acrylic tank not fully supported

[rmesola]

Hi,

Just curious what people think about an acrylic 3/8 tank that has approx 4 inches of the back not fully supported by the stand...

will this lead to failure?

this is a 125gal 4x2x2 approx..


thanks

 

[Chichas01]

Maybe. Got a pic?

 

[fatboyt123]

If you dont think it will work I have a stand that will work for a 120 in the for sale section.

 

[lizardarm]

Is the area that's not supported cut out to accommodate bulkheads in the overflow? If so I don't think it'll be an issue; my setup is like that. If you're talking about having for inches of the tank hanging off the back or a side, that's a recipe for disaster.

 

[returnofsid]

From the description you give, it sounds to me like 4" of your tank are hanging off the back of the stand. Like Lizardarm says, that will lead to disaster. It will put stress on the seams and they will fail. Acrylic tanks need to have the entire bottom of the tank fully supported. Any portion that isn't supported will be put under more stress, leading to failure at that point.

 

[Skimmy]

dude, just get a 1' piece of plywood and make it the exact dim's of your tank, and put it on the top of the stand. then if your feeling really froggy, then put a 2x4 on each corner in the back going to the ground for support.

....or buy a new stand

 

[trido]

dude, just get a 1' piece of plywood and make it the exact dim's of your tank, and put it on the top of the stand. then if your feeling really froggy, then put a 2x4 on each corner in the back going to the ground for support.

....or buy a new stand

It will work but I'd recommend just getting a new stand.
The last time I bought a sheet of 1" marine grade plywood, it was over $100. Even at only 4" of overhang, it will bow over time without support.

 

[Matt@CFI]

As stated above, you must fully support any acrylic tank, even if it is constructed out of 1''.

Matt

 

[jagid1]

question

I dont mean to hijack the thread, but I have a question relating to this.

It has been stated here that acryklic tanks need to be fully supported.. do glass tanks NOT need to be fully supported?

This is relevant to me: I want to put a 10 gal tank under my 26 bowfront as a sump. to get it to fit, I have to cut a portion of the back of the stand out, but the 10 gallon tank will still extend a few inches over the back of the stand (it will hang out the back..) I had intended to just fetch some plywood, and double layer it under there, to provide some rigid support.. (a 2x4) laying on the ground behind the stand could support this overhanging plywood...

should I bother?

-James

 

[returnofsid]

Glass tanks are supported by the plastic frame that is built around them, from the factory. This plastic frame needs to be fully supported. However, this allows for a stand with an open top, as long as all edges of the tank/plastic frame are supported.

Acrylic tanks are not built with this plastic frame, and the entire bottom of the tank must be supported.

As for your situation, you're talking about a 10 gallon tank, which isn't a whole lot of weight. However, if it's not fully supported, along the entire 4 edges of the tank, it will put extra stress on the silicon seals, which could eventually leak.