Sump won’t fit through front of stand

[OPhelanK]

Hi everyone! Needing a little bit of advice

I bought a new sump that is 20x20. And the door to my Marineland 93 gallon cube is only 20x19. I’m just a little bit shy of it fitting through the front. I would rather not drain the tank and move it to get the sump in (oodles of livestock) . If I cut a notch in the front brace would that vastly compromise the structural stability of the stand? What would you guys do? Pics of stand and proposed cuttage. Thanks!

 

[Captmcfly]

I’d think it would be alright as long as you are not removing a large amount of meat.. I too would dread draining and moving a running system. However it can be done with minimal stress on the live stock.

What would I do ??
Hmm I’d set up a new 120gallon and use the sump for the new tank [emoji2960]

 

[MauiMarineAquarium (MMA)]

Hi, my advice before any cutting would be to drain some DT water into buckets. Just Incase you happen to knock the DT around.
Next, I would try to fit the new sump by turning it, flipping it on it’s other sides.
And lastly cutting.
If you do cut you can always add bracing , this is my crappie drawing but hope this help. Good luck

 

[rossco]

never mind, no center brace

 

[MauiMarineAquarium (MMA)]

The horizontal 2x4’s would simply lay across the top /underside on the sump, and the other would lay on the bottom of the sump. The vertical 2x4’s would be cut and wedged in between the two horizontal pieces. No glue needed. Think of the Roman numeral 2.

 

[MauiMarineAquarium (MMA)]

How is the center brace attached? Can you support the opening with an alternative means like a jack and blocks, remove the brace, install the sump and replace the brace?

Mine would work that way.

Looks like you don’t need to cut the stand at all. Do you see the 3 holes in this picture. There should be screws inside the holes, removed them and the brace should come right off giving you extra room. There should also be another set of 3 screws on the opposite side from the 3 screws. But before you do that drain the DT as much as possible to prevent the tank above from possible collapsing the stank

 

[OPhelanK]

I’d think it would be alright as long as you are not removing a large amount of meat.. I too would dread draining and moving a running system. However it can be done with minimal stress on the live stock.

What would I do ??
Hmm I’d set up a new 120gallon and use the sump for the new tank [emoji2960]

lol. The thought of setting up a new tank makes me sad. It’s not the best tank ever but Ugh....

 

[OPhelanK]

Looks like you don’t need to cut the stand at all. Do you see the 3 holes in this picture. There should be screws inside the holes, removed them and the brace should come right off giving you extra room. There should also be another set of 3 screws on the opposite side from the 3 screws. But before you do that drain the DT as much as possible to prevent the tank above from possible collapsing the stank

That’s not my stand. My stand is a cube with no center brace. The braces run on the sides of the doors.

 

[MauiMarineAquarium (MMA)]

The horizontal 2x4’s would simply lay across the top /underside on the sump, and the other would lay on the bottom of the sump. The vertical 2x4’s would be cut and wedged in between the two horizontal pieces. No glue needed. Think of the Roman numeral 2.

I mean stand not sump,

 

[OPhelanK]

Looks like you don’t need to cut the stand at all. Do you see the 3 holes in this picture. There should be screws inside the holes, removed them and the brace should come right off giving you extra room. There should also be another set of 3 screws on the opposite side from the 3 screws. But before you do that drain the DT as much as possible to prevent the tank above from possible collapsing the stank

My braces run along the yellow shaded area.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

As an engineer, my typical response would be "don't even think about it", mainly from a standpoint of potential consequences. Naturally, structural failure is generally a yes/no type of thing - all is well until you just barely exceed the structural strength, at which point catastrophic failure occurs.

What I can tell you for absolute certain is that no one on the forum can actually tell you whether it will be OK or not. We can tell you that it will probably be OK, because structures are always designed to considerably exceed the failure point given the anticipated load. But that is not a guarantee.

