't have to buy a tank.

I am hoping he will bring the tank home and just leave it alone. Then I will make my move! Haha. If can't find a stand in time then I'll improvise with some cinderblocks and such.

 

[LockChan]

Aquariums have almost zero tolerence for sitting on a poorly made stand.
Ask your dad if he is willing to have a tank full of water crack and spill everything onto the floor.

It's hard to tell you what kind of stand you need without knowing the size and shape of the tank.

.

I think its a standard sized tank. Just rectangle. Big enough to keep arowana and flowerhorns.

 

[Dave 54]

Your best bet is to buy a second hand sideboard that you wont mind getting wet, then set the tank on polystyreene sheets to protect against and small bits of gravel that may get underneath it.
At least then you know its very well supported and npo nasty accidental leaks because of a poorly put together stand

Dave

 

[MitchM]

I think its a standard sized tank. Just rectangle. Big enough to keep arowana and flowerhorns.

If you're getting a 20 or 30 gallon tank, then a standard piece of furniture will do, for example an end table.
If you getting a 50 gallon tank or larger, then you need to get serious about a stand for it plus you need to be aware of what kind of floor you are putting it on. Will it be going above a bearing wall? In the middle of a room with wooden floor joists?
If you wind up putting it in the middle of a room with weak floors, the floor will flex as you walk by and put stress on the tank, table and floor, leading to a failure sometime in the future.

Arowanas are extremely large fish, they can grow up to 4 feet in length. I don't recommend you get one.

.

 

[Dave 54]

@lock Chan I used to have a 6 x 2 x 2.5 fish tank in the front room our flooring is concrete.
We turned down a flat with wooden flooring our reason it may have ended up in the flat bellowand thus moved to our current home in 1990
You have to think these things through start to finish which includes filtration , routine water changes filter maintenance
Keeping a tank that size is no mean fete and in the end due to ill health I had to move outdoors to a pond setup.
A tank that size holds 1 ton or 220 Imperial gallons of water, which I would say is the size you would need to keep an Arowana in .
The filtration itself takes up quite a bit of space and is a fluvel FX5 we also had an Eheim 2080 Professinal III as filtration.
Just to give you an idea of the size of tank please see photo's attached and even this tank would in the end be too small for an Arowana
Personally I'd scotch the idea and have a re-think [no offence intended] .

Dave

 

[Lisak1]

Good point about the weight - a gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds. So even a small 30 gallon tank will top 250 lbs when full - and that's not including gravel or any ornamentation... or fish!

 

[Dave 54]

Its a wonder that the stand you see in the photo was still standing @Lisak1 as by the end of its 22 year life with us we found the bottom due too the od flood or two was rotten to its core , thank god the guy who bought the glass for only £193UKP less than what we paid for it all those years before at £793UKP.
All he was interested in was the glass so for £600UKP we got a bargin price especially for tank that old
It now enjoys life as a huge reef tank in his home though I've yet to see it but from what I hear it looks very nice


Dave

 

[Richardspond]

Tank stands are built to withhold pressure all around the frame of the tank evenly. It has to be supported thru the whole length of the tank. If its not and you fill it with water it will bow at the week points then finally shatter. If you can't afford a stand, your best bet is a table, which you can find cheap at yard sales but make sure it has sturdy legs. Tanks are heavy once filled up, Also keep that in mind for your flooring. Best to put a tank across the the joist not with the joist and make sure your flooring if its above ground or second floor can handle the load