Thread: Slight Warp in Aquarium Stand

Your attached image thumbnails don't link to bigger pics, or are they really that small? Can't see anything at that size.

... Steve

Sorry about that. New pics attached.

That's better. Now you'll have a higher chance of getting decent answers.
I'll leave it to the experts, except to ask if there's any visible water damage or staining and are the joints separating at all? (I ask that because the joint in the pic with the level appears to have opened up.)

... Steve

Definitely no water damage and the joints seem ok as well. This stand was from a company that made these stands that had to be assembled by the customer. All the holes were pre drilled and they supplied all the hardware. The whole things is pretty much screwed together and some of the joints are not perfect which leads me to believe that this stand could have been been built this way.

I will not claim to be an expert but I do not think you have anything to worry about.

I tend to agree with handy, One eigth of an inch in a mass produced flat pack probably isn't too bad, anyway.

Hi
Can you take a pitcure with the door open as as i believe there should be uprights inside that are the real load bearing and the outside is more for decoration than real load bearing

if you have a 1/8" error on the left as the PIC's show do you have a corresponding error at the other end??
It may be worth disassembling the stand and rebuilding , although as the issue is 1/8"/3mm is it worth the drama as it probably is not noticeable from 2 mt away.


Jeff

The right side has a slight warp as well but its a little less. Its not that noticeable as my wife cant even see the warping on either side. Not so much worried about how it looks. Just want to make sure it doesn't get worse and cause any problems. Last thing I need is to have this aquarium come crashing down because the stand gave out.

Nosnow, I will take some pics of the inside when I get a chance tonight. Front and back of stand also have 5, 1 x 4's for support as well. Only thing that scares me is that some of them are not flush with the top (you can see in pics once I get them posted)

For once I can claim to be an expert, as I had a pet shop for 18 years and sold thousands of tanks and stands over that time.

The critical factor is the supporting beams that the tank sits on. (Everything else is cosmetic.) These need to be level or the tank base can and will eventually crack. If the supports are not 100% level there is an easy solution provided it is a minor variation. Between the tank and the stand you need to put a thick layer of styrofoam. For a tank of that size, about an inch thick should do the trick.

If there is no variation, a half inch thick layer should be enough.

By the time you fill it with gravel and water, that stand will be supporting about 1100 pounds.

Pics of the inside stand. The dark 2x4's are what I just added.

You are not going to want to hear these comments and I hate to say it, but the design of that stand is not good and I would never have sold anything like it as I believe it is risky, and there is a much better and safer design stand, especially for large tanks.

A sheet of ply for a supporting base that has to hold 1100 lbs in not a great idea. It would be way better if there were solid wood support beams every foot or eighteen inches across the length of the tank. Those beams would then go into solid wood supports that were supported by four solid wooden legs.

A plan of the base would look like this .
And like this

It would then have the cabinet built around the frame.

Originally Posted by TORB

You are not going to want to hear these comments and I hate to say it, but the design of that stand is not good and I would never have sold anything like it as I believe it is risky, and there is a much better and safer design stand, especially for large tanks.

A sheet of ply for a supporting base that has to hold 1100 lbs in not a great idea. It would be way better if there were solid wood support beams every foot or eighteen inches across the length of the tank. Those beams would then go into solid wood supports that were supported by four solid wooden legs.

A plan of the base would look like this .
And like this

It would then have the cabinet built around the frame.

Totally understand what you are saying and if I were to build my own stand that's definitely the way I'd go. Funny thing is that all the mass produced aquarium stands from the big companies like Marineland, AGA, etc are all done with 1x4's for supports. Makes no sense but it works. Most people tell me the stand will be fine but I'm not sure its worth it. I will probably constantly worry that something is going to happen with this stand.

Understand. If I was you I would also be worried.

I have seen enough tank disasters to make me very aware of the critical nature the stand plays in the tank story.