Wooden tank stand reinforcement?

Clippy

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Hi folks,

I just bought a 40gal tank and it came with this wooden stand. The thing looks good but I'm unsure whether to trust it since the previous owner only used it for a lightweight terrarium but I plan on filling it up. Is this design common/typical and/or trustworthy? Or should I add some bracing along the center?

To clarify about the existing design since the pics aren't great: the tank has a plastic lip around the edge on the bottom and it rests upon the lip of the stand. I.e., if the tank were on a tabletop, it'd be resting on this outer lip and not on its glass bottom. Thanks in advance for your help and expertise!

JC

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IMG_1246.JPG
 

Idoc

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The tank edges are nicely sitting on the underlying top frame. But, from the pictures, it doesn't look like there is any support directly "under" the top frame and "above" the bottom frame. It looks like the vertical braces are connected into the sides of the upper and lower frame. If so, this is not ideal....but very easily fixed with some added vertical braces directly between upper and lower frames.

What I mean is that you should have vertical braces like the purple braces below... It looks like your stand is only built with vertical braces like the "green" braces in this picture. You can easily add a few purple-like braces to strengthen it.

stand.jpg
 

JGT

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The tank edges are nicely sitting on the underlying top frame. But, from the pictures, it doesn't look like there is any support directly "under" the top frame and "above" the bottom frame. It looks like the vertical braces are connected into the sides of the upper and lower frame. If so, this is not ideal....but very easily fixed with some added vertical braces directly between upper and lower frames.

What I mean is that you should have vertical braces like the purple braces below... It looks like your stand is only built with vertical braces like the "green" braces in this picture. You can easily add a few purple-like braces to strengthen it.

stand.jpg
Agreed. Put some supports under the top “ring “ that supports the weight of the tank. Otherwise you are relying on the nails/screws to support the weight of the tank which isn’t good.
 
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C

Clippy

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Fantastic!! Thank you both for your detailed and considerate responses. I'm new to this and want to do it right, so your advice is going to go a long way here.

I'll plan on adding the supports to the top ring as indicated in the diagram above.

One thing I should note is that the stand currently doesn't have a center brace (dark blue) at all. I'm assuming this should be added as well, right? The dimensions are 36" W x 19" D.
 

JGT

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Fantastic!! Thank you both for your detailed and considerate responses. I'm new to this and want to do it right, so your advice is going to go a long way here.

I'll plan on adding the supports to the top ring as indicated in the diagram above.

One thing I should note is that the stand currently doesn't have a center brace (dark blue) at all. I'm assuming this should be added as well, right? The dimensions are 36" W x 19" D.
You could add 1 on either side of the middle support for peace of mind. But with the proper supports under the ring it’s not really necessary. Tank is also plywood which is plenty strong.
For a longer tank, yes. But 36” isn’t required. Though easy enough to put a couple of 2x4’s in if it’ll help you sleep better.
 

Idoc

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I agree, center braces won't be required. If you want, you can put a plywood top on the stand that will give it more support but not required. I like to have a top if you plan on having a light on in the stand below. Otherwise you get light bleed up through the bottom of the tank and can have some nasty stuff grow deeper in your sand.
 
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