Bracing an aquarium?

[uncpmatt]

Hey everyone, I have a new 60gal tank I'm replacing my 50gal with. The stand on the 50gal had water damage, and I couldn't find a new stand for the 48" long flatback hex....

Anyway, the 60gal is 48"x12"x57.75" (including the stand height). Obviously, a tank so tall and narrow, sitting in a carpeted room, causes me some concern regarding the tank tipping over. Empty, the tank and stand lean forward about 3 degrees. The way the stand is made would make it difficult to shim the front. Add to that the 3 1/2 year old, 2 year old, and soon-to-be newborn.... I want this tank to be as secure as possible.

What I am looking at doing is this: I want to take a 4x4, about 44-48" long, and mount it to the studs. Then, use lag bolts to anchor the tank stand to the 4x4. Unfortunately, the way the stand is made and due to the need for space behind the tank for filter hoses, I don't think I could do it with a 2x4.

Any suggestions for better ways to make this work? I'm in eastern NC, not a earthquake prone area. Seriously, the greatest threat for tipping is from a kid pulling on the front of the stand. Thanks for any help.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Under the carpet there may be a wooden tack strip near the wall that causes the tank to tilt a bit. I have secured tanks to a wall by putting an eye bolt into the wall stud and fastening an adjustable turnbuckle to it and the stand. I would strongly advise making the tank and stand level somehow in addition to securing it to a wall, especially around kids.
I removed the carpet and pad from the area where my tanks go and replaced it with several squares of vinyl tile. This made for a very stable substrate for my stands. I also siliconed some plastic quarter round to the floor in front of the carpet to hopefully catch spills and leaks. I now have an L shaped area in the corner of a room with tile where the tanks sit.
Tanks on carpet has been a problem for me in the past. Even without big leaks the carpet gets wet from water changes and such. I have had sections of hardwood floor discolored from being wet. Mold will grow under the carpet and pad. If you do ever have a leak or big spill the tank will have to be removed to get the floor dry and the carpet will likely be ruined.

 

[uncpmatt]

leveling is the plan, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do it. Here is the tank/stand I got:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3804465&lmdn=Fish

If you look very close at the picture, which I didn't before I bought it, the front of the stand is open at the bottom, so all the weight is on the back and sides. So when the tank is naturally leaning forward, there is nothing for it to lean on. I'm going to try a shim under the front on both sides, get the tank level, then fill it up and see if it stays level with the weight on it. Then, while its full and shouldn't settle any more, secure it to the wall.

 

[suds1421]

If it were me and I were that worried about it, I would look into making/buying a hood for it and then taking something like a ratchet strap and secure the top of the tank around the trim of the tank. Don't tighten it, but as long as you take out the slack it would make it much more stable as well.

With those size kids I wouldn't be worried about damage to a tank, I'd be worried about the tank crashing into them. Kids have been killed by pulling a 19" TV off of an elevated position, an aquarium at that size will weigh more than 400lbs...

 

[uncpmatt]

Exactly, Suds, Tanks can be replaced but I don't know what I would do if one of my kids got hurt. I have been thinking about building a wood canopy out of some of the previously mentioned wood in my backyard, I never thought about securing that to the wall though. Great idea!

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I looked at the picture. The arch above the open space should transfer some of the weight to the uprights at the front corners. Being a commercial stand the hope is that they have designed it well enough to hold a tank that it is rater for.
I picked up a used wooden stand with a tank a couple of years ago. The previous owner had added some 2x4 for extra bracing. This is my first wooden stand and so far it has held up ok. I intend to replace it with a metal stand at some point. I have some metal stands that must be well over 30 years old and are still sound. They require sanding and paint from time to time.
I had a slow filter leak last summer that went on a while before I caught it. The base of the stand was soaked from being wet for a while. The press board had swelled and distorted a bit. That caused the doors to drag a bit. I was able to get it to dry out but the swollen places remain on the base. It was not wet long enough to affect the upright structural parts. Noy a significant amout of damage. Had I not cut the carpet out of the area around the tank, I would have had a much bigger problem. The stand would have stayed wet much longer and the wet would have spread out into the carpet for a large distance. (This has happened before).
I have a cutting toarch and two welders so may build a metal stand. It will depend on how much a factory stand will cost.

 

[uncpmatt]

Thats the same thing that happened on my canister, the gasket around the top was leaking and I didn't know until the cabinet doors and the center support were drawing in water and swelling. The cabinet doors no longer even close, and the pressboard inside the laminate dried out and turned to powder.

 

[uncpmatt]

Ok, I scrapped the idea about the 4x4 and went with a modification of Suds idea.



Those screws go about two inches into the stud, and about an inch and a half into the stand. There is one of these rigs at each end of the stand. When I have the time to build a canopy top for the tank, there will be two more securing the top of the tank to the wall as well. I just don't think there is much I could do to make the stand much more secure. As for leveling the tank, I found some scrap plywood and cut some pieces small enough to shim the front of the tank perfectly. I left some slack in those links to account for the tank settling a little, also.