Modify AGA Pine Stand to get sump in and out?

[bjbass]

Has anybody ever modified an All Glass Aquarium (Aqueon) stand in pine to get a sump in and out. I had to rip out a lateral brace, put my sump in, and replace the brace to get the sump in. Now my tank is setup already (210 gallon) and I need to replace the sump. I want to avoid ripping this thing all the way apart to get it out, which will require moving my fish for awhile.

Are all of the boards load bearing? I thought about installing a door on the one side, but I figure that all the boards are load bearing.

 

[swk]

Yes, the boards are load bearing.....I tried myself. I removed all the side boards to get my sump in while the tank was full and almost killed myself. You're gonna have to drain the tank unfortunately.

 

[fox3]

I have an AGA stand under our 210. It is the Mission Series and the front post is there ony for the doors. They arranged the door to use only one stile so the other opening is 4' clear.

This made me investigate the top rail before filling the tank and the tank does not rest onnit structurally. For piece of mind I reinforced under the base to support a larger sump and add some support to that stile.

It appears these stands rely on the ends to support the tank, mebbe your stand from AGA is similar to our AGA stand in design. If that is the case one post can be removed.

 

[bjbass]

Ok great!!! I will drain my tank down to about 1/4 full and pull one board in the front to get my sump in and replace it. I will post pictures of my stand for you to look at before I do this.

 

[bjbass]

Here are some pictures of the board that I want to remove.

 

[bjbass]

I ended up removing this board that I have circled above and we had some supports set up to take the load while it was removed. They weren't even need, but the tank did sag a little bit when the board was out. I removed over 3/4 of the water.

I replaced the board with some wood screws and everything is good now. Thanks for all of your help!

 

[idle0095]

i took mine out on my 90 in the back to get the sump in then i put it back.

 

[DMD123]

I just bought a 210g tank that came with one of these stands. Wow I can not believe how cheap they make these things. EVERY board on them is vital for it to stand. I ended up basically reinforcing the entire thing with 2x4's and screws.

 

[groovylime]

^^^ I'd do the same thing! I'm always shocked when I see how flimsy some of these store-bought stands are. ...and the ones made out of MDF should have an expiry date. I tend to over-build, causing me to sleep very well at night.