Nightmare Brewing

[anna8297]

I had no idea this could be a problem. We have been so worried about whether or not our floor could support the weight of the tank, that we never considered whether or not the stand could support it!! I'm going home in an hour to check mine and make sure its okay, especially since we bought the whole set up used!

 

[RLG2182]

Well... I don't think all stands are made cheaply... so there's no real "OH MY GOD!!!" reaction needed to go run for the hills and inspect everyone's stand. Would be a good idea, but I wouldn't panic

Wood, just like humans and the pretty fish we love so much, is alive... even if it is long "dead" and in cabinet form. It will still swell, shrink, and change with time. No two pieces of wood are the same, so, likewise, the constuction from stand to stand will differ. There's always the chance that a nail gets driven into a knot or a vital part of the grain that causes the wood to split or weaken... even the way it is cut. This is a possible cause to this particular problem, or other 1094238 reasons (too much weight being one of those). BUT, after having looked at some units from a certain unamed LFS... *coughpetcocough* I wouldn't waste the $169.99 that it's going for, since it would have to be braced anyways.

Just be careful if you choose to reinforce your stand... if you're not and you have no idea what you're doing, the modifications you do might end up making the stand weaker. 8O Many bases out there are made of particle board, and will not take screws and nails well over time. So, in effect, you can make an expensive block of swiss cheese if you drill the heck out of it.

8O

 

[Thumper]

I'm going to brace the new stand by just building an inner frame without ever screwing anything to the stand itself, I'm planning on predrilling all holes in the wood before screwing it together to try and help the spliting problem.
Can i just put a sealer on the new wood to protect it?

 

[RLG2182]

Pre-drilling is fine, although with pine isn't necessary if you're using drywall screws. If you do, make sure you make the pilot hole SMALL as pine is very soft, and will need the bite from the screw as you drive the screw in.

You want to at least secure the frame to itself in that case with the metal brackets I was mentioning. Other than that, a dab of wood glue at each corner from the brace to the actual wood stand will help keep it in place, without having to worry about ruining the stand if you need to return it for whatever reason.

As far as sealer, are you talking about sealing the wood of the new stand, or sealing the 2x4/4x4 bracing that you will build? If you're talking about the bracing, I wouldn't worry about sealing it. Pine is going to soak up that stain/sealer like a sponge and will make it sticky. As long as constant running water isn't dripping onto your tank, bare wood bracing will be fine.