Stand Question

[ronj]

i am having my stand built right now....the only place i have room for my new tank is on the carpet....will this be problem???? also, should the top of the stand have a solid piece of wood with holes for the drains and returns, or should it just have support around the edges????? has anyone ever had a tank fall over because it was on carpet????

 

[saltybell]

As long as its level you shouldn't have a problem with the stand being on the carpet. My stand, tank and hood are on carpet. How big is the tank? You might want to put some plastic (like the runners for carpet) under the stand as saltwater (spills will happen) can be hard on carpet. I would make a solid top. I made my own stand and thats how I did it. I figured it would distribute the weight better. My stand, tank and hood are on carpet. Just my 2 cents.

 

[ronj]

i thought a solid top would be better also.....it is a 125g...it will be level...i am going to bug the cabinet maker to death so he will be sure it is level

 

[james734]

I'd say a well supported solid top would be best with a couple holes drilled for drains. The solid top I would help distribute the load across all supports more evenly.

BTW: My 75 stand has a solid top..

 

[ronj]

my 72g has a solid one also

 

[Krish]

IMO, you'll be fine on the carpet. With all that weight on top of it (water @ about 8 1/3lbs per gal + rock + sand etc) that will mash that carpet flat(LOL) I use to have my 90 gal on carpet in my old place and never had a problem. As for if the tank needs to sit on a flat surface and drill holes for the drains is debatable. If you think about it, the black trim that sits around the top and bottom of the tank, doesn't allow any of the glass to touch anything it sits on which means it is basically supported by that trim. That's why I've never put a full sheet of wood under any of my All-glass tanks. I just use 2x4 all around for the tank's black trim to sit on. That's a cool feature too! You can look under the tank from in the stand and see what's going on under there

 

[shallowreef]

I never liked putting a tank on carpet is because of water damage. If you have a small flood or something on the carpet it can ruin it pretty quick. But as far as a tank falling over i doubt it. It will however compress the carpet quite a bit so by the time you move/ tear down the tank the carpet may have a permanent indentation in it. I think you might be able to get it out though.

 

[Apple5150]

I have always had my tank on the carpet in the living room. Never had a problem. Just have to vacuum after working in it to make sure the carpet doesnt get dirty or ruined. I usually put a towel or rug down in front of it.

 

[mmkeeper]

No matter how level or square your stand is, it can be very difficult to level it on carpet. Don't assume because your stand is perfect that you don't have to check for level after it is setup. I would add fresh water and let it settle for a few days and check for level before aquascaping.

 

[ronj]

oh, i have no doubt that the foundation of this house "unlevel".... if it is, i would be surprised.i can shim it or something.. i have three smaller tanks on stands in one of my extra rooms..this is what i had to do to them.. i was just worried about the size and weight of this thing..

 

[shallowreef]

i wouldn't worry about it at all once the water is in the tank and all of the liverock and sand are in it will compress the carpet so much it will almost be like it is on the solid floor. Shims are the way to go when it comes to leveling a tank. I don't like foam that much.

 

[ronj]

i will try it if i can get this guy to hurry up and start on my stand.. he is swamped w/ work right now so i have to sit here and look t this empty tank in my dining room

 

[shallowreef]

Yeah the waiting game in this hobby really sucks! I used that time though to plan everything out and made sure i had everything ready for the install so that as soon as i got the greenlight i would be a go! If i were you i would get everything ready draw out where everything is going to go and so on.

Also plan out how you want to set up your live rock and what fish/corals you want to add and when. I pretty much just made a giant to-do list for all of my stuff.

 

[ronj]

yeah, i finished my sump and got my skimmer cleaned and ready... i have an idea of how i will set up the rock... i have to get this new tank set up first so that i can empty a few of my smaller tanks ... i will be buying and curing alot of rock when these tanks are emptied.. i already have all the fish i am going to put in it.

 

[shallowreef]

Mind sharing the list? i'm curious to see what you are going to add for fish.

 

[ronj]

as of right now, i only plan on keeping 4-5 fish in my 125g...i have two small hippo's, one tomato clown and one clarkii clown.....i thought about trading these two clowns and getting two yellow striped maroons... i haven't decided yet.

 

[ronj]

i would like to keep my water as clean as possible... that is why i want very few fish...

 

[shallowreef]

The yellow striped maroon would look really cool. Are you going to add anymore or is that it?

 

[shallowreef]

Sorry i posted after you did. I gotchya.

 

[ronj]

my lfs owner has 2 maroons that keep to his leathers in the tank... i was hoping my tomato or clarkii would do the same, but they never have