Hob refugium help!

xxkenny90xx · May 23, 2020

Ok I just picked this up used have a couple of questions.

One, it's bigger than I expected, will it be too much to hang on the back of my tall 30ish gallon bow front tank (or too much weight for its cr@ppy particle board stand)?

Two, it was clearly pictured in the sellers ad but I didn't notice (and he didn't mention) that one of the center supports is broken. Is this an issue? I could try to rig something up if needed I guess.

R.Weller · May 24, 2020

If it fits the tank along the length on the back, then I would expect you are fine. Weight in lbs is approx (L" x W" x H" / 231) x 9. It's hard to tell from the pic, but it's probably 30" x 3" x 5" (at the water line) or 18lbs. I wouldn't expect that to be an issue for your stank.

For the crack, grab a tube of JB ClearWeld (2 part epoxy), and cover the surface. If you have another small piece of plastic, you could use that to act as a union on the brace. Smear epoxy on the crack surface, then place the plastic over the top. The manufacturer put the brace in their for a reason, & with it dry, I would go ahead & repair before introducing it to your tank.

Congrats on adding the refug. The ecosystem will certainly benefit.

xxkenny90xx · May 24, 2020

Thanks for the helpful reply, they isn't a crack in the box itself, it's just missing one for the supports. But it sounds like your saying it is necessary to weld something on there to he'll distribute the weight, is that correct?

R.Weller · May 24, 2020

I see it now. Sorry, I did not read close enough & thought it was one of the internal braces inside the refug. Given that it appears to be a contact point, I would definitely build something for that support. If the back of your tank is painted, you could extend the stand & build something out of wood for the entire unit to rest on. You certainly have some options.