My fiance and I recently got a new 29 gallon aquarium. I had a aquarium stand from a previous tank, but I realize now that it was too long. The corners are all supported, but the two shorter edges are over open space. Is this going to end up being a disaster at some point?

Posted by BrewSkadooUcan2

30 Comments

  1. Idk if you’re asking for trouble. But why take the chance? Try cutting thicker cut of plywood?

  2. Just put a top plate on it. Glued solid wood, 12mm thick, 1200mm long and 600mm wide was only 14 euros from my local hardware store (a fair amount of sizes available, and they will cut it to size on some days of the week, too). Just paint/stain it and plop it onto the frame, add a leveling mat and you’re good to go.

  3. Ok_Gazelle2687 on

    Calculate the weight of water in that tank when it’s full
    Then go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and get you a nice 300lb shelf with precut plywood or metal
    Shelf panels including
    It’s the wibbly wobbly of that stand that makes my spider senses tingle…. One little bump when doing a water change and finna need a whole lot more water …

  4. God I hate those types of stands, I’ve had a few, and while I never had any problems, it was a constant worry of mine that it would just collapse or tip over.

  5. It’s “probably OK” — the vast majority of the tank weight is supported along the long-side of the tank, and the corners are fully supported.

    You know the answer here though … it’s the wrong size tank stand. If it were my and my house, I’d get a proper sized stand for that 29g.

  6. Im pretty sure it’s fine since it’s a metal stand, very sturdy generally and all four sides are supported but I don’t know for sure and I don’t think it’s worth the risk, I wouldn’t risk it

  7. AtlasDrugged_0 on

    The corners of the tank are supported so you should be good. Obviously be very careful not to nudge it out of place. For additional piece of mind I suppose you could cut a board of plywood to size (of the stand) and put that on top of the stand

  8. Yes. This will bring trouble sooner or later. Why not get a piece of plywood to fit the stand and support all the sides of the rim of the tank.

  9. thewhiterabbitaster on

    Tbh? If you have to ask yourself and others if it’s safe, it most likely isn’t.

  10. Plywood, as already stated, is the way to go. I’d go 3/4 inch. Sand it smooth and paint it, and the stand, with a glossy cool color paint, will look really nice. A dark copper, or bronze color might be good with the floor and walls, but decor and color matching is best left to my wife

    My real concern is with the 4 legs on the floor. Lots of weight in the tank, and your probably close to getting 4 square dents in that nice floor. Could look for a block or pads to help disperse the weight a bit

  11. Bipedal_Warlock on

    Something to keep in mind, if you just get a piece of plywood and lay it down, how easy is that going to be to change under 29 gallons of water? Are you going to get tired of the way it looks? Are you going to accidentally get water on it when you are working on the aquarium? Is it going to rot to the water?

    You might as well do the job thoroughly before you put 240 pounds of water on it.

  12. Just put some kind of sturdy surface on top of the frame and you’re good. Like I don’t know why you haven’t done this before filling the tank up with water and fish, because now you have to lift the tank off the frame to put something underneath. I suggest siphoning half the water out into whatever clean buckets or containers you have. Please do not try to lift it while it’s full and don’t try any other maneuvers either.

  13. Agreeable-Jury-7520 on

    You have balls filling that aquarium. I give you that. (And hopefully good insurance.)

  14. ImpressiveBig8485 on

    The majority of people giving advice in the comments have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.

    Rimmed tanks are perfectly fine to only be supported on the edges. Many commercial breeding warehouses and retail stores do this.

  15. itsthefeelgooddrag on

    It seems like it’d be fine, but if it were me, I would definitely do what other commenters are suggesting and add a flat board that spans the entire width.

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