Description
This article is from the Beginning
Fishkeeping FAQ, by Thomas Narten with numerous contributions
by others.
15 Equipment: Stands
You will need some sort of stand on which to place your tank. The
stand can either be specially designed to hold your tank, or existing
furniture. The first thing to consider is whether your chosen stand
can support the tank's weight. When full of water, tanks weigh a LOT
(the water alone weighs roughly 10 lbs/gallon). Consult THE TABLES in
the INTRODUCTARY FAQ for detailed specs on common aquarium sizes.
If you live in an older or cheaply constructed home, give
consideration to how weight is distributed among the stand's supports.
The larger the surface area of the leg stands, the less instantaneous
pressure (per square inch) on the floor. You don't want the stand to
crash through your floor! If you plan to have a large tank (e.g., 55g
or more), be sure the floor itself can properly support the weight.
For big tanks, try to place the tank perpendicular to the floor joists
(so that the weight is distributed over multiple joists). Placing your
tank near a load bearing wall is also safer than placing in the middle
of your floor.
Stands should keep the tank level, in order to keep weight distributed
properly. An un-level tank places stress in the wrong places,
increasing the odds of having the tank break (yes, this does actually
happen sometimes). In order to more evenly distribute weight on the
stand, it is a good idea to place a 1/4 inch sheet of Styrofoam
between the stand and the tank.
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Tags
aquaria, fish, acquarium, tank, fishkeeping
