Bogleheads

[Boglenaut]

I never had an aquarium before, but got one for my 5 year old this Christmas. My question is about stands.

I got a 14 gallon tank (~20.25X10.5X16.5 -- like a tall 10 gallon). I figured it should weigh about 140 pounds. I also have a TV stand made for an old 32" CRT TV that weighed 134 pounds. The stand held the TV with no problem for years, and I could even wheel it around the room with the TV on it... very stable. (and yes, I know to NEVER move a full aquarium).

I filled the aquarium and it seemed very stable. No problem at all.

Anyway, I was reading one should use only stands made for aquariums. I bought two different ones, and neither seemed as stable as the TV stand. The TV stand also looked much much better and had plently of places to store supplies. Also, I think it is very unlikely a kid could knock over the aquarium on the TV stand, but more likely they could with the made-for-aquarium stand.

I am not worried about the TV stand being strong enough.. I weigh 190 lbs and can sit on it and it is fine. But I do worry the the top board is not made to be around water, and I know a small amount of water will get under the aquarium. Somene suggested we just buy some plastic sheet or waterproof tableloth to protect the manufactured wood.

Any suggestions? I don't mind spending money, but the TV stand just intutively seems safer to me.

[Boglenaut]

As a follow-up question... just how level does the aquarium need to be. When filled, the water is 1/8" higher on one side than the other. Close enough to be safe?

[oneleaf]

I do not know that much about Aquarium stands. However, I do know that it is not just about being able to support the weight, but also to provide a very flat surface.

My friend had a big 75 gallon tank or something and had it on a very sturdy table. However, it was not built for fishtanks.

One day, he went into the room with the fishtank and saw all the fish lying on the gravel. Other than that, everything looked the same. And then he noticed something weird... he could not see the water line. He then realized it was completely empty! Apparently, the uneven surface created stress on the joint and caused a leak.

Funny thing is that the water was crystal clear (he did good filtering) so it took him a long time before he realized there was no water. Also, amazingly, the water did not soak his carpet. He thinks there was a hole in the floor somewhere under the carpet.

He then bought a new fishtank and bought an aquarium stand.

[Boglenaut]

Thanks. That's my fear.

I do notice a tiny tiny gap between the surface of the stand and the center of the bottom bar of the aquarium. Not sure which one isn't completely flat. It's just big enough to let some light in.

I got a metal aquarium from Wal-mart and the tank literally could wobble on the stand and I wasn't about to fill it with water. It only contacted the aquarium in a few cross-bars. Iam sure my stand did better than that one.

[livesoft]

I have kept aquariums for years, but not as small as yours. Most stands support only the perimeter of the aquarium. I wouldn't worry about your TV stand at all. It is probably just fine. BTW, TVs are very heavy especially the old CRT ones.

To help level an aquarium I use 1/8th inch cork between the aquarium and the stand. It accounts for any unevenness in the bottom edges of teh aquarium. Nevertheless for large aquariums the stand and floor should be very level to begin with. I would be bothered by a 1/8th inch difference in water level on any of my aquariums, but for your small aquarium, I don't think it matters.

[cudaman]

Your stand is fine. I've never had a problem with whatever the aquarium was placed on, level or not. Place a towel underneath to protect the furniture. I've had a 70 gallon for 20 years or so - not level and no issue.

More important. Chlorine will kill as quickly as lack of water. If you have valuable fish, beware of city water. They can double chlorine amounts without notice. I had a very rare Barracuda, a beautiful 12 inch long, gorgeous fish, and my "bud". I always used "chlorine eliminator" when changing water. Upon changing the tank water and adding the specified amount of chlorine treatment, the Barracuda went into a violent spasm. I panicked not knowing what was going on. Was the new water poison? In my state of panic, threw him into the bathtub with untreated water. Dumb! This sealed his fate. He's now dead as a door nail and missed greatly.

I called the city. They had an outbreak of bacteria in the water supply and so doubled the chlorine content in the water supply. Thanks a lot for the notice. And I was just trying to clean the stupid unlevel tank.

[Boglenaut]

Here is the TV stand.



Here is the aquarium stand:



I think you can see why my wife (and I) are more nervous about the aquarium stand being knocked over.

I did a test... for the TV stand, I can slide 8 pieces of paper in the gap between the stand and the aquarium.

Ideally, we'd want a stand that is wider but made for aquariums of this size. Can't find any.

The aquarium stand also looks and feels rough... not living-room quality.

[norookie]

[arthurdawg]

can you take the wheels off of the TV stand? i 've had multiple aquariums over the years and they can be "sloshy"....
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[Boglenaut]

It's not easy to roll, even with wheels, so the kids can't do it. And my wife and I know not to.

[The Dan]

I vote for using the aquarium stand, not the TV stand. I'm worried that with the TV stand, you will get sagging of that top shelf over time, and perhaps eventual shelf failure. However, with the aquarium stand, the contact points (along the perimeter of the aquarium's base) are perfectly in line with the sides of the stand, so no sagging should occur.

[555]

.

[Wolkenspiel]

I used to have a number of aquariums, including a 180 gallon saltwater tank. Glass tanks like yours are designed for support around the bottom perimeter of the tank. With the top of your TV stand bowing eventually, in particular as there will be excess moisture, there will only be support at the two ends of the tank. You may get away with that for a small tank, and 14 gallon of water won't ruin your house if the tank fails, but there is no way I would risk it with anything bigger. You see that the aquarium stand has vertical panels supporting the perimeter of the tank, eliminating this problem.

(ps: I tried a TV stand for a small tank once, and got rid of it after a few weeks)

(pps: from experience, if you live in an apartment with downstairs neighbors, you really really want to make sure the water stays in the tank)

[Bob B]

IMHO, your aquarium looks a lot more attractive on the aquarium stand than it does on the TV stand. On the aquarium stand, the aquarium is the focal point. On the TV stand, the big expanse of glass doors, fingerprints and visible shelves (which will eventually fill up with fish tank junk) draw the eyes away from the aquarium.

You can easily build shelves inside that aquarium stand to hold supplies and they will be out of sight.

Those stands are also available in a natural wood finish that will compliment your trim. Oh listen to me sounding all Martha Stewart like.
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Bob

[Bounca]

[livesoft]

Now that I see how the TV stand is bowed, I say watch out! Perhaps you could put the back perimeter of the aquarium to match up with the back board of the the stand. Or put a stiff board on the stand before putting the aquarium on the board. There is no support for the front edge of the aquarium and that's pretty bad as mentioned by others previously.

[Boglenaut]

Thanks for the comments!!

These pictures make the TV stand look worse than it really is, and the aquarium stand look better. My wife and I agreed last night that we'll bring the aquarium stand back...it just looks ugly in our living room and we feel it could tip too easily.

I also think that while the TV stand may work just fine, there is enough doubt in my mind that I won't be able to sleep at night worrying. So that option is out as well.

Because this will be in our living room, I don't mind spending more if I could find a stand that both looks nice and is safe. Unfortunately, all the stands I can find for a tank of this size look bad and feel flimsy.

I cannot return the aquarium because I already filled it with water, opened some of the packets that came with it, etc. So, my wife and I decided to put this project on hold for a while and store the aquarium while we ponder what to do.

Does anyone know of a stand that looks living-room quality and can hold a tank of this size?

The other option would be to just consider the tank cost lost and buy a bigger tank and stand together... it seems there are a lot more options once the tank gets bigger as far as being living-room quality and not seeming flimsy.

[Boglenaut]

PS- I have got to clean that cold-air return vent in the picture! Taking a photo shows it where we don't see it in real life!

[arthurdawg]