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

[Zagz]

Any hardware store will carry shims, just ask and they can help you. It does not only make level but steady it. I would not take any chances with a wobbly fish tank at all.

 

[thinksincode]

I will visit the local hardware store and ask about it tomorrow if I get a chance.
It's been a long time since I took physics, but I would think putting it up on 4 pieces of wood instead of having the whole thing sitting on the floor would make it more unstable?

(Sorry if it seems like I'm just disagreeing with everything you say, I'm not.. I just am trying to understand it all)

 

[Zagz]

The difference is the wood is solid. You may need more than one on one side, who knows, you will be able to tell once you start. It's worked for me on 2 smaller tanks. Larger tanks have more volume of water and level themselves with the weight of the water. I make my own shims with shavings off other pieces of wood. I cut them to the thickness and width I need. But I am a woodworking freak so I have tons of wood lying around.

Don't worry, I don't think you are arguing, nor am I taking offense. I totally know where you are coming from. Always better to ask questions IMO.

 

[thinksincode]

The difference is the wood is solid. You may need more than one on one side, who knows, you will be able to tell once you start. It's worked for me on 2 smaller tanks.

OK, so basically I want to put shims under the 4 corners of the stand until it doesn't wobble, and also so that the stand is level?

You know what, I'm going to go take a quick photo of the stand so that you can see how it is built, maybe that will help. I'll be back.

 

[src]

OK, here's the deal - shims will not, I repeat NOT, make your stand more stable. They will level your tank, but they add nothing to stability or strength. They also will not make it sit more firmly on the carpet.

The only things that will make it sit more firmly on the carpet are, as I have said several times, speaker spikes or something similar. You need to get the weight of the tank/stand transferred directly to the flooring, instead of the cushioning carpet.

Carpet compresses. Carpet padding compresses. If you push on one side of the stand, the carpet and padding on the other side take more of the weight and compress more, while the side you are pushing on expands and lifts the stand. Carpet is the enemy of stability. Carpet is a lousy base to support a structure. Messing around with shims will level your tank (for a while, until the carpet on that side compresses more), but will not increase stability. Period.

 

[Guest]

Ok Src I agree with what you are saying but there are other options. I have my 29 gal tank on a carpet right now with no problems at all.

Speaker spikes, seems like a good idea, however dont you think plywood strips evenly placed under the stand is sturdier that speaker spikes?

 

[Guest]

Ok Src I agree with what you are saying but there are other options. I have my 29 gal tank on a carpet right now with no problems at all.

Wood Shims will stabilize a tank to a point because I have done it.

Speaker spikes, seems like a good idea, however dont you think plywood strips evenly placed under the stand is sturdier that speaker spikes?

 

[src]

Plywood strips don't transfer the weight to the subfloor any better than the normal stand support. The original poster had _thick_ pile carpet, which is the worst situation for stability. If you had thin pile, or a burbur, then you could get away with just the stand's posts.

Another thing about shimming a stand - unless the shims are attached to the stand, you run the risk of having the stand "fall off" of the shims, which would make a bad situation even worse. If your stand has posts, and you use strips of wood instead of small pieces under each post, you are actually _lowering_ the compressive force applied to the carpet and pad by spreading the weight out more. That's the exact opposite of what you need to do to increase stability.

Look at how shims are used in the construction trade: They insert shims to move the pieces until they are in the proper position/alignment, then they put a screw through the whole mess, shims an all. Just sticking wood under your stand is a temporary solution at best.

One last point - the heavier the weight, the less you need to worry about carpet. But for a 10 gallon, you need every advantage you can get. The center of gravity on a 10 gallon tank and stand is VERY high, making the whole structure easy to tip.

 

[thinksincode]

OK, here's the deal - shims will not, I repeat NOT, make your stand more stable. They will level your tank, but they add nothing to stability or strength. They also will not make it sit more firmly on the carpet.

That's what I was thinking, I couldn't understand how the shims would make it more stable.

The only things that will make it sit more firmly on the carpet are, as I have said several times, speaker spikes or something similar. You need to get the weight of the tank/stand transferred directly to the flooring, instead of the cushioning carpet.

Are these the kinds of speaker spikes you mean?
http://starvector.com/cgi/core.cgi?sku=SPKPD04-B

If so, a few questions - How would I attach them somehow to the bottom of the aquarium stand? And wouldn't it tip over if it's just held up by the tiny points?

 

[src]

Here's a place that shows a wide variety of spikes. Most of them use a threaded rod to attach to the stand - just drill a hole and glue them if you don't want to use a threaded insert. Don't use the cups unless you put your stand on a wood/tile/vinyl floor. Using them would actually negate the whole function of the spikes.

