I'm looking at buying a used 240 g acrylic tank but just noticed that the tank stand is not a solid surface top, but 2x4s that provide only edge support and 2 supports spaced roughly 1/3 the distance apart across the length of the tank. If this tank had been used on this type of stand, how much stress may have been placed on the acrylic bottom or do I not need to worry about this? That is roughly a ton of water/ornaments on a non-solid surface top. Thoughts/knowledge are appreciated b/c I am/was very close to buying this set-up. I'm thinking I shouldn't now.
How bad is it for an acrylic tank to be on a non-solid surface top stand?
- Thread starter mcyun1
- Start date
put a piece of plywood on top after adding some more cross supports.
overall though if he tank was ran like that already sounds pretty sketchy to me.
overall though if he tank was ran like that already sounds pretty sketchy to me.
my thoughts exactly. i am concerned the tank bottom has been compromised b/c it's been fully filled in 2 locations like that. any other thoughts, if anyone definitively knows whether the acrylic might be compromised, i would love to have that knowledge.
I don't think it matters, because the tank has cross supports.
glass tanks usually only have perimeter support, because glass tanks dont sag like acrylic tanks do.
that is why full bottom stands are recommended for acrylic tanks.
having perimeter only allows for major sagging/warping with acrylic.
however, given that the stand has cross supports, I dont think this could happen on this tank.
but as mentioned you could add plywood to be safe.
glass tanks usually only have perimeter support, because glass tanks dont sag like acrylic tanks do.
that is why full bottom stands are recommended for acrylic tanks.
having perimeter only allows for major sagging/warping with acrylic.
however, given that the stand has cross supports, I dont think this could happen on this tank.
but as mentioned you could add plywood to be safe.
tks ... out of curiosity, would u buy a used acrylic tank set-up that had been using a cross-support stand if you could add a plywood top post purchase?
imo if any tank bigger then a 20 gallon dosnt have a solid surface underneath it is letting the tank sag in the middle that is a careless way to support ur tank glass tanks get cracks in the plastic frames from it im sure acrylic is the same except breaking the bonded edge add more reinforcements and 3/4 plywood underneath any tank just to be safe if you dont well its ur house i guess also use of bead board underneath any glass tank isnt a bad idea it helps to insulate and also helps to displace the weight of the tank
glass or acrylic?
modern glass tanks have 'floating bottoms' and are not designed to have full support underneath them - thats why tank stands are designed with perimeter support only for glass tanks. the glass panel at the bottom never touches the stand, only the frame does on the edges. this is also the reason why the manufacturers do not recommend foam for this style of tank.
but everything changes for acrylic tanks. this only applies to modern (braced) glass tanks.
eg. here is the bottom of my 150g glass tank made by Aqueon (aka All-glass). you can see the 'floating bottom' style of today's tanks.
modern glass tanks have 'floating bottoms' and are not designed to have full support underneath them - thats why tank stands are designed with perimeter support only for glass tanks. the glass panel at the bottom never touches the stand, only the frame does on the edges. this is also the reason why the manufacturers do not recommend foam for this style of tank.
but everything changes for acrylic tanks. this only applies to modern (braced) glass tanks.
eg. here is the bottom of my 150g glass tank made by Aqueon (aka All-glass). you can see the 'floating bottom' style of today's tanks.
thanks for the responses ... so what i recall was accurate, acrylic needs full support, glass does not ... back to the drawing board.