Sturdy stand for a new 10 gallon (on carpet) ?

[thinksincode]

Hi all! First time poster here.

I just picked up a 10 gallon aquarium kit last night and am getting ready to set it up. I was going to just put it on a table, but then I read the many warnings about how heavy a fully filled aquarium can be, and to use an aquarium stand.

I currently have another 10 gallon tank being used as a terrarium for my hermit crabs, and have it on a stand like this:
http://store.worldpetstore.com/aqst10ga.html

The problem is, my apartment's carpet is a little bit on the thick side. While my hermit crab tank isn't very heavy (since there's no water in there), it is a little bit on the wobbly side since it's just the four legs standing up.

Living in a third floor apartment I definitely don't want a disastrous topple-over and spill, so I am trying to find a better stand for my aquarium. I was looking at this one at Petsmart: Top Fin 20 Gallon Stand.

Since this is more of a table/cabinet design, it looks like it would be much sturdier. Also, since my aquarium is only a 10 gallon, it won't take up the entire width of the stand, so I would think that would make it sturdier.

Do you think this would be a good, safe stand to use on a carpeted floor?

Thanks

 

[jcarlilesiu]

i had a 10 gallon aquarium sitting on a pretty unstable (read: college abused) end table for years. It was fine. You are only looking at around 80 pounds of weight. Sit on the table and if it holds you, it will do fine for a 10 gallon. I wouldn't trust that steel frame stand on thick carpet, and if you are wanting to buy a new stand i would get the one at petsmart

 

[src]

One thing you can do is look for speaker spikes - these are conical feet for speakers/other audio furniture, and they do a great job of negating thick carpet pile. They will mark the wood of the floor or subfloor, especially with that much weight, but since it's carpeted the marks will never show.

 

[fishfairy]

I've never used the metal stands so I don't really have an opinion there although I do think I'd be a little worried with thick carpet. I just wanted to say that I have very thick carpet too and have the exact same Petsmart stand for my 20g tank. It works great!

 

[Guest]

Ok, I have a few tanks on carpet. If you are really worried there are options.

I would not worry with a 10 gal, however with a wood stand, get 4 plywood strips cut to the demensions of your tank and this will help in leveling. Put them evenly across

With an Iron stand just put wood or something under all four points of contact. I also always put foam in between my tank and where it meets the stand. Use a level if you have to.

The problem with carpet with no support is that one point may lower more than the rest. For example, if your tank is leaning a very little to the front your water level would tell you. If one side is leaning, and one is not, that means there is a twist in the tank and that is a problem.

Again, I would not worry with a 10, however plywood, or other wood will help the carpet situation

 

[src]

Another problem with carpet is the tackless strip that runs along the wall. This piece of wood will raise the back of any object placed against the wall (stand, bookcase, etc.). You need to keep the base about 2" off the wall to make sure that you aren't getting any tilt from this.

 

[thinksincode]

For any who are interested, here's an update: I went to Petsmart and bought a slightly different stand that was on clearance for $30! It is very heavy and feels very sturdy, yet when I put it upright it's still wobbly - although this is just with the empty aquarium, for now.

Does the extra weight of the water, gravel, etc. help make the stand sturdier?

Worst case, I could always get some large L-brackets from the hardware store and use it to secure the back of my stand to the wall, right?

Thanks for all the helpful replies!

 

[Zagz]

I have a stand that was a tad wobbly on the carpet as well. I hoped the water would stabilize it but it didn't. I used wood shims under the four corners of the stand to stabilize it.

 

[thinksincode]

What about something like a chair mat? You know, those hard plastic things they use on carpets for a chair to roll smoothly on, with the 'teeth' that go down into the carpet.

 

[Guest]

I dont know. Again I would use plywood or shimmies. I think you should go to the hardware store, buy a $5 level, and some shimmies. The water weight may take care of it but as Zagz stated it didn't work for her.

Use the level and add shimmies as needed. You want to do this right the first time.

 

[thinksincode]

Sorry for the dumb question, but what exactly are shims/shimmies? I've only been living on my own for 3 months so a lot of this is still foreign to me. 8)

 

[src]

A shim is a thin piece of wood used to fill a gap or adjust the height of a support to make it level.

 

[Guest]

PHONE BOOKS

 

[thinksincode]

Oh, ok. But I'm not trying to make it level, I'm just trying to make sure it won't be wobbly and not "float" on top of the carpet. Wouldn't the shims just "float" on top of the carpet like the stand is now?

 

[src]

As long as the stand is sturdy (doesn't twist or wobble when on a flat, firm floor), then you need to decrease the surface that is in contact with the carpet. This increases the load on each contact point, and compresses the carpet and padding more, leading to less wobble due to the carpet.

I have to say again, speaker spikes are the right answer. If your stand has legs, then put one on each leg. If not, put one on each corner, and one on the front and back in the middle of the long side.

 

[thinksincode]

Well, I filled it up with water and as expected, it's still a bit wobbly. Maybe even a bit worse, since when I shake the table the water moves and gives it a little extra momentum.

So here's another question.. is even a little bit of wobbling OK? I jumped up and down, slammed my door, etc, and that didn't cause the stand to wobble. The only time it wobbled is when I physically pushed it, which could make anything tip over if pushed hard enough.

Am I worrying too much over nothing?

Thanks again for all the helpful repliles.

 

[src]

If you have cats, dogs, children or a lot of visitors, they yes even a little wobble can be dangerous. Obviously, if you push anything hard enough it will wobble, but it sounds like this stand is closer to the "if you breathe on it wrong" category.

 

[thinksincode]

What about just a regular table? An earlier reply said that a 10 gallon tank would probably be fine on a standard table. What do you think about that?

 

[src]

A 10 gallon tank will weigh right about 100 lbs fully loaded (rock, water, equipment). A regular table _should_ be fine, assuming that it's not poorly made.

 

[thinksincode]

I'm just trying to see what all my options are, because I would rather avoid having some ugly plywood pieces slipped under the nice aquarium stand I got.