# Is my stand strong enough?



## F1_Cobra (Nov 8, 2009)

I sort of inherited this tank recently(less dvd's..lol)....I think its whats known as a 40gal breeder?...Anyway, at the time I got it, I figured i'd just sit it on the back porch and keep a few plants in it and have an outdoor tank, only under a protected area of the backporch. I asked my retired next door neighbor who is always building something out of wood, if could build me a stand for it....I told him to just build something simple....he took measurements and left.

What he ended up building was more along the lines of fine furniture then a simple aquarium stand that I expected....wow, this things nice.....he built it out of solid cherry and included a working drawer.....this thing was way to nice to use outdoors so i've brought it inside, but I got to looking at it and really wondering if its built strong enough to hold this tank safely once its filled??? Its a gorgous piece of furniture but it doesn't really have that strong aquarium stand look to it....lol....i'm 200lbs and i've sat on it without budging it but, do you guys think its strong enough to bear the weight of a 40 gal tank fully stocked??


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

That is a helluva stand! I would be a bit iffy about those legs under all that weight, though... Besides, it might actually be a waste, of what you correctly termed "fine furniture", to relegate it to fishtank duties... 

I dunno. If it were me, I'd put that someplace with a nice vase or family pictures or the like and have another talk with the neighbour about what I would be more comfortable with. 

Tell him from me, though, that is some beautiful woodwork!!


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

any pics of the inside to see the method of construction?

how it was built and what it is built out of will be the determining factor.


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

That tank filled with water and substrate would be over 400 LBS. It it holds, it might put four deep dimples in your floor/carpet too. That stand is very pretty though. You might not want to put water spots on it either.


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## F1_Cobra (Nov 8, 2009)

I took a couple of pics showing the underside with the drawer pulled...it was all built from cherry wood...theres not alot there to be honest, and 400lbs is alot.....I dunno....I'm having doubts.


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## queijoman (Jun 23, 2008)

Kudos to your neighbor for the nice workmanship. Still, I strongly doubt that the stand will work. I recommend a new stand. You are risking hundreds or thousands in damages to your house, as well as everything that you invest into your tank by using a stand that is iffy.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

It does not appear that it will be strong enough. while I'm sure it will hold the wieght, it does not appear to have enough renforcement to handle shear loads.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

I think trying to figure out whether it's able to withstand loads from just looking at it is like guessing whether there's cake or death in the mystery box. Better to make the call your self than to rely on people who can't inspect the stand closely for themselves. I'd start crunching numbers for load my self, maybe re-enforce to the point of undoubtable overkill. If a store bought stand breaks, you can bother the company who made it. If your home-made stand breaks, guess who gets the bill?

This might help your thought process though; do you think that your stand can take about 330lbs of water, plus tank, substrate, and hardscape? You may end up with a 600lb tank depending on where you go with things.

-Philosophos


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## F1_Cobra (Nov 8, 2009)

I understand what your saying, and although i'm no engineer I do know lightweight furniture from heavy duty furniture....and as beautiful a job as my neighbor did, it really isn't heavy duty.....I'm still acquiring all the nessasary goodies to put this together, so in the mean time i'll be looking at either building a different stand or possibly going with a Paludarium style setup so I could cut the amount of water in half.....i've sat on this table and it easily supported my 200lbs.....I didn't really set out to build a Paludarium but that might be an option....thanks for your opinions.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

Foster and Smith has $6 flat rate shipping for the rest of the month, and some cheap stands that usually carry a good chunk of their cost in shipping. Maybe check over there?

-Philosophos


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## F1_Cobra (Nov 8, 2009)

I saw that....too bad i'll be broke for the next two months....lol


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

Philosophos said:


> I think trying to figure out whether it's able to withstand loads from just looking at it is like guessing whether there's cake or death in the mystery box. Better to make the call your self than to rely on people who can't inspect the stand closely for themselves.


Philos, dude, don't you know everyone on the internet is an expert on everything??


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

Of course. I happen to be an expert in discrediting accurate information 

-Philosophos


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## Zabman14u (Jun 20, 2009)

have 3 200 lbs people sit on it. shimmy around a bit and see how much the stand moves. if it dont move. it "should" support the weight. if it does move. i would be hesitant to use it. you should get a good feel of what the stand is capable of doing with it loaded. if it breaks with people sitting on it, you got sore butts, if it breaks with a fish tank on it, you got some pricey home repairs. id also try to make sure the legs of the stand sit on floor joists to help support the load.


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

Most tank stands are overbuilt but if the legs are capable of handling the load and the movement from side to side it should be OK.

As has been noted any at a distance comments about whether a tank will hold a given amount of weight is very foolish. At roughly 8 1/3 pounds per gallon a 40 breeder is a lot of weight and a lot of water so caution is advisable.


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## Asphenaz (Oct 7, 2009)

I agree with Philosophos, it's hard to judge since I can't see if first hand. From the picture thought, I would say that the stand is built quite well but it's wouldn't be up to the weight a fish tank would have.


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