?reinforce my tank stand?

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 21, 2013

i have a 72g bow front and im ready to start filling but I feel that my tank stand may not hold the weight once I start filling it with sand a live rock the stand came with tank am I just thinking into it to much and how would I reinforce

KoleTang · Jul 21, 2013

If you could post some pics it would help a lot.

Try pushing on the stand (as near to the top as possible) from front to back, as well as from on side towards the other. Does it give at all?

Ron Reefman · Jul 22, 2013

72g of rock and water is going to weigh about 600 pounds. Vertical 2x2 or 1x4 can hold that kind of weight and that is what most 'factory' stands for that size tank are made from. KoleTang (previous post) hit the big issue. How stable is it? Add 100 or 200 pounds to the stand (have somebody sit on it, LOL!) and try rocking it end to end and front to back. If it 'wiggles' at all, add some cross braces diagonally in the plane in which the stand 'moves' (i.e. the sides or the back).

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 22, 2013

its 1x4 vertical but the tops are notched so the top rim only sits ona 1/2'' of the wood I been looking at it for days and I don't know how to reinforce it I was thinking plywood on the inside of the rim alittle thicker so the bottom glass sits on it and the frame of the tank sits on the rim ill take tank down tom to take pics

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 22, 2013

72_gallon_bow_front_fish_tank_stand_only_150_philadelphia_29745793.jpg

this the exact style my stand is except mine is black

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 22, 2013

as you see only half the 1by is used front is mostly doors and you only got the one center support in front and back

simonellis86 · Jul 23, 2013

Hi everyone this is my first post on here im just starting out in marine i have a rio 400 and i needed to fit a sump in the cabinet so i removed the cupboard sides and put two box frames in (see the picture below) and they are now fully supporting a 400l tank with loads of rock so i hope this helps, just ask and i could take more photos if needed.

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 23, 2013

I wouldn't trust it there is no support left

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 23, 2013

no back to my stand I did put all new nails in used gorilla glue on all the seams I just keep questioning it

Ron Reefman · Jul 23, 2013

Does your tank have a rim of plastic (frame) mat the bottom? And is it lower than the bottom glass? If so, the bottom glass isn't sitting on anything anyway. It's the way most (many) tanks are supported. If the bottom glass sits on a hard surface you have to be much more careful about being flat, smooth, level and still use a foam cushion of some kind.

Mike J. · Jul 23, 2013

Ryeguy1284 said:
no back to my stand I did put all new nails in used gorilla glue on all the seams I just keep questioning it

I know those factory stands don't look like much, but they work just fine if they have not been altered in any way.

Mike J. · Jul 23, 2013

simonellis86 said:
Hi everyone this is my first post on here im just starting out in marine i have a rio 400 and i needed to fit a sump in the cabinet so i removed the cupboard sides and put two box frames in (see the picture below) and they are now fully supporting a 400l tank with loads of rock so i hope this helps, just ask and i could take more photos if needed.

This looks dangerous.

Ryeguy1284 · Jul 23, 2013

Mike J. said:
This looks dangerous.

that's what I thought but thank you everyone for your help I will go for it

jservedio · Jul 23, 2013

I have an MDF stand for my 20g and had to hack out all the support to fit a sump and reinforced it with a frame that basically looks like the subfloor of a house with a few vertical supports. Here is a picture (You might want to use something more heavy duty than 1x2):

Basically, go around the inside of the stand where the tank sits with a "box" and put a few cross members in to keep it sturdy. Then, put supports in all 4 corners and possibly 1 or 2 in the middle. Since its a wooden stand, it probably is pretty strong already.