I recommend not going for the extremely pointed ones. This or this would be ideal for your situation, depending on how deep the pile of your carpet is.

Stability comes from several areas. First is the structure - how sturdy is the stand? Does it twist or rack when off-center pressure is applied? Does it lean (i.e. tilt but keep all 4 feet on the floor) when you push it?

Second is center of gravity. You're kind of screwed on that aspect. Putting 100lbs at the top of a set of stilts makes for a very unbalanced structure. This is why filing cabinets are filled from the bottom up - if the bottom was empty, then it would fall over every time you opened a drawer.

Finally there is the base and it's coupling to the floor. Carpet is a very squishy support, and tends to help things tip. Light force causes one side of the carpet to compress, while the other side expands, actually giving the item a push. The spikes will negate this aspect of the carpet. Think of snowshoes. They spread your weight over the top of the snow, letting the snow support you. You want to trade the snowshoes in for some stilts - something that gets no support from the snow (carpet), and penetrates to the solid ground (subfloor).

Just remember, the amount of weight being transferred is still the same, and it is still being applied in the same locations (i.e. the 4 posts). It will just be more focused.

 

[thinksincode]

So as long as I have the spikes on all four corners, it should be OK? I guess I kept thinking of it as almost balancing on top of a cone, but I suppose if it's equal in all 4 places it won't have anywhere to tip.

Now, if I need to use something like shims to level the stand after I use the spikes, what then? Should I put the shim under the point of the spike?

Thanks again src, Zagz, and others for all the helpful info.

 

[src]

If you use a threaded insert to install the spikes, then you can raise/lower the corners to make it level. Shimming under the point of the spike just spreads the weight out on the carpet again, negating the benefits of the spike. You could also figure out how out of level your stand is, then drill the holes for the spikes accordingly, so once it is assembled it will be level.

 

[Reechard]

The only thing that will make a stand more stable on thick pile carpet is a larger footprint stand. This is the same principle that allows elephants to walk on quicksand. That being said, I have a 46g bowfront tank setup on brand new thick pile carpet in my apartment and it is fine. I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you don't run laps around the room or do the "Jump Around" dance on a regular basis. Whatever tank/stand you end up with will settle its weight into the carpet with time and eventually it won't even cross your mind.

 

[thinksincode]

Reechard:

Yeah. The worst that happens even when I jump up in down right in front of the tank is that the water just shakes a little. The stand and tank itself does not move. The only time it moves is if, well, I push it!

Since the weight isn't too bad for a 10 gallon, I'm considering for now getting some brackets to attach it to the wall. That should hold it pretty steady, I think, provided I can at least get one bracket into a wall stud.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Sorry to pop in here, but these seems like an awful lot of work and worry for a 10 gallon. That stand LOOKS pretty stable, however im not pushing on it. If it is only rocking due to the carpet under the feet, it will eventually sink in to the carpet with the constant weight on it. I mean, in retro spec.. i could probably push my 56 gallon column off the stand if i want to, and if im pushing hard on the glass cleaning it, it wobbles a little. I really wouldn't worry all this much is all im saying.

 

[thinksincode]

jcarlilesiu:

It is quite stable, and it's mostly rocking because of the carpet. One corner is slightly lower than the other, so I am going to shim it so that it will be level. Beyond that, you make a good point. Nobody's (hopefully) going to be walking up and pushing on the thing intentionally.

Do you think it's still a good idea, or at least, one that won't do any harm, if I get some brackets and attach them to the stand and the wall?

 

[jcarlilesiu]

i don't even think thats really necessary. here is what i would do if you really want the added security. Open up the front doors and determine why the thing is wobbling. (if its from the construction of the cabinet read on) Go to your local ace hardware and find the brackets that are L shaped that come with 4 screws. Determine where the cabinet is whobbling, and just put a few of those in to make it a bit more solid.

If its from the carpet, shims arn't even going to help. Unless you are using a huge board that is going to disperse the load evenly across a large area of carpet (and look terrible) you are still going to get whoobling out of the carpet.

If we were talking about a 75 gallon with this problem, I would consider bracing it back to the wall.. i really wouldn't worry about it with a 10 gallon. Put that 100 pounds on it, and in a few weeks, ill bet its sinking down into the carpet and pad and will be stable

 

[Purrbox]

The one situation I can think of where it would be a good idea to use brackets to attach it to the wall, is if you have a small child in the house that might decide to try to climb it. In this case you really should be securing all furniture to prevent the child from pulling anything down ontop of themselves.

Okay, I thought of a couple other situations. If you got a large rambunctious dog that might bump into it knocking it over. If you're ever extremely clutzy and could see yourself stubling into the tank.