Page 1 of 2

Tank Stand Substitute?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:42 pm
by Pizza
Well I just bought a 90 Gallon Tank, but I realize now that I am short on funds for a stand, so what are some good suggestions for a temporary stand that could withstand the weight of a 75% filled 90G Tank?

I was thinking putting two smaller tables together (they seem pretty sturdy), but you never know, they just might not be able to take the weight of the tank.

Or I could just set it on the ground temporarily (which I would then need to find/make a temporary screen cover), so any suggestions on a good tank cover? Maybe just a board or something?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:00 pm
by marisa
Rather than 2 small tables, I'd put the tank on the ground until a suitable stand could be found. Since it's cold where you are, I wouldn't put it directly on the ground, but would put it on something like a small rug to help insulate the tank from the cold on the bottom.

Are you thinking of a solid cover for the tank? Your turtle doesn't really need one. If you're thinking of a screen to prevent escape, one option would be to get something called 1/2-inch hardware cloth (a mesh you can get here in hardware stores or home improvement centers that comes in rolls), you can fashion a cover for the tank. The holes are large enough so that they won't significantly cut down on the UVB rays your turtle will get from his UVB light.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:15 pm
by Hoooneylynn
Yeah, I agree... 90 gallons is a lot of weight, and you wouldnt want to risk a flood, breaking your expensive tank into pieces and especially injuring your turt. There is nothing wrong with putting on the floor except.. when I had Karlyn on the floor this past week, she freaked out everytime we walked past. She was so stressed out :(

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:25 pm
by Pizza
Okay, thanks for the tips.

Just that I'm pretty clumsy and I trip over things (sometimes just stubbing my toe on the floor) frequently, not to mention I'm butterfingers, and drop things a lot too (such as pens or a glass of juice), so a cover would be preferred.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:37 pm
by marisa
You could put a barrier around the tank (until your turtle gets used to his new home) to give him a little privacy when you walk by. You are going to stand over your turtle with orange juice?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:48 pm
by Kallistos
You said you'd fill up your 90 gallon tank about 75% of the way, that would equal about 67.5 gallons of water. A gallon of water equals 8.33 pounds (3.77 kilograms)
67.5 times 8.33 equals rougly 562.

So basically what I'm trying to say is...

The tank will weigh 562 pounds or 255 kilograms.

I'm not sure that many regular household surface tops can handle that much weight. So please be careful before improvising a stand for your tank.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:01 pm
by Hoooneylynn
marisa, I think hes scared of dropping the lights in accidentally.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:46 pm
by Spookster
A less expensive solution would be to get some metal garage shelves like these:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

Holds 1000lbs per shelf. You could use just the bottom two shelves and maybe drape a table cloth over it if you want to make it decorative.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:20 pm
by Pizza
Well until I do find a proper tank stand, I've set out a corner of my living room to put the tank (since that's the only place where I could put it, everywhere else is occupied), and it's in pretty close proximity to other furniture, such as two couches, so I fear that I may fall in one day, resulting in not only a broken tank, some frightened turtles, but a wet living room, ;)

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:30 pm
by Hoooneylynn
and a broken leg!

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:32 pm
by WeirdMeta
Spookster wrote:A less expensive solution would be to get some metal garage shelves like these:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

Holds 1000lbs per shelf. You could use just the bottom two shelves and maybe drape a table cloth over it if you want to make it decorative.



This is what I am using as a stand for my tank. My dad thought up the idea. The shelf only cost like 30 dollars.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:55 pm
by Pizza
Hoooneylynn wrote:and a broken leg!


That too, :o .

With a soggy carpet, two ruined couches, a soiled table, wet wall, soaked drapes, waterlogged books (since a tray holding books is also nearby), broken glass and such around, it would be pretty bad, not to mention the costs to fix things, :wink: . Yeah, that corner in the living room is pretty full.

And I'll look into the shelf option, seems pretty strong to be able to hold 1000 pounds per shelf :wink: .

PostPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:10 am
by steve
If you search DIY + Reef, you will find lots of home built stands. Those guys are fanatics :)

And, whats up with the Flames?

PostPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:13 am
by Pizza
Well I stopped paying attention after that streak of losses back in October, pretty disapointing compared to how they played last season, ;)

And will do about the home built stands, thanks.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 1:07 am
by Hoooneylynn
and plenty of spilled orange juice ;)