You'll have to decide whether using the sump that you purchased is worth taking a chance on losing the critters in your tank, causing structural and/or cosmetic damage to your dwelling (or your landlord's dwelling) that insurance will refuse to pay for because you compromised the stand's structure, or, in the worst case, sustaining personal injury when the stand fails while you're making the cut or while you're refilling the display tank.

 

[ajhudson15]

it looks like the back is open. can you not drain the tank just like half way and have someone help you scoot it away from the wall and install it from the back of the stand?

 

[jd371]

I would drain as much water as possible to make it light enough to move it away from the wall far enough to put the sump in through the back. You will need a few strong friends, but it shouldn't take too long and you can pump the water right back in.

it looks like the back is open. can you not drain the tank just like half way and have someone help you scoot it away from the wall and install it from the back of the stand?

Lol, probably typing at the same time and you beat me to it.

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

As an engineer, my typical response would be "don't even think about it", mainly from a standpoint of potential consequences. Naturally, structural failure is generally a yes/no type of thing - all is well until you just barely exceed the structural strength, at which point catastrophic failure occurs.

What I can tell you for absolute certain is that no one on the forum can actually tell you whether it will be OK or not. We can tell you that it will probably be OK, because structures are always designed to considerably exceed the failure point given the anticipated load. But that is not a guarantee.

You'll have to decide whether using the sump that you purchased is worth taking a chance on losing the critters in your tank, causing structural and/or cosmetic damage to your dwelling (or your landlord's dwelling) that insurance will refuse to pay for because you compromised the stand's structure, or, in the worst case, sustaining personal injury when the stand fails while you're making the cut or while you're refilling the display tank.

This is a really good answer.

Those prefab stands are engineered to be a balance between a) strong enough and b) light enough to be transported around the country. They're surprisingly strong for what they are, but there are compromises made to minimize the amount of materials used.

Personally, I would not trust cutting into the existing materials. Marineland employs engineers to design their stands. If the stand were 'safe enough' with significantly less material, they would be doing it for their own cost savings. FWIW, the issue isn't going to be holding up the tank; the bigger issue is whether the modifications allow the stand to twist and basically pull itself apart...

I vote don't do it and look for another option...

 

[ajhudson15]

I would drain as much water as possible to make it light enough to move it away from the wall far enough to put the sump in through the back. You will need a few strong friends, but it shouldn't take too long and you can pump the water right back in.

Lol, probably typing at the same time and you beat me to it.

lol Yea I had to do the same ting with my sump. the front door isn't the whole width of the stand but the back is mostly open

 

[Dancingmad]

I support the drain and move plan to get the sump in there. Don't look at it as a an unbearable chore. Think of it as a chance to make changes to your aquascape, do a nice waterchange, do some cable management, clean your return pump / skimmer, etc. If its going to be a big chore, might as well get that other maint. done too. You could hit soooo many birds with this stone!

 

[Bpb]

I would never recommend cutting structural supports from a running tank. Especially on the minimal material plywood manufacturer stands. A true square plywood box can easilysupport a tank, but I wouldn't want to modify it at all from what it's original design intends. Especially when it's actively supporting weight. Drain the water all the way to the sand. Slide the tank out, swap sump. refill the water. Shouldn't take more than an hour.

 

[Lukas75]

The only way I would even remotely cut that out is if I reinforced the rest of the stand to carry the load. You have to remember that, that tank weighs between 790 to 930 pounds. If it fails it will likely fail while you are cutting the stand and create the potential for serious injury. The safest bet (and it sucks) is to get yourself some totes to put the coral and rocks in while you take the tank off and drop the new sump in.

 

[OPhelanK]

Thanks for all the input. My gut was telling me to move the tank but my husband is/was totally against it. Now to talk him into it.... lol

 

[ajhudson15]

Thanks for all the input. My gut was telling me to move the tank but my husband is/was totally against it. Now to talk him into it.... lol

its really not that bad. get everything ready. pvc cut and glue ready if you are going that route. drain about half the water out. slide the tank out. swap the sump and push it back. you shouldn't need to take any fish or coral out as long as you leave enogh water and its only for a couple hours max. I did mine in about 2.5 hours and everything was fine.