Habitat - Indoor :: going to a 40 gallon concerns

[tjurhs]

Hi guys,

I stopped by the local PetSmart and they have a 40 gallon tank for $70 which I can afford

however, it's wider than the chest of draws by an inch or so. so I'm thinking I'll cut a sheet of plywood to sit atop the chest of draws that is bigger than the tank and then the tank will sit on the board.

if the tank's bottom measure 36 long and 18 wide, I'm thinking to cut the plywood 37 X 19 one inch bigger on each side, or should the plywood be cut bigger than that?

also, right now I have a MarineLand C220 filter which is rated up to 55 gallons. I can't afford to by a new filter as well as the 40 gallon tank. I'm thinking it will just have to do and do more water changes?

thanks for your thoughts!

Todd

[Lrigyttiw]

I just got that same tank on Saturday (upgrading from a 10 gallon tank). I'm going to have my fiancé DIY me a tank stand. I saw a cool DIY stand on this forum somewhere, and I just found this link: http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diystandscabinets/.

I wonder if the plywood is going to be strong enough?

[Kansasslider]

As long as its not hanging over too much you should be ok. What size is the dresser?

[tjurhs]

54 X 18

[Kansasslider]

Should be fine as long as its solid feeling.

[Kansasslider]

1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds approximately.

[tjurhs]

yea, I'm concerned about puttin that kind of weight on the very edges of the tank's frame?

idk?

[Kansasslider]

If you put the plywood under it I think it will be fine.

[tjurhs]

me too

and Thor will have a larger tanks

[steve]

If the dresser is mdf or particle board, then I would not use it as a stand. Those are light duty materials and do terrible against moisture. You can also save a bit more on the tank if you wait for their sale ($1 per gallon on tanks 55g and smaller).