Is this tank/stand setup safe?

[magicstix]

While in Petco during one of their sales, I couldn't resist picking up a 40 breeder and a stand to go with it (for around $100).

So I get home and build the stand. It's a simple metal stand that seems sturdy enough. The instructions say to ensure the top brace of the stand is flush with the end pieces. I do my best and tighten up all the allen screws and set the tank on top. While all 4 corners sit just fine, the metal going between the end pieces has a gap you could fly a plane through...

Being somewhat resourceful, I grab a large 1" thick piece of styrofoam sheet (the kind used for shipping) and put it between the tank and stand and fill it up for a leak test:

(Apparently my porch isn't as level as I expected...)

No explosion, no cracks or leaks, just odd looks from my neighbors as I fill the tank on my porch. So far so good, I guess?

I decided to check the internet on whether this was a good idea, and it seems this is a holy war topic among aquarists. Some say foam, some say no foam. Some say as long as the tank is supported on all four corners, the middle brace doesn't matter. Some say it needs to be supported all around.

All the forum threads and info I've read have just left me more confused as to what I should do.

Should I remove the styrofoam or not? Should I consider the stand bad and trash it? Does an Aqueon 40 breeder need complete support around the rim, or just the corners?

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

Padding is meant for rimless tanks. Not ones with braces. I would remove it.

Sorry can't help with the second part of your question but I thought I read that supporting the corners is all you need.

 

[KJAG]

No, it isn't a "war" amongst aquarists. I've never heard anyone who has any credibility in the hobby, argue against leveling a stand first and then adding foam layer to fill in any minor variable differentials in the level plane of a stand. The goal is displacement of weight. You can first level your stand with shims, or McMaster Carr, for example sells ball and socket swivel leveling feet that you can place underneath the stancheons of your stand to achieve as close to a true level as possible. The piece of foam you currently have in place is appropriate however if level the stand out first and leave the foam in place.

 

[bif24701]

That's a metal stand, are the feet not adjustable?

 

[magicstix]

That's a metal stand, are the feet not adjustable?

The feet are adjustable by screwing them in/out, but that wouldn't make the outside legs match the middle brace that goes between them, which is my big concern. I was under the impression the whole bottom rim needed support, but it's sounding like only the corners do?

 

[KJAG]

The feet are adjustable by screwing them in/out, but that wouldn't make the outside legs match the middle brace that goes between them, which is my big concern. I was under the impression the whole bottom rim needed support, but it's sounding like only the corners do?

The majority of the weight( your gallonage X approx 9lbs) falls upon the bottom pane of your glass. The brace is irrelevant. If there's a lip, or recession where your brace projects past your bottom pane, simply cut your foam so it sits flush inside the brace. But first level your stand. It's a relatively small tank. I personally wouldn't be concerned with the lack of a middle brace.

 

[DeepBrew]

I have the same tank and stand:


This is when it was first set up, I couldn't find a recent pic quickly. I also have a 20L sitting on the plywood in the bottom. I leveled it with the screw out feet on the stand. Once the tank is full it's a very solid set up. Mine's been up for about 8 months and doing fine.

I have a piece of foam between the tank and the stand, but I did that before I read you don't need it with tanks that have a bottom plastic rim like these 40Bs have. All of the weight of the tank sits on the rim. If I ever drain the tank for some reason I'll pull the foam out.

 

[KJAG]

I have the same tank and stand:


This is when it was first set up, I couldn't find a recent pic quickly. I also have a 20L sitting on the plywood in the bottom. I leveled it with the screw out feet on the stand. Once the tank is full it's a very solid set up. Mine's been up for about 8 months and doing fine.

I have a piece of foam between the tank and the stand, but I did that before I read you don't need it with tanks that have a bottom plastic rim like these 40Bs have. All of the weight of the tank sits on the rim. If I ever drain the tank for some reason I'll pull the foam out.

" All of the weight of the tank sits on the rim."
Really? How does that square with the law of gravity? With downward force, of which is the same for every square inch, and a bottom pane that is supporting roughly, if I had to guess, 98% of the weight of this tank since the brace effectively raises virtually all of the bottom of the tank off the stand, how is the brace absorbing all of the weight? Its not coincidence that you dont see any larger custom builds with braces of this type. Its not an ideal method of evenly displacing the weight of the total volume of the tank. Im not saying the tank is going to explode( I have a 40 breeder myself for QT although I have foam within the profile of the bottom pane) but to claim that "all of the weight sits on the rim" is inaccurate. An exponentially larger portion of the weight sits on the bottom pane of glass, which is virtually free floating if its not in direct contact with either the stand or a displacement media such as foam.

 

[garethwood]

its early in the morning so exscuse me for being confused but OP are you saying that your horizontal brace isnt level with top of the legs, meaning your tank is sitting on the ends? if so then yes ide worry about the weight in the centre of the tank and certainly wouldnt remove the foam! that said i have no experience of bottom braced tanks and tbh cant for the life of me see the benefits of it? surely spreding the load across 1 single flat surface of glass is the sensible choice not raising the centre with some plastic trim?? again im tired and might still be being a dummy so feel free to shoot me down : )

 

[40B Knasty]

While in Petco during one of their sales, I couldn't resist picking up a 40 breeder and a stand to go with it (for around $100).

So I get home and build the stand. It's a simple metal stand that seems sturdy enough. The instructions say to ensure the top brace of the stand is flush with the end pieces. I do my best and tighten up all the allen screws and set the tank on top. While all 4 corners sit just fine, the metal going between the end pieces has a gap you could fly a plane through...

