Durable stand? Looking for some help

dlynch8802 · Oct 27, 2016

Looking for some help. I bought this stand from Petco http://m.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petco-brooklyn-40-gallon-metal-tank-stand . Not fond of petco stands but this one was metal. I would totally trust it with a 40 breeder, but I wanted to put a 65 on it as it's the same footprint.

Question is, will it support it? I bought two 3/4 in boards to put on the bottom and top to better distribute the weight (I live on the second floor). Anyways, if anyone could help me out on weather it's fine i really appreciate it.

Thank you!!

Ocelaris · Oct 27, 2016

I'd add up the weight , water is about 8 pounds per gallon, so a 40 breeder is 320lbs and a 65 is 520 roughly , so another 200 pounds. It's hard to say without seeing what the legs are made of, but if it's solid metal I think you'd be fine . Stability is probably key , is it strong side to side, I. E. If you put lateral pressure on it?

cracker · Oct 27, 2016

dlynch, Is the wood 3/4 plywood? This stand was made for a 40 breeder right ? I think it would be OK . What's up that the tank doesn't go to the edges of the stand? Is that the 65 sitting on it? If it was designed for an aquarium, I like the room You have underneath.

dlynch8802 · Oct 27, 2016

Thank you guys, it's actually a 29 on top, that's what's going to be the sump. The aquarium will be the exact footprint of the stand and will line up evenly. The wood is a nice 3/4 plywood to evenly distribute the weight

dlynch8802 · Oct 27, 2016

It also stays in one solid piece if I put lateral pressure in it

Ocelaris · Oct 27, 2016

I would just make sure to get the stand as level as possible before putting the tank on. Since the tank is directly above the legs you want it distributed evenly , without stress because one leg is lower etc. . . They make plastic shims that are water proof, but I just used the Cedar ones .

cracker · Oct 27, 2016

There Ya go ,The weight will be at the corners and somewhat around the edges. If The tank is sitting on the stand proper it should be fine.
Also Ocelaris is right gotta get it as level as possible. Might be a little tough to do on the carpet.

dlynch8802 · Nov 1, 2016

@cracker and @Ocelaris , I put some 5g water jugs on the corners of the stand to see how it holds up and it seems to have caused the plywood underneath the stand to bend. Will that still happen when the tank is filled on top and sump is on the bottom plywood???

It seems kind of concerning

Ocelaris · Nov 1, 2016

Sorry, missed the carpet, but that will help level somewhat. When you say bend, I doubt that 40 lbs is going to warp it, but the thing to look for is if the structure is not stable. Take into consideration the random buckets exerting force unevenly. A full tank will distribute the weight evenly. If the legs are buckling or sinking unevenly into the carpet that's one thing, but personally 2 buckets might do random stuff if it's unevenly balanced. I'm not concerned unless the stand isn't setting a good footing in the carpet or underlying structure. If you can jump up and down forcefully in that spot without the floor moving, I'm not terribly concerned. This is highly unscientific!