Stand Heights?

[Pufferpunk]

I'm just wondering what is the standard height for a stand? I just picked up a custom stand for my 90g & it was 43" tall! The fellow that made it said that was the standard height for all his stands. After the tank & canopy is added, that's a total of 83". My room is only about 95" tall & the canopy needs another 18" to open. I'm only 5'3" & I'm gonna have to climb a ladder to get into it! Never mind it's in my office & I'm sitting in there looking at my tanks--I look exactly straight into the top of the stand at eye level. I know I didn't mention the height I was looking for but all my other stands on my 7 other tanks are 28-30". The other 90g tank I have is on a 28" stand. The carpenter is offering no help in my dilemma, unless I dish out more $$$.

 

[sugartooth]

Ouch-I feel you. I am 5 foot even and can imagine the acrobatics you need to get into your tank. I think the standard height for stands is 30 inches. Has he built a lot of stands for people or were you one of the first? I can't see how he would do it for too long before people started telling him it is too high.

 

[Pufferpunk]

He builds all the stands for a very well established & well known LFS. Been doing it for quite some time, I believe. Said this is the standard height for all his stands. He said I gave no specs to go on. Should I really have had to tell him what height to make it? I am trying to sell this monster but who would want something that tall???!

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello Jeni
For me (6'2" tall) a 32" to 34" high stand is plenty tall. I have built a few custom stands for people over the years and have always asked how high do you want the aquarium? To me 43" is a unrealistic hight. But I only biuld to suit and would ask the customer to sign off on anything like that.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I will need a builder for a stand soon... Have to sell this one 1st though. I don't think anyone of normal height will buy it. What can I do?

 

[sugartooth]

Sounds like a tough one. He should should have went over the specs with you regarding the height of the stand and the height of the canopy because it was custom work. At the same time, it would have probably been good to confirm what you expected from him. (unless you did and didn't follow through,then you have every right to take action) Did you sign a contract or anything? I think it would have been stated there if you did.
Maybe that height was standard because he builds for stores? Nevertheless, it's still going to be hell to get in there for anyone......Unless you find a very tall person that hates bending over to maintain his tanks!
Sorry to hear about your experience.
It would be nice if he could help you out as a gesture of good faith.

 

[Pufferpunk]

No written contract. Never discussed anything about height. I can't believe this is standard for all the stands he makes. Who would want one that tall? I could kick myself for taking it home but I've been waiting since June & I was just so excited to finally get it. I kept thinking it wasn't so bad... I'd just get a step ladder. Then I'm sitting here looking at it... Trying to figure how i'm gonna lift all that rock up a step ladder. Then I figured out I can't even open the top of the canopy.

Guess I may just have to take this as a loss... & lesson learned. Just dunno how I'm gonna sell this thing.

 

[sugartooth]

I wonder if an office (doctor, vet, etc.) would like it since they wouldn't be doing maint. on it themselves.
The emergency place I go to has a large tank that sits on approx. 39-40 inch stand.
I think Douglas has a point that 43" seems pretty unreasonable as a standard for a home aquarium. Common sense would say that the contractor should have double checked with you for the "ok".

 

[Pufferpunk]

Well, he refuses to help me out.

 

[badbu68]

I might be interested in it, any pictures?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Make me an offer!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=911587

 

[mhurley]

Yowza, 43" tall!!! That's crazy. Most stands are 29" tall...that's why so many skimmers run in the 27-29" range so you can fit them in there.

BTW, you didn't mention the vertical challenge issue in your selling thread.

 

[Tabeaubi]

Against my best judgement...I'm going to jump in here.

