Stupid measurement question about glass 125-150g tanks

[DaveB]

I've got a dresser that has a flat top surface of exactly 72 inches by 18. There's a bit of a lip and rounded edge that goes beyond that but the flat part is obviously what's important.

Will a standard 125 fit, or is it actually a 73x19 footprint including the trim on the bottom?

Ideally I'd get a 150, since it's the most water volume I can possibly fit on that dresser... but now I'm worried that I won't be able to fit any big tanks on there (right now it's got a 55, but I'm going to put those fish in a 75 in another room). And even if it was just like a half an inch wider at the base I worry that with that kind of water weight it wouldn't even work to have a quarter inch hanging off the flat part all around.

Is there someone with a glass tank of these sizes that can measure? I'd really appreciate it. I know that the glass gets thicker as sizes go up, which is why I can't just assume that the 72x18 tanks have that footprint the way my 48x13 55g does. It's exactly 48" wide. But I'm pretty sure my 90 was 49.

 

[FishGoneWild]

Here are some stand measurements taken from Water-wolves. I hope this will help you out. I have a 125 and it measures exactly 60" from one end of the trim to the other.

125H 60 x 18 x 24
125L 72 x 18 x 20
135H 72 x 18 x 24
140T 60 x 18 x 30
150R 48 x 24 x 30
150H 60 x 24 x 24
150 72 x 24 x 20

 

[koop171]

is the dresser stong enough to hold 1400lbs? make sure it will first. Also make sure you can get it level I wouldn't want it leaning any direction. For fear of it falling

 

[DaveB]

The dresser is far more robust than any tank stand I have ever seen. I'm not worried about it holding the weight. I'm worried about the fact that the trim on the tank ends up extending an inch past the glass on the thicker-glassed models and so only half of the bottom trim (albeit 100% of what is actually under the glass) would be supported. So I'm worried about the tank itself I guess.

I have always been in awe of the fact that these tanks could have that tiny little trim piece support all the weight without any of the bottom glass of the tank sitting flush on a stand. (I'm even more impressed that those cheap particle board stands can have what amounts to a 1x4 of crappy "wood" sticking up from the base and that is still strong enough to support a full 90g.) So maybe it'd be fine anyway even with a bit of overlap. It just seems really dicey to me.

The whole reason I bought this dresser was so that I could upgrade to a 6 foot tank but I guess I didn't plan it well. Might be that my only option is to custom order an acrylic that is a true 72x18 footprint. That's way more than I was hoping to spend.

Or maybe it depends on the brand, not the thickness. If FishGoneWild has a 125 that is exactly 60" including the trim maybe there's hope?

Here is the dresser in question. That's a 48x13" footprint (inc trim) 55g tank on it right now. Those fish are going into the 75 I just got, and out into the other room in place of the tank of monsters, which would be moving in here, hopefully into something I can make work with this.

Anyway, you can sort of see how it's flat at the top then has the small ridge then the curve. The 72x18 is the flat piece, not the whole thing.

 

[andy1234]

to distribute the weight on there and to limit inditation try using some styro foam nder the tank

 

[Tigerdat]

Here are some stand measurements taken from Water-wolves. I hope this will help you out. I have a 125 and it measures exactly 60" from one end of the trim to the other.

125H 60 x 18 x 24
125L 72 x 18 x 20
135H 72 x 18 x 24
140T 60 x 18 x 30
150R 48 x 24 x 30
150H 60 x 24 x 24
150 72 x 24 x 20

You will need to add 1/2 inch to all the measurements if the tank is glass, the plastic frame add about 1/4inch all the way around, if its a plexi tank those measurements are correct

 

[DaveB]

From an engineer friend of mine:

"If the supporting trim is plastic absolutely do NOT overhang it. Due to the wt, aquariums need to be properly supported along the the whole base perimeter. This includes proper shimming. Glass doesn't flex too well. Even if the glass doesn't break, it will load the edges funning and in the longterm weaken the seals."

So basically the 55 is about the largest tank that dresser can hold. Damn it.

 

[12 Volt Man]

I was under the impression that the thick glass tanks do not add more to the outside dimensions.

eg. my 90 gallon has 1/2 thick glass and the outside measurements are exactly 48x18, not 48.5 x 18.5. I just measured it.

the glass thickness should not add to the outside dimensions, the thickness is included in the measurement.

I would think you would be okay with a 150 gallon (72x18x28) assuming the dresser can indeed support the weight.

 

[DaveB]

The thick glass seems to also require thicker trim, though, so while it's 72" even from glass edge to glass edge, it's another full inch worth of trim at the base, so the dresser or stand would have to be 73x19. Unlike my 55, which has trim that's barely wider than the glass.

I think I've got a pretty good solution though. Might be able to cut a piece of plywood to the full dimensions, which will allow the tank to sit flush on something. Then I can just get some molding or a 1x4 run through one of those cool machines (forgot the name) that makes the grooves/curves, and basically make my own outer trim that overlaps the tank trim and covers the top of the dresser. Similar to the stands that you slide the tank into from the back. The hardest part would be getting a stain that matches.

 

[JLad10687]

Why not get a thick piece of plywood cut to the measurements you need and put it on top of the dresser? Stain the plywood the same color and make it look clean. Seems like it wouldn't look bad.