middle of stand bowing slightly

[ingram34]

i can fit a toothpick between the gap
the tank is 75g. i built the stand myself. the gap is only on the front, the back has no gap so im thinking the front board is just warped a little bit. its been up for around a month now. theres 100lbs of sand. if the back board isnt bowing at all, do i need to worry about replacing the board on the front immediately? the tank is on the second floor of the house, so it definitely would suck if it collapsed.

 

[fishguy242]

hi, welcome to the reef...
Sorry ,yes I see 2 problems,
1 warped board, would replace ,add plywood and level top ,both ways.
2 no need for foam under rimmed tank...

 

[((FORDTECH))]

i can fit a toothpick between the gap
the tank is 75g. i built the stand myself. the gap is only on the front, the back has no gap so im thinking the front board is just warped a little bit. its been up for around a month now. theres 100lbs of sand. if the back board isnt bowing at all, do i need to worry about replacing the board on the front immediately? the tank is on the second floor of the house, so it definitely would suck if it collapsed.

This is why any stand I build I use at least 2x6 on top depending on tank length to prevent the bow and 2x4 for rest of it. I’d probably redo it.

 

[ingram34]

This is why any stand I build I use at least 2x6 on top depending on tank length to prevent the bow and 2x4 for rest of it. I’d probably redo it.

the back isnt bowing. its just the board on the front. they are cut from the same board, i think one was just warped from the beginning. would i be fine if i just put a piece of plywood on top.

 

[ingram34]

hi, welcome to the reef...
Sorry ,yes I see 2 problems,
1 warped board, would replace ,add plywood and level top ,both ways.
2 no need for foam under rimmed tank...

how exactly do i level the top.

 

[MoshJosh]

How big is the tank? Probably don’t need to do anything as long as the 4 corners are supported (only applies to rimmed tanks). Some people make racks for rimmed tanks that don’t support the middle at all.

This is the Aquarium Coop rack, none of the tanks are supported in the middle.

 

[fishguy242]

how exactly do i level the top.

Front to back ,side to side, shim if needed.
IMO , rimmed tank should be supported all the way around, 1 tweak ,water is on your floor.

 

[Tlledsmar]

Man, I see stands like this under 75s all the time and I have to wonder why people are trusting 850-900lb on these builds.

 

[Tlledsmar]

If it was me, for the time being, I'd be jacking and adding middle supports. Then when you get a chance start from scratch or at the very least pull that out and brace it with plywood. All you are waiting for now is a twisting force like a kid or dog running into a corner and you'll have a big mess at the very least

 

[ingram34]

How big is the tank? Probably don’t need to do anything as long as the 4 corners are supported (only applies to rimmed tanks). Some people make racks for rimmed tanks that don’t support the middle at all.

This is the Aquarium Coop rack, none of the tanks are supported in the middle.

75 gallon

 

[ingram34]

If it was me, for the time being, I'd be jacking and adding middle supports. Then when you get a chance start from scratch or at the very least pull that out and brace it with plywood. All you are waiting for now is a twisting force like a kid or dog running into a corner and you'll have a big mess at the very least

its in my bedroom upstairs. my dogs arent allowed upstairs, there is a gate to stop them from coming up. there is no kids either.

 

[MoshJosh]

75 gallon

Mmm well never seen a 75 gallon on the type of stand I mentioned.

My honest opinion. . . it's probably OK haha

the safe thing to do is level it out haha

I would make a center brace then use a jack to level the top and slide the brace under.

 

[Tlledsmar]

its in my bedroom upstairs. my dogs arent allowed upstairs, there is a gate to stop them from coming up. there is no kids either.

Haha the bedroom is the most likely place in my house to get a little accidental nudge but I guess if you aren't so wild a you think it's totally fine then you do you.


The upstairs part is extra spicy ! I hope your floor joists are up to snuff

 

[edd59]

that cross beam should be 2x6 minimum. redo the stan
from the looks of the stand i find it hard to believe the top is true flat. one of the causes of tank failure.
the reason some manufacturers give 5 yr warranty on there stand and 1 yr on home made.

 

[Tlledsmar]

I see the risk here, but what is the reward?

 

[DCR]

The lack of support under the tank in that region will put a lot of added stress on the bottom seam as the bottom glass tends to bow under the weight of the water. Depending on the thickness of the glass, there is a reasonable chance it could fail down the road. This is typically an issue building stands from framing lumber as they are almost never straight. I doubt you will be able to bend that cross beam by adding a center support to make contact with the tank. What I often do is place a thick piece of insulating foam board on top of the stand and then add a piece of 3/4" plywood on top of that and then place the tank on top of the plywood. The idea is that the foam board will crush down and give support to the plywood, but it is only effective with minor imperfections. I believe the simplest thing for you would probably be to add a sheet or two of 3/4" plywood between the stand and the tank and then add shims between stand and the plywood wherever there are gaps to provide support in that area.

 

[ingram34]

Haha the bedroom is the most likely place in my house to get a little accidental nudge but I guess if you aren't so wild a you think it's totally fine then you do you.


The upstairs part is extra spicy ! I hope your floor joists are up to snuff

nobody comes in my room. i dont think i would ever bump into too hard.
its an old house. i have no clue how strong the floor is

 

[Tlledsmar]

nobody comes in my room. i dont think i would ever bump into too hard.
its an old house. i have no clue how strong the floor is

I'm not saying that your tank is gonna explode tonight and the heater cracks and burns your house down. I AM saying that you are playing a guessing game with materials that you do not understand, and that could lead to some pretty bad happenings. If you want to blow that off , that's fine. Good luck with sale.