Stand For a 40 Gallon Breeder

[Kphilly25]

Hey all,

I’ve been having a hard time finding a stand that I trust with structural integrity of a 40 gallon breeder tank and that can also hide my FX2 canister filter. I found this one on Amazon but I was hoping that the community could help guide me in the right direction as well.

My tank will be a freshwater planted tank with maybe a few rocks. Using some sand and stratum as substrate.

Amazon.com

 

[Aiken Drum]

An FX2 will just about fit in the compartment with the shelf removed.

My concern wouldn't be the aquarium, it would be the weight of the filter. Filled with media and water an FX2 is going to be pretty close to the 60lb/ 27kg weight limit on that compartment bottom shelf. A few kg under by my calculations. I've had canisters go through the bottom shelf of cabinets before when filled. That really comes down to how risk averse you are.

An FX2 is going to be massively oversized for a 40g aquarium. I'm not sure you would see any benefit of using that compared with say a 307 which would be half the cost (and much less weight).

 

[Kphilly25]

An FX2 will just about fit in the compartment with the shelf removed.

My concern wouldn't be the aquarium, it would be the weight of the filter. Filled with media and water an FX2 is going to be pretty close to the 60lb/ 27kg weight limit on that compartment bottom shelf. A few kg under by my calculations. I've had canisters go through the bottom shelf of cabinets before when filled. That really comes down to how risk averse you are.

An FX2 is going to be massively oversized for a 40g aquarium. I'm not sure you would see any benefit of using that compared with say a 307 which would be half the cost (and much less weight).

I like the idea of over filtering. I considered going to a 75 gallon but that may be too much water for me right now. I do currently have the aquarium on a stand by Sauder (model #433123) but someone mentioned that since the tank isn’t flush with the stand it could cause the aquarium to flex. The stand company said it should be fine but I’m still waiting for Marineland to get back with me. This is what it currently looks like. I think with the tank centered it would have 6 or 7” extra on both sides.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If a filter is capable of reducing ammonia your aquarium produces to zero, a bigger filter isn't going to reduce that same ammonia to less than zero. The microbes responsible for the cycle grow and die off depending on how much ammonia is going into the water. Having a bigger filter doesn't mean more microbes, it just means it has capacity for a bigger tank/ more fish/ more waste. A filters capacity is generally over stated, you usually want to roughly half its rating. A 307 is rated for 75 gallons so it's going to be a good filter for about 30 to 50 gallons. An FX2 is rated for 175 gallons so it's going to be good for about 70 to 100 gallons. You really are wasting money unless you plan on switching to a bigger aquarium down the line but it's your money. A overfiltering won't hurt, but you wont see any benefits either.

I wouldn't worry about the aquarium not being flush as long as it doesn't overhang. Your stand is metal framed, so it's not going to flex the same way a wood built stand would, and you are only talking about it not being flush by half an inch or so any way.

 

[Kphilly25]

If a filter is capable of reducing ammonia your aquarium produces to zero, a bigger filter isn't going to reduce that same ammonia to less than zero. The microbes responsible for the cycle grow and die off depending on how much ammonia is going into the water. Having a bigger filter doesn't mean more microbes, it just means it has capacity for a bigger tank/ more fish/ more waste. A filters capacity is generally over stated, you usually want to roughly half its rating. A 307 is rated for 75 gallons so it's going to be a good filter for about 30 to 50 gallons. An FX2 is rated for 175 gallons so it's going to be good for about 70 to 100 gallons. You really are wasting money unless you plan on switching to a bigger aquarium down the line but it's your money. A overfiltering won't hurt, but you wont see any benefits either.

I wouldn't worry about the aquarium not being flush as long as it doesn't overhang. Your stand is metal framed, so it's not going to flex the same way a wood built stand would, and you are only talking about it not being flush by half an inch or so any way.

Those are valid points! The stand I was referencing though wasn’t the metal one. It’s the wooden one that I currently have, posted in the picture. The stand is longer than the aquarium.

 

[Airborne 82nd]

You also said you considered going with a 75 gal. Now is the time to decide that. Remember the more water the better in many ways I would rather take care of a 150 than a 40 I have a 75gal.48in. long and went with the 407 I felt the FX2 was to big. But I also run a tidal 75 with just floss and poly-bio-marine I don't care about the bypass in the tidal. If you stay with that stand you have you could cut a sheet of 3/4in. plywood to fit the bottom of the tank along with 4x4s or 2x4s to go under where the filter sits. If it were me I would just get a stand made for a 75gal. tank in case you want a larger tank later. This is my stand. When I bought back in Jan. the add said for 75 to 90gal. It is stout.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/tanks-aquariums-and-nets/aquarium-stands/top-fin-aquarium-stand---55-to-75-gallon-5309136.html