Spink Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I have a question... We have a 4 foot tank that we had intended on setting up for my husband (the non fish keeper :roll: ), but we have been waiting until we could find a suitable piece of furniture to go in our dining room to put it on. My mum has offered to buy us one we saw in the Warehouse catalogue, and here comes the question.... The tank is 1170 long, 450 high and 410 wide. The stand is 1200 long, 530 high, but only 390 wide. The length of the stand and the height of it are fine, BUT, will it be ok to have 10mm sticking out over the front and back of the stand? We'll have the usual poly underneath etc etc, but I just don't want to risk the tank cracking if it's not a good idea. Other than that, it's the almost perfect stand, and even better that someone else has offered to pay for it! I did think of putting a stiff board the same size as the tank on top of the stand first to help support the little bits sticking out, but wasn't sure if it was necessary or if it would make a difference. Any suggestions would be welcomed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deno Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 putting a board on top of the stand to suit the size of the tank...that's what I would do. So long as the stand is strong enough you will be fine. You should even be able have the overhang only at the back so that the front is flush and tidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 i have done this before using 10mm poly with no problems using a thick board as well will allow you to hang the back over 20mm as deno said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Thanx guys, I figured it would be ok, but didn't want to waste the money if it didn't work out. I also didn't want to buy it, set it up, then find that some says "OMG you DIDNT put a board under it!?" - moving a full 4 foot tank is neigh impossible, so first time right would be good! (I only moved it from the downstairs garage to upstairs and set it up for my guppies last weekend, now I have to move it AGAIN and set it up for a cichlid.... :-? :roll: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Yeah I'm with the others. Do it with the stiff board and you should be fine. Also before you commit to this piece of furniture, check underneath - do the vertical "upright" pieces go all the way to the floor, or do they stop at "kick board" height? Take a look at the back of the furniture to find out. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean, and I've been looking around the house for furniture I can take photos of to illustrate it but can't find any examples. Basically what I'm trying to say is to make sure your tank stand has vertical support, all the way to the floor, in the centre as well as at the ends. This is the only way to ensure the top won't sag under the weight of the tank long term. If you need to add an extra bit of timber under the bottom of the stand for support, now is the time to do it. It will be too late once the tank's in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 What a day! I took my husband to the Warehouse to have a look at the piece mum had picked out for us. Basically, the legs of it are HOLLOW, so there is absolutely no support in it at all! :roll: But, while we were there, we saw a book case that would be ok, but it was a bit damaged. We looked everywhere for another flat packed one, couldn't find one, so I went and asked a guy for help. In the end, we got the display model, was $149.99, on clearance for $49.97 - we paid $20 as it was damaged! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Hubby had a good look over it - all the shelves are fixed, and there's 4 so it has supports from the floor to the top in 4 places as well as the ends. He's glued it as well as re-screwed it, AND we decided to make a good strong base of 2x4 timber to add support and lift it off the ground a little to give it a bit more height. The timber cost us more than the bookcase! :lol: So the plan now is to wait for everything to dry, empty the tank tomorrow, put it on and set it up. Tank shifting is so NOT fun! :evil: I had only just brought this tank up from the down stairs garage, set it up, now I have to break it down and move all my guppies again! I did most of that tonight, but I had a 3 foot downstairs, thought I'd put them in that. Went to carry it upstairs....CRACK! It now has a huge crack top to bottom at the back of the tank! Luckily I'm one of those daft fishkeepers who has about 8 empty tanks around the place! None of them are really big enough, but i had a nice octagonal one that I set up tonight instead, so they are happily settled in there. The things I do for my husband!!!! So the King Kong tank is started, now he has to decide what sort of cichlid he wants to put in it next...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I wouldn't trust a tank that size on anything that wasn't specifically built to support 220kg+.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I wouldn't trust a tank that size on anything that wasn't specifically built to support 220kg+.... Well it's a bit late now, innit?! LOL seriously though, all the reinforcing that Spink and Mr Spink have done sounds pretty darn thorough. When I first read the word "bookcase" I thought uh-oh... but it sounds pretty solid to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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