What kind of shelving to use?

[Salukie]

I’ve got this old Hagen 20 gallon tank that I got for free but I can’t find anything to put it on.

The cabinet it’s on now will most definitely not support its weight once it’s full. I’d like to just buy a cheap metal aquarium stand but this tank has really stupid dimensions: 24 3/16” x 12 9/16” and the stands I can find won’t fit right and are stupid expensive.

I know lots of aquarists just have their tanks on whatever cheap shelving. I’m not experienced enough to know what will work and what won’t.

Please help me!

Recommend me some sort of shelving to put this on. Something I can buy online.

Thank you!!

 

[Andy Sager]

A standard 20 High is 24" x 12" so you can use a metal aquarium stand for that and just lay a piece of 1/2" -3/4" plywood that is cut to the size of your tank on top of the stand and you will be done.
That really is an oddity, is this a custom made tank?

 

[Colin_T]

don't use MDF or particle board for the wooden shelf. If they get wet, they fall apart.

If the tank was made by Hagen, it might have been made for the European market and they use metric, not imperial measurements. Maybe measure it in cm.

 

[Salukie]

A standard 20 High is 24" x 12" so you can use a metal aquarium stand for that and just lay a piece of 1/2" -3/4" plywood that is cut to the size of your tank on top of the stand and you will be done.
That really is an oddity, is this a custom made tank?

I don’t think so. It says “Hagen” on the corner. I think it’s just really ancient!

 

[Salukie]

don't use MDF or particle board for the wooden shelf. If they get wet, they fall apart.

If the tank was made by Hagen, it might have been made for the European market and they use metric, not imperial measurements. Maybe measure it in cm.

You might be on to something there…

 

[Andy Sager]

I don’t think so. It says “Hagen” on the corner. I think it’s just really ancient!

Yeah, I saw that part after posting my comment. Colin may have nailed it since Hagen is big in the European market. That said, my comment about the stand still stands.

 

[Colin_T]

Yeah, I saw that part after posting my comment. Colin may have nailed it since Hagen is big in the European market. That said, my comment about the stand still stands.

You made a funny "stand still stands"
Are you worried the stands will run away, or move while being photographed

 

[Andy Sager]

You made a funny "stand still stands"
Are you worried the stands will run away, or move while being photographed

Ya caught that one eh??

 

[Salukie]

Yeah, I saw that part after posting my comment. Colin may have nailed it since Hagen is big in the European market. That said, my comment about the stand still stands.

Thanks! Yeah, I think I’m gonna go the “homemade” route and build myself something with 2x4s. I just can’t justify buying a $300 ugly stand if it won’t even fit my tank.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks! Yeah, I think I’m gonna go the “homemade” route and build myself something with 2x4s. I just can’t justify buying a $300 ugly stand if it won’t even fit my tank.

I don't blame you. I'm going to be doing the same thing for one of my older tanks. Since posting my reply, I spoke with a buddy who owns a fish store and he told me that the price of metal stands recently went crazy. The last time this happened ( back in the late 70s) wood stands got really popular. Then they got crazy in price so people started going back to metal stands. The pendulum swings again.

 

[Colin_T]

If you are building your own stand, make it a double tier so you can put another tank under the first one when your MTS (multiple tank syndrome) starts to kick in

 

[Salukie]

I don't blame you. I'm going to be doing the same thing for one of my older tanks. Since posting my reply, I spoke with a buddy who owns a fish store and he told me that the price of metal stands recently went crazy. The last time this happened ( back in the late 70s) wood stands got really popular. Then they got crazy in price so people started going back to metal stands. The pendulum swings again.

I wasn’t alive in the 70s to have witnessed this so thanks for that anecdote. Super interesting. I remember metal frame tank stands being dirt cheap back in the 90s and wood stands were the fancy expensive option.

I don’t understand why metal stands would be so expensive now. They’re so ugly.

Even the wood ones are ugly right now. They’ve gotta be all “artsy” and weirdly shaped.

Just give me a regular, no fuss, rectangular stand that will hold my tank. That’s all I want.

 

[Salukie]

If you are building your own stand, make it a double tier so you can put another tank under the first one when your MTS (multiple tank syndrome) starts to kick in

Hahaha! You’re assuming it hasn’t already!! ?

 

[Andy Sager]

I wasn’t alive in the 70s to have witnessed this so thanks for that anecdote. Super interesting. I remember metal frame tank stands being dirt cheap back in the 90s and wood stands were the fancy expensive option.

