Reinforced stand in the middle, mistake?

Vetekli · Feb 1, 2024

Hello everyone! Im new here but i have had a reef tank the last three years. I recently emptied my tank and moved it to another room. While setting it up again i noticed that my stand was sagging very slightly in one spot. I have a rimless tank and i have been using a stand thats aqually meant for another type (Juwel) thats rimmed. It looked perfectly fine last time i set it up so i was suprised by the slight sagging issue now (it was very slight on the right most part of the stand).

So what i did was i reinforced the stand. The thing is i decided to reinforce it horizontally along the entire middle of the stand and not on the front and back. Now im paranoid because im thinking what if this makes the support too uneven and maybe too much in the middle? Maybe this pushes the middle of the bottom glass pane upwards and it cracks.

Would appreciate input on this. Below is the stand and i have marked where it was sagging slightly.

I reinforced it with a horizontal support in the middle in all three compartments (image below only showing one).

The tank is 300 liter / 80 gal and sits on top of a foam sleeping pad.

acabgd · Feb 1, 2024

I have a 250 L tank on a much flimsier stand and it's been holding on there for almost 12 years now. I wonder how you detected the sag and if it's really a sag.

sbeason · Feb 1, 2024

You may be better off framing it on the edges and not in the middle, so the support is on the edges of the tank. Just like making a box frame inside it. It might be overkill, but it would provide more support.

Vetekli · Feb 1, 2024

acabgd said:
I have a 250 L tank on a much flimsier stand and it's been holding on there for almost 12 years now. I wonder how you detected the sag and if it's really a sag.

I detected the sag by using a spirit level underneath the top board. After filling the tank the top board was no longer completely flush with the spirit level on the right most side of the stand. The gap between the top board and the spirit level was small (about 1 -2 mm) but it was there. I tried adjusting the supporting feet underneath but it would not go flat. Im an anxious person generally so i want it to be pretty much perfect so i dont have to worry later on.

sbeason said:
You may be better off framing it on the edges and not in the middle, so the support is on the edges of the tank. Just like making a box frame inside it. It might be overkill, but it would provide more support.

I might do something like that. I already screwed this support in place though, so i feel like i cant move it. That would leave holes in the top board.

reddogf5 · Feb 1, 2024

Is it sagging from weight, or warped from getting wet? Is the sag visible from the front, or the end? Did it sag as you filled the tank, or did you only notice after the tank was filled? Is there a gap between the tank bottom and the board, is the tank bottom bent also?
If your tank doesn't have a frame and the bottom glass lies flat on the supporting surface, it doesn't matter as much where you reinforce. If I were concerned, I would get aluminum "L" channels and securely fasten them with glue and screws to the bottom. Ideally in a position where an unbroken length can span the entire top from end to end.
There doesn't seem to be anything asymmetric about that stand that would cause it to sag on one side only, so unless you have a giant pile of rock right were it is sagged, I would suspect warping as the cause.

Vetekli · Feb 1, 2024

reddogf5 said:
Is it sagging from weight, or warped from getting wet? Is the sag visible from the front, or the end? Did it sag as you filled the tank, or did you only notice after the tank was filled? Is there a gap between the tank bottom and the board, is the tank bottom bent also?
If your tank doesn't have a frame and the bottom glass lies flat on the supporting surface, it doesn't matter as much where you reinforce. If I were concerned, I would get aluminum "L" channels and securely fasten them with glue and screws to the bottom. Ideally in a position where an unbroken length can span the entire top from end to end.
There doesn't seem to be anything asymmetric about that stand that would cause it to sag on one side only, so unless you have a giant pile of rock right were it is sagged, I would suspect warping as the cause.

The sag wasnt noticeable just by looking at it, it was when i used a spirit level underneath the top board (along the length of the tank) that i noticed it wasnt completely straight on one end(there was a gap between the level and the board). I actually noticed a tiny gap before filling but it got slightly worse during filling as the water put more and more weight on it. It was still not much but it was there. Its possible it warped at some point, what can i do if that happened?

Paul B · Feb 1, 2024

All the weight of a tank is around the edges so the center doesn't mean much. Having said that, that stand looks very weak laterally, from side to side to support an 80 gallon tank which is about 700 lbs. if my math is correct.

I also believe a "Foam sleeping pad" is much to flimsy for a tank and wouldn't do anything. I use 1/2" styrofoam but my tank is 125 gallons so much heavier.

Just my opinion of course but I am a commercial construction electrician and spent my life supporting very heavy things.