stand failure

i posted about my tank being unlevel and wht i should do about it. i took some advice from here and thereeftank. about half said shim it to level it, and other half said leave it be. i should of left it. i shimmed it slightly to correct the unlevelness and about 5 mins after the fix a crack began on one side of the base and moved its way to the center of the stand. i had to drain the tank get a new stand and slide the tank ( BIG PAIN) onto its new home. i will never think about doing that again. i have since rid myself of roughly 40 lbs of live rock to feel safer about the weight.

 

sorry to hear that, at least it wasn't the tank that cracked.

 

I hope you leveled this one. Sorry about the incident. What if that happened 6 months from now when you weren't home? It's all part of the learning process.

 

this is EXACTLY why i build my own stands. glad you were able to head off the problem before it created serious issues for you and the room that tank resides in

 

yes but unfortunatley some of the lessons i have learned have been expensive ones..... and my new stand is the same one i had before i just slid it further from the wall so i could put my sump behind the stand instead of inside the stand...and it is level go figure

 

wow....thats scary!

I always add extra bracing to my stands all over on the inside just so I can sleep better at night.

 

+1 I never have to worry about mine!
http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/my-diy-indestructable-tank-stand-79144.html

 

Did you shim under the vertical supports, usually the four corners and sometimes the center on 4' on longer stands. It should not have cracked if shimmed a little at a time and under the load bearing points. I have shimmed many that way over the years with no problems, but like everything in this hobby, you take it slowly, only bad things happen quickly.

 

If i remember right,you said that was a walmart stand??If so,that's part of the failure,and shimming must have stressed it,very sorry to here.I think also said you was only off less than 1/4",man thats not enough to worry about,but i hope all goes well with your new stand.

 

ya it was a stand from walmart the aqua culture deluxe 55 stand. there really not that bad and when your putting it together it goes together very sturdy. i got the same stand to replace. i just traded in some of my heaviest chunks of rock for some shrooms. less weight now i have two islands in the tank i love it. i have actaully got some benefits out of what happened. i have used the oppurtunity to move the tank further from the wall enabling me to put my sump behind the stand instead of in it. more room and the skimmer isnt vibrating the stand causing noise! in the future when i deal with bigger tanks i will go BIG and STRONG on my stands.