I'm the dirty culprit who built this stand. The stand is 40" tall (42") to the top of the trim on the stand. My 300 gallon tank stand is 40" tall and I know many other with the same. The reason that the stand was built so tall was for a very specific reason, you know this.
You wanted (2) 20 gallon tanks underneath that stand and I built it to accomodate exactly that. 20 gallon tanks are 24 "wide. A 90/125 gallon stand is 48" wide. There is no regular way to get these (2) tanks under the stand next to one another efficiently. We agreed that one tank would have to be above one another staggered. Thus bringing us to the height that was established. I'm sorry you feel burned about this ordeal, but I did exactly what was requested and told you the stand was going to be this tall. The (2) 20 gallon tanks you requested to be put under the stand fit....Now whether you will be able to maintain them is another story... To each his own.

I don't want to start a fight here. I just want all the facts to be known.

This just burns me...... I gave you an unbelievable deal on that stand, I didn't make squat. Not to mention I sold you a 90 gallon for practically nothing as well. You turn around and post it FS here on RC for almost triple what you paid and then complain about it....nice.


I'm washing my hands of this.

 

[Teremei]

IMO, the stand height should only be as high as required for your space. IE: skimmer, sump, filtration about to fit under there. And only that high.

So you are right that's probably way to high. I have a new tank and my stand is deffinately higher than my 55. But on my new 125 it's only a few inches higher than a ASM G3 skimmer. Don't know the height but if you look up ASM G3 you can get the inches.

And I'm 5'9 and even on that stand I still have to crawl up a small step ladder to work in the tank with the rocks and sand and such.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Tabeaubi

Tabeaubi

Tom, I purposly did not mention your name. That was up to you to give out that info. You told me that you would sell the stand for 2-3x that amount & maybe I should try to sell it for that & make a profit out of this. I only charged double (I paid $220 for it & asked $450 OBO, figuring I'd take much less--gotta start high to go lower). I also cut your dog's toenails as a favor, which usually would cost a $40 house call.

As far as the tank, you charged me $100 for a 90g tank. Most used tanks go for $1/g but since you threw in the canopy, I thought that price was great! I was thrilled that you were including 2 fans but they didn't make it into the canopy. I guess I don't understand why you couldn't have mounted them in there somehow or at least give them to me, since they were offered w/the canopy. You also said you were going to drop-down the mounting of the lights, since the canopy was so tall (made for MH) & I am running T5s. It looks like they were mounted in the top, although you said you dropped them down 2". Maybe I can't see that but that still leaves the lights 10" off the water!

You are the architecht & carpenter. If you thought this wouldn't be feasable to work with you should have told me ahead of time. If you thought it would have been better to put the fuge next to the tank, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you premeasure everything before you made the stand, since you said after you made it, it still wouldn't work anyway, w/both tanks inside, making the height unnessary. If you thought you were going to have to make a stand that high, where I wouldn't be able to get into the tank w/o a step ladder, you should have told me that it wouldn't work. I trusted you & your judgement as the expert.

I will include the stand specs in my add.

 

[Tabeaubi]

Well....
1st - thanks for mentioning my name.

I would agree that it was a mutual lack of communication for the dimensions. However, to try and burn me here is not a good idea.

How was I supposed to know the ceilings in your house were lower than the standard 8'. Never had a problem before. I have standard 8' ceilings in my house, stand is 40" tall, tank is 24" and canopy is 22". Yeah, I have to get on a step stool to get into the tank, not a big deal. Well, worth being able to look at the tank and not crouch over. People I have built stand for in the past have loved this. This is a 1st.

You got a FREE canopy

All of the work done to the FREE canopy was included in the cost of the stand. Items like, building brackets and mounting (6) T5's, moonlights, screening off the back canopy (for jumpers) and matching the paint. So that $220 was more than just the cost of materials and time to build the stand. Selling it for $450 though....come on.

I don't want to debate about this on RC. If you want to try and work something out. PM me. Or better yet, you're able to sell the stand, make at least double what you paid, get a new stand and have spare $$$ to buy more toys.

Either way I'm done here.......

Wish we could have worked something out....
This whole arangement was doomed from the start, my couch is stained and I had no direction.

 

[BlueCorn]

Please take this argument offline.

We don't need, or care to witness it.

Thanks