Where do most people buy their tank stands?

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helicopter

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
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Princeton NJ
I made the mistake of being the crappy JBJ stand that is made for the 24 gallon nano cube. It is garbage and after a small overflow problem that wrecked havoc while I was away for a weekend, the stand is warped and the tank is no longer level.

I was thinking of just going to Petsmart, what do you guys think?
 
I have gotten all of mine locally. My favorite (and most expensive) is custom built by the the LFS.
 
got mine on sale from petco, nothing fancy but its sturdy and was cheaper than it normally would have cost otherwise just make a DIY one
 
if you have a moderately small tank you can get a nice bakers rack to keep them on, thats what im getting for my 2 10g tanks
 
I got mine at Petsmart. I wanted it to look nice, and I was pleasantly surprised with the appearance/cost of these:

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...stand&In=All&previousText=fish+tank+stand&N=2


They come in platinum and black, from cast iron. (These are the kinds of things you drive to a store for... paying $35 in extra shipping fees for a $34.99 product makes no sense if you can help it. *lol*)


I had someone come by while I was assembling it, to make sure I knew that I had to use specific types of furniture for aquariums, not just pretty looking things. (Good thing I knew that. *lol*)

The drawback is that I have an acrylic tank susceptible to loss of integrity without proper support (and this type of stand is apparently not meant for acrylic). The solution was a nice strong board that I pulled out of a Target nightstand that was already waterproofed, that I covered in white contact paper (it looks great, like it was painted.) It is large enough to cover all of the rings, so the result is very nice.
 
My husband made my stand for my 20 gal from angle iron. I also have a small 5 gal on a very sturdy dresser.
 
You are essentially buying the same quality of stand (maybe a little better) at Petsmart. I have one of their stands, looks fair but it has the same problems as the majority of fiberboard style tanks, water. I have spilt a little water 1/4 cup or so and noticed that along the areas it begins to delaminate and fall apart (along the floor area and along the edge banding). All my other stands are DIY and one custom, these are better built, very sturdy, and a more water friendly.
 
Furniture stores

Should I just check out some furniture stores and see what they have? Is there so spray or coating and can put on it so that it stays dry.
 
I would stick with properly designed fish tank stands. The foot print of the tank may be what gets you. You may be stuck purchasing a similar style stand.
 
I originally bought an "oak" stand from Petsmart for my 75 gallon. After putting it together and realizing how it was nothing more than predrilled pieces of particle board, I decided to take it back. Some of the holes didn't even line up correctly, and it didn't feel sturdy at all. I then bought a tank/stand/light combo from Perfecto which is made of pine. Perfecto warranties the tank for 20 years when you buy one of their stands with it too. I feel much better about putting 800+ lbs on this stand, and I think it looks pretty nice. Bought that at the LFS.
 
My dad and i have custom built 2 now and its surprisingly easy, I am sure there is plenty of info available on the web and it only takes a moderate ability of wood working and an elementary school ability to measure. Here is a pic of the simpler of the two, message me if you would like further advice.
 

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Thanks rjb0333, unfortunately I am up at my graduate school dorm and do not have acess to an area (or time) to build it.
 
Ah that is unfortunate, I hated the confines of a dorm room when I lived in one.
 
HD for my 10g tank stand (simple bathroom cabinet worked perfect, after all, the tank only weighs about 100lbs). Custom for every else I can (so I guess that one merits HD as well :) )
 
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