# Strength of a store bought tank stand?



## diagnosis (Dec 14, 2011)

I just had a quick question regarding the 1" square tubing stands, sold at Big Al's, and other LFS. 

At what tank size are they considered unsafe?

Obviously, they must be designed with the weight of the tank they are made to hold, but to me, they look incredibly flimsy, and poorly built. 

I recently purchased a 75g tank and stand, but can't bring myself to filling the tank, as it looks like it wouldn't be able to hold 700lbs of weight reliably. Also, there isn't any way of leveling the stand on a slightly uneven tiled floor. 

I have access to metal stock, and a welder to reinforce the stand, as well as add a center brace and set of legs. I intend to add some leveling feet as well, to just put my mind at ease. 

Am I crazy for worrying so much, or are these stands as cheap and possibly as dangerous as they look?

Just trying to put my mind at ease with any input, advice, or horror stories you may have. 

Regards. Graham.


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## cichlidspiro (May 11, 2011)

I have seen the stand you are talking about, and it scares me to just from looking at it.

But I bought some fish off someone and they had 2- 75g tanks on it and he said it was like that for 4 years


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

If i can offer a suggestion for leveling feet - weld a peice of 1/4" plate inside of tube, drill and tap with appropriate thread size for 1/4 or 5/16 threaded leveling foot.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=40041&cat=3,40993,41283&ap=1 or similar from richeliu, just make sure you spec a foot that has the threads strong enough to hold the load with a safety margin...


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## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

I gotto admit, I bought a 150g with a wooden stand and I was shocked to see how light it was. My tank is probably a few hundred lbs and the stand at most was like 50 lbs. I think it's all about structure, the tank doesn't creek, doesn't seem unstable or anything. This is my first wooden stand... I always had the tubular metal stands and never had a problem. I am going to keep an eye on it anyhow, because my thought at time of purchase was WTF, seems toooo light.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

The metal stands generally sold at retail are very light, but seem to do the job. My concern is not that they are 1" square tube, but rather the wall thickness. The stands I built for some of my tanks were 1 1/4" tube with 1/8" wall thickness. The thicker wall makes it easier to get a good weld. Regardless, if the welds are good, just doing the vertical seams at the joints is sufficient, and is less likely to deform the stand than welding all around.
If one wants to add leveling feet, a nut of the right size to fit inside the leg is the way to go, or one large enough to reach the outsides of the legs for welding.
If you are going to setup on a tile floor, you might consider placing something for the stand to sit on so as not to point load the floor, if you aren't in the basement.A piece of plywood or a dimensional board long enough to span the legs across the front and back will help distribute the weight and give you something to level beneath the stand.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 26, 2011)

at no size are they considered unsafe.

the tube steel stands sold at big als are the strongest store bought stands you can get from a LFS. they are made by Hamilton Manufacturing.

I have been using them for 25 years.

I have a 65g/50g stacked combo and my 72x18x29.5" 165g tank sits on a 72x18 tube stand made with 1.5" tube steel. for 16 years I had a 90/65g stacked combo.

tube steel is incredibly strong. light yes, but strong.

much stronger than any of the particle board stands or the 1x2" pine strip stands available from stores like big als.

the downside to these stands is not the holding ability (they will take the weight and last for decades and decades) but rather the fact that some think they are ugly.

also, with 4 legs they put a lot of pressure on the 4 posts. for me, my tanks have always been in concrete basements, so its not a problem.

I did put 3x3" maple wood 'feet' under my 165g so it would not punch through the laminate subfloor under the tank in my finished basement.

I don't trust other stands available especially after 15+ years.

its the steel tube stands I trust.


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

For levelling you can use plastic shims from a HD type store (the wood ones will compress with the weight). A bit unsightly but works well.


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

I've tried that before for other applications and have found welding small nuts causes io either become brittle from the heat - the threads pop off way to easy, or the nut defroms slightly, and inserting the threaded rod stresses it and causes it to crack to release tension - offsetting enough to pinch the rod and make it unmovable. With bigger nuts it doesnt seem to be an issue as they have enough mass that a small bead doesnt cause a problem.



BillD said:


> If one wants to add leveling feet, a nut of the right size to fit inside the leg is the way to go, or one large enough to reach the outsides of the legs for welding.


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## diagnosis (Dec 14, 2011)

I ended up taking the stand to work today, and beefing it up a little bit. Again, I completely understand it is perfectly capable of holding the weight of the tank, and it was designed to do so, but it was just a little unnerving to me.

I simply added a 1" tubing middle support, with a set of feet just for my peace of mind. As suggested above, I also welded the seam where the horizontal tubing meets the front of the vertical supports.

I welded 1/2" nuts to 1/8" thick washers, which I welded into place onto the bottom of the legs, so that I can add adjustable feet to help level the stand. I will have a lock nut that will tighten up to the bottom of the leg so that will bear the weight as opposed to the hidden nut inside the tubing.

Probably overkill, but I am a little happier with the strength, or at least the appearance of it! 










I'll have to repaint the stand (again), and hopefully start to set it up this weekend.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Did you get much warpage from doing the modifications?


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 26, 2011)

looks great!

the one thing that is good about the unmodified version though is that you can put another tank on the bottom.

but if you are using it for a single tank, its perfect.

nice work


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## diagnosis (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for all the input, and the compliments!

There is virtually zero warpage to the stand after welding in the supports. I moved around while welding as to not concentrate the heat in one spot too long, and it seemed to do the trick. 

I'll probably add a shelf to the bottom, and a couple of plywood doors on the front, as I didn't plan on adding another tank to the collection. I still have a girlfriend who enjoys the hobby. One more tank may be the one that pushes her over the edge


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## diagnosis (Dec 14, 2011)

Well, I went a little further. I made some adjustable feet to account for my uneven floor, using 1/2" tapered allen bolts, with washers welded to the heads to add a little bit of surface area.



















I took advantage of the hollow legs, and used these for the uprights for the light support.....










...which was too tall to assemble when I got home. 










Nothing a hacksaw cant fix.

I am much happier with the strength of the stand, and the fact that it can be adjusted to level the tank out. Thanks again for the advice and input!


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