I don’t understand why metal stands would be so expensive now. They’re so ugly.

Even the wood ones are ugly right now. They’ve gotta be all “artsy” and weirdly shaped.

Just give me a regular, no fuss, rectangular stand that will hold my tank. That’s all I want.

I've been keeping fish since the mid 60s and in the business since the late 60s so I have seen a lot of trends over that time. Ya wouldn't believe me if I told you all of them.

From what I was told, steel just went through a huge price increase which is why the stands are now so expensive. ( Angle iron is made of steel) Back in the day most metal stands were wrought iron which was a stronger metal but was subject to more rusting and when saltwater aquariums started getting more popular, you couldn't have a rusting stand and successful marine tank at the same time ( for obvious reasons). So when marine tanks really got going, wood stands became popular since there was no metal involved and they were basic. Then in the 70s, wrought iron became obsolete when steel " angle iron" became available and was cheaper than wrought iron. Then came the almost collapse of the hobby when kids ( the original prime fish keepers) started spending their money on the video game PONG and then others instead of fish so the hobby shifted from a kid's hobby to an adult's hobby which meant that they wanted more than just a fish tank, they wanted a piece of furniture with a fish tank in it. Thus was born the expensive fancy wooden fish tank stand. Sadly(?) I was there to witness it all.

So now you know why fancy stands came into being and why metal stands are so expensive now. So what about all those pressed wood stands? They are really strong.......until they get wet. Show me a pressed wood stand under an active fish tank that doesn't get wet!! So they are nice to look at but not really functional for the " real " fish keepers.

Just a hint when building the stand out of wood, have the wood be what is holding the weight and not the nails or screws holding the stand together. That means have your uprights be at the corners of the tank and the attached pieces just be what is holding the uprights in place so they are not supporting weight. Time and spills can make those nails or screws rust so you don't want them to be involved in the important parts of the stand.

 

[Salukie]

That’s really interesting about the various stands. Thank you for the history lesson. I’d love to hear more if you feel like sharing. What other aquarium trends have come and gone? Which trend are you glad is over? Which one do you wish would make a comeback?

I don’t know if pong is more interesting than fish. ����

 

[Andy Sager]

That’s really interesting about the various stands. Thank you for the history lesson. I’d love to hear more if you feel like sharing. What other aquarium trends have come and gone? Which trend are you glad is over? Which one do you wish would make a comeback?

I don’t know if pong is more interesting than fish. ����

Truthfully, the ones I wish were gone are still around and most likely not going to go away. Genetically engineered fish, bad idea imo. Big box pet stores, bad idea imo. The loss of Mom & Pop pet stores, worst thing to happen to the pet industry imo. ( It opened up the whole bad advice sector of the industry. )

As for pong, it was NEW then so there was interest in it. And it only cost a quarter to play it. Then the arcades came with more games ( I could have made a fortune if I bought a Pacman machine back then. ) so those quarters became dollars. In your terms, think what it would be like if you had no cell phone or computer and then one was developed and available for you to buy. THAT was what PONG was like.

 

[Colin_T]

Metal has gone up in price due to the war in the Ukraine. Fuel, coal and gas prices have gone up and this has had a major impact on the steel industry. They use huge amounts of energy to make steel and when the energy costs more, the steel costs more.

 

[Salukie]

Metal has gone up in price due to the war in the Ukraine. Fuel, coal and gas prices have gone up and this has had a major impact on the steel industry. They use huge amounts of energy to make steel and when the energy costs more, the steel costs more.

That all makes sense.

 

[Salukie]

Truthfully, the ones I wish were gone are still around and most likely not going to go away. Genetically engineered fish, bad idea imo. Big box pet stores, bad idea imo. The loss of Mom & Pop pet stores, worst thing to happen to the pet industry imo. ( It opened up the whole bad advice sector of the industry. )

Oohhh… I agree with all of those.

I’m a bit too young for pong but I was addicted to super Mario when I was eight. Lol

 

[Andy Sager]

Oohhh… I agree with all of those.

I’m a bit too young for pong but I was addicted to super Mario when I was eight. Lol

I got addicted to Centipede and Frogger. LOL ( Still play them both today on one of my computers. )
The rest of my anecdotes are for when I'm sitting on the front porch in my rocking chair yelling at the neighbor kids to "GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!" and starting every sentence with " Back in the day....."