Is this safe? Can I fill my tank?

I just got a steal... a 135 gallon with stang/hood/lights for $150.

Guy used it just 6 months ago for freshwater. Remodeling his basement has no room for it.

so we got it, and set it up, but there is a gap in the middle where the tank meets the stand. It's not a downward bowing gap either. It's the gap of the thickness of a quarter. Will it maybe fix itself once there is water in the tank? It's only in the middle. It matches flush with the corners and such.

Should I be worried?

whats that stand made out of?

ilicurtisili wrote:

whats that stand made out of?

Welded steel.

Here's my 2 cents.

I would get a few 72" pieces of 2x4's a lay them on top of the stand.
135 gallons of water weighs over 1100 .lbs, so please be careful with
what ever you decide.

nitty wrote:

Here's my 2 cents.

I would get a few 72" pieces of 2x4's a lay them on top of the stand.
135 gallons of water weighs over 1100 .lbs, so please be careful with
what ever you decide.

That still wouldn't help with the bowing...

I was thinking to cut 2x4's and put them tight up and down between the 2 horizontal bars.. so there is support under the tank...

i would get some insulation foam and put under it. that way they weight is even.
i wouldnt want the middle of the tank just floating in the air. that could cause it to bend and then you will have a huuuuuuuge mess to clean.

Best route.... give it to me! haha jk


i agree with curtis, get some insulation foam or a thin plywood to put it in between... or make your own stand if you dont feel comfortable with this one... you did save money with the deal so why not.

+1 i agree

gap will go away but i would get a better stand good luck

Definately - even if you pay a couple of more hundred to get a stand for this tank you will STILL be getting a HECK of a deal. Great find!

Based on what I have seen. I wouldnt be to concerned about the bow. Its from the weight of the tank. If that is heavy welded steel, its not going to hurt it a bit. The weight of that tank should be ok. The only thing you can add to it is corner braces and it really just doesnt need it to bad. Inspect all the welds to make certain there arent any cracks. If everything looks good, set it up.

Also you can reinforce the stand with wood or buy a wood stand
anyway is a good deal to me

The first thing I would do is find out where the bow is (ie, tank or stand).

Check all welds on stand and seals in tank.

Check steel beam for any "creases" or "dimples" that would indicate waekness.

The thing to keep in mind is that all materials (including glass) will have a certain amount of "flex" when under strain. While the amount of flex is small over short distances, it will grow with the length of the product.

Take a look at an empty flatbed trailer next time you're driving on the highway. It is easy to see that it is designed with an upward bow so it will flatten as it is loaded.

When in doubt, test fill it outdoors. Certainly, if the bow is in the stand, check both sides to see if this was intentional, low quality material, etc... or if there is truly a problem. The last thing you want to do is fill it only to have the bottom crack on you.

Sounds good to me

get a new stand and keep the old one and retrofit it for several small tanks.