What would you do?

9

92cg60

Member
Within the last month I've noticed the doors on my All-Glass (Mission series) stand have been kinda tight. Looked into it a little more and found out why...

Tankstand312.jpg


Tankstand313.jpg


I'm concerned not only due to the obvious, but the fact that this stand was designed for a glass tank. I purchased the tank, stand, and canopy from my LFS two years ago... and following there advice I have a 3/4 plywood sheet cut perfectly to support my acrylic tank.
The tank is against a load bearing wall and I have a 4x4 beam supported by a couple two ton screw jacks under the floor just in front of the stand.

Is there a certain amount of warping/bowing that is to be expected? Any advice and/or info would be greatly apprecited...
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12456837#post12456837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Twz
Just wondering what size tank is this?
my 77G bows out half inch in the center.
Click to expand...

Think the concern is that the stand appears to be bowing down, not out.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12456851#post12456851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Think the concern is that the stand appears to be bowing down, not out.
Click to expand...

^^Exactly.. its bowing down 1/4in the middle. This is a 150 with approx 40g sump. Thanks..
 
I might (if have space) add some additional supports for it. But otherwise I dont know. Is the bow increasing in "depth" or does it seem pretty stable?
 
My 100g TruVu does the exact same thing. It touches in the middle of the bottom, but not the front. I bought the tank and stand together, used, so I dont know what type of tank the stand was designed for, but I did inspect it while I was refinishing it and it appeared to be in good structural order. I didnt remember my tank looking like that before I added the water and was a little concerned at first. Now that some time has past, Im not concerned about it anymore. Came to the conclusion that the water pressure forces the sides out and pulls the top and pushes the bottom. Acrylic does have more flex than glass.
 
Gotcha ;)

As far as adding additional supports...at this point wont dont you much good aesthetically. You would have to relieve the weight of the load before adding any supports in order to close the gap and reduce any sagging; and that would be quite a chore. Too much for ¼” IMO. If the tank is stable and the gap is remaining constant I wouldn’t worry about it. Can you tell if the bottom of the tank is touching in the middle? The entire setup shouldn’t fall through the floor with that 4x4 and jack stands.
 
If my tank stand bowed like that, I would be more than a little concerned. I agree w/ Aaroneous, you need to relieve some wt because if you shim it, those things are'nt going to hold squat if that stand decides to collapse.
 
...that was for if supports were going to be added. Certain materials (wood in this case) are going to bend/bow under load and that is normal when supporting weight. This is only a problem when the material is loaded beyond its capacities and the supporting fibers (in this case) are stretched, splinter, and break. In this particular case, is highly unlikely because the stand is already seeing close to the maximum weight it will ever see, and probably wont see any shock loads. Shock loads = bad. Imagine yourself standing on a 2x4. It will bow as your standing on it, but probably isnt going to suddenly break on you. Now if you were to start jumping, adding shock loads, its probably going to break.
There are, however, a few other variables to consider such as moisture (less and more) and time. Its an aquarium, so water is around and the bits that get slopped or the vapor could get sucked up by the wood and that will cause the wood to become more pliable and bend easier. It could also lead to rot. All this would not be good.
The biggest problem is the extra stress being placed on the aquarium and ultimately the joints. Is the acrylic and joints strong enough to handle it...? Sounds like there is also the annoyance factor of your doors rubbing and not closing properly. You could do a little tweaking of the hinges to fix that. Like I said, mine got a bow similar to this, and though not ideal...Im not too worried about it.
 
I'd be worried. If it was mine, I'd take out about half the water, and wedge a 2x4 in the front and back.

I've looked at my stand before and thought "how in the ____ does this support all that weight???"
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12458461#post12458461 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sk8rreefgeek
I'd be worried. If it was mine, I'd take out about half the water, and wedge a 2x4 in the front and back.

I think you need to get a few garbage cans, put some heavy duty bags in them, & drain most of the tank down. A ph in each can & a heater may also be necessary. common sense will tell you that it's not supposed to be like that. by relieving most of the weight you can easily fix it with additional framing in side the cabinet very quickly. If you are not sure how to do it, ask or get some one who can.
I would not take the risk of the stand collapsing or the tank
breaking :eek: :eek: :eek:

The time you spend repairing it, is no where near the time you will spend cleaning up after it, & the damage it will do !!!

Sorry if I sound a bit abrupt, but you are no doubt smart enough to realize that you want no part of an accident waiting to happen

Good Luck

Just My Opinion

Steve

:smokin:
Click to expand...
 
I have the exact same stand. Do you have the legs in the center adjusted right? Took me a bit but there is a pair of legs in the center in my six foot stand.
 
as far as I know, all tanks are to be kept as level as possible and that bow is NOT normal. I would definatly not ignore this, that would be foolish and one heck of a risk. Not worth it when you could drain some water and relieve the problem. seriously, that can't be good, glass or acrylic, call me crazy.
 
Put a level on top of the tank and see if it's bowing. The wood trim is not a good indicator. I think if it is truly bowing like that then I would personally replace the stand. It's not worth the trouble.
 
Thanks for all your replies... and I agree this is something that should'nt be ignored. The doors started sticking about a month ago, and as far as I can tell the bowing is'nt getting worse... at least for now. I double checked and the top of the tank is still showing level both front/back and side to side, the top (lengthwise) is straight as well. Unfortunately I have the front of the tank flush with the wood lip shown in the pic, so I cant see if the bottom is bowing.
Looks like I'll be draining at least half the water to install another front support. Not sure it will happen but I'm hoping as the weight drops the front might raise a bit until straight again or close to it.

Off to the hardware store in the morning:)

Thanks again everyone.. I appreciate the help
 
Sounds like its steadily getting worse if the doors werent sticking then started to. I took a second look at my stand and the stand is straight, its the tank that actually bows up at the bottom. Good luck with the fix.
 
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