Tank weight/collapse

G

grouper25

New member
I am currently filling my new 220 with r/o water. As I watch it slowly trickle in over 7 days, I can't help but contemplate the prospect of this whole thing collapsing under the weight load.
My stand was reinforced with 2x6 wood and it is now 2/3 full.
Currently I plan to put the following into the tank:

1) 45 lbs of base sand(done)
2) 120 lbs of live sand
3) 110 lbs of base rock(done)
4) 140 lbs of live rock

That equates to 415 lbs of material. Add say another 1600 lbs(200 gallons net of substrate displacment x 8 lbs per gallon for water weight) and the total is 2015 lbs. Is it ok to have 415 lbs in the tank? The stand does not have material supporting the interior square footage of the bottom glass of the tank which is a Marineland tank.

Just a bit concerned as I am dreading the unthinkable.....
G 25
 
If your stand is made with 2x6 lumber it should be fine. Mine is made using 2x6 for the shelf & 4x4's for the legs. How are your legs fixed to your shelf?? Dado joints or butt joints?? Dado joints are better IMO..
:beer:
 
I am not sure what kind of joints they are. My Brother did it who is experienced in wood work. How much substrate do you have in yours and how many gallons is it???????

Thanks mate, G25
 
225 gallon.....fully loaded! Go to my profile & check the webcam to see for yourself. Webcam hours are: 12-8 EST.
:beer:
 
I think what he is worried about is that there is no support in the middle of the tank bottom. Just like a floor joist 2X6. I could be wrong.
 
I would say 2x6 is plenty strong and you have no worries. I have a 20L stand I build with 2x4 material and I could park a mac truck on top of it.
 
Take the word of a structural engineer....not that I'm doing any calculations here....but you could stand that whole tank on 1 or 2 2x6's. Also, I have a Marienland tank as well and the bottom of my tank is tempered glass. Which is some incredibly strong stuff. I would say that you are fine the way you have it. (although the strenght of glass isn't something I work with in my job)
 
Is it acrylic or glass? I believe acrylic tanks need a level conter to sit on while glass can remain open below.
 
You might want to also think about the strength of the floor. I have a friend who is slowly losing a 300gal tank to a sinking floorboard. Tank is unlevel by about 1/2 inch in the last 2-3 months.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8893782#post8893782 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rooroo
Is it acrylic or glass? I believe acrylic tanks need a level counter to sit on while glass can remain open below.
Click to expand...

That's not true it all comes down to how the tank was made. There a two major methods for glass tanks
1- the sides of the glass sit on the bottom glass
2- the sides of the glass sit on the stand and the bottom is raised up.

Also Any tank needs to be on a level surface not just acrylic.
 
Yeah everything needs a level surface but glass only needs a level frame to sit on as the bottom glass is fully supporting, not a full surface under it. Why else would they sell metal stands for glass tanks? I'm sure the way the tank is made has something to do with it too. I was under the impression that acrylic should have a full flat surface for the entire bottom to be supported by, but I could be completely wrong on that.
 
I have another question then...My tank is slightly off level. The level "bubble" is just on the inside edge of the box its suppose to be centered in. In other words, its just a tiny bit off. Should I worry about this? Oh, its a 65G if that matters.

And sorry Im not trying to steal this thread, just thought it was related!
 
Thanks everyone for all the feedback. I am feeling more assured now although I doubt I will feel that way tonight if I find a Tsunami in my basement. Yes, its on a full concrete slab in a finished basement so no sinkage here.

AS an aside, when I first got the tank and stand I was shocked at how flimsy the stand was mad with no reinforcement. Thats why I re-structured it with my brother. My main concern was that there was nothing supporting the glass bottom and I would be putting some 415 pounds of substrate onto it.

Thanks again mates,
Grouper 25
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8895169#post8895169 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by justinpsmith
I have another question then...My tank is slightly off level. The level "bubble" is just on the inside edge of the box its suppose to be centered in. In other words, its just a tiny bit off. Should I worry about this? Oh, its a 65G if that matters.

And sorry Im not trying to steal this thread, just thought it was related!
Click to expand...

You mean when sitting on the stand its slightly off? If so, its a good idea to level it as best you can. However, my 65 gallon in its previous location was never level. It was about 1/4" off from back to front. Never had an issue with it, but it always looked crappy, so I made sure in the new place it was level. Luckily no shimming was required as it sat perfectly level in the new house.
 
Justin,

If it is a straight level (torpedo level) you can just old up one end to make it level, then measure the gap. If the level is 12" long and the gap is 1/8", then you have a 1/8" per foot slope....so for every foot length the tank is it will be 1/8" x feet off level. Make sense? Hope so.

Trip
 
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