Being somewhat resourceful, I grab a large 1" thick piece of styrofoam sheet (the kind used for shipping) and put it between the tank and stand and fill it up for a leak test:

(Apparently my porch isn't as level as I expected...)

No explosion, no cracks or leaks, just odd looks from my neighbors as I fill the tank on my porch. So far so good, I guess?

I decided to check the internet on whether this was a good idea, and it seems this is a holy war topic among aquarists. Some say foam, some say no foam. Some say as long as the tank is supported on all four corners, the middle brace doesn't matter. Some say it needs to be supported all around.

All the forum threads and info I've read have just left me more confused as to what I should do.

Should I remove the styrofoam or not? Should I consider the stand bad and trash it? Does an Aqueon 40 breeder need complete support around the rim, or just the corners?

I used a 65 gallon oak stand. Same diameter and if it can hold a 65g tank filled with water. Which is 8.2lbs per gallon x 15g=123lbs more. You have nothing to worry about then.
If you think about it. 50lbs of sand and 40lbs of LR. That's that leaves me with only 33lbs left from a 65g stand.

 

[DeepBrew]

Smaller tanks with a plastic rim on the bottom are designed for the bottom glass to be supported at the edges, they don't need support in the middle. Most glass tanks you see in big box stores are like this. If you sit them on a flat table the plastic rim is the only thing that touches. The bottom glass is 1/4" or so off the table. I also have a 75 gallon Deep Blue Professional reef ready tank with a plastic bottom rim that comes with the bottom glass drilled for the overflow and return. The stand Deep Blue makes for it is open for the plumbing and only supports the plastic rim of the tank. It works fine.

I will say that the perimeter frame pieces of my stand in my picture above are perfectly even all the way around. If I took out the foam the tank would sit nicely on its bottom rim. There are cross braces in the center that are lower but that's fine, they only keep the top rails parallel and don't support the tank.

What I find a bit disturbing about my $1/gallon 40 breeder is the front and back glass thickness. I few weeks ago I added a mesh top and noticed that while the left and right corners fit perfect in the frame, there is a quarter inch gap between the mesh frame and the tank trim in the center. I put a straight edge up to the glass and verified it's bowed out 1/4" from the water pressure. That's probably typical for these cheap tanks but I'm going to be careful not to set any heavy wave action in there.

 

[magicstix]

Smaller tanks with a plastic rim on the bottom are designed for the bottom glass to be supported at the edges, they don't need support in the middle. Most glass tanks you see in big box stores are like this. If you sit them on a flat table the plastic rim is the only thing that touches. The bottom glass is 1/4" or so off the table. I also have a 75 gallon Deep Blue Professional reef ready tank with a plastic bottom rim that comes with the bottom glass drilled for the overflow and return. The stand Deep Blue makes for it is open for the plumbing and only supports the plastic rim of the tank. It works fine.

I will say that the perimeter frame pieces of my stand in my picture above are perfectly even all the way around. If I took out the foam the tank would sit nicely on its bottom rim. There are cross braces in the center that are lower but that's fine, they only keep the top rails parallel and don't support the tank.

What I find a bit disturbing about my $1/gallon 40 breeder is the front and back glass thickness. I few weeks ago I added a mesh top and noticed that while the left and right corners fit perfect in the frame, there is a quarter inch gap between the mesh frame and the tank trim in the center. I put a straight edge up to the glass and verified it's bowed out 1/4" from the water pressure. That's probably typical for these cheap tanks but I'm going to be careful not to set any heavy wave action in there.

My concern is the way the stand is made, the bottom rim doesn't sit on the stand in the middle between the outside legs because the middle support bar is slightly lower than the corners. I took the stand apart and reassembled it, but it still doesn't come together flush with the edges.

Here are some pictures showing what I mean:

The gap looks pretty atrocious, I.M.O. I feel like you could practically fly a plane through it, hence the foam.

 

[DeepBrew]

Your concern is valid. My stand lines up better than yours.



It looks like there's a small gap but the edge of the tube is rounded. Did they have more than one stand in stock?

 

[DeepBrew]

You could also make a thin plexiglass step to sit between the tank and stand to even it out.

 

[magicstix]

Your concern is valid. My stand lines up better than yours.

...
It looks like there's a small gap but the edge of the tube is rounded. Did they have more than one stand in stock?
...

To be honest, your stand looks almost as bad as mine. Look at how the foam is filling in between the joint.

Unfortunately, it was the last stand they had in stock.

 

[litenyaup]

Maybe the cross pieces are upside down or backwards.

 

[magicstix]

Maybe the cross pieces are upside down or backwards.

Swapped them both ways. This is the way that gets them closest to being flush...

 

[DeepBrew]

There's definitely a gap, bit it's only on the edge though. I don't have a picture of the stand without the tank on it but the straight part of the middle piece is flush with the end.

I don't think the foam causes any harm though. I expect mine will stay there for quite some time.

A couple of semi-related musings. I've seen glass tanks that say the warranty is void if you use a metal stand. Mine is an Aqueon, I tried to find warranty information on the web but didn't see anything right away. What I did see on Aqueon's web site is all of the stands they sell have a flat table top, no metal frames.

 

[magicstix]

OK, so out of an abundance of caution, I went to Home Depot and got a 1/2" piece of hardwood plywood and cut it to size.

At first I figured I could just go with the plywood instead of the foam, but it wanted to bow down into the stand and not support the tank, so I threw the foam back in underneath it:

Let it be known if this tank explodes I at least did my due diligence... ;P

Now to wait 8 hours for the RO/DI system to generate enough water. I'm half tempted to use the garden hose since my city water has Nitrates < 1 ppm... >_<