Kribbie Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hi all, I've bought a new 3ft tank (36"Lx14"Wx20"H) comes with a cabinet and hood on last week, and realised that the top part of the cabinet is not solid, which it means that the cabinet support the edges of the tank while the center part of the tank is not supported... so will the tank crack on the bottom after it is filled with water, substrate and rocks? It just got a think layer of foam under the tank to support its weight. I've got a pic here that can explain what i'm worrying about...a picture worths a thousand words! Can anyone give me some advices? Should I add another piece of wood to strengthen the support? Thanks! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 hi there The cabinet shoudint really be without the middle pieces because most stands/Cabinets have the middle pieces of wood. You should probally put a couple of pieces of wood to make sure incase something does happen. It probally will be ok but then i might be wrong it might not So im on the get more pieces for the bottom side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 On my old 3ft tank (36"Lx14"Wx20"H) the stand i got had two supports in the middle (just near where both the door brackets are in your pic). Im not sure if they are needed, however i think its good to have some "piece of mind" when it comes to tank weight/pressure issues. Im fairly confident it would be fine, however hopefully someone with alittle more experience can help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Alternatively, if you are not the expert handyman you can get plasply or similar structural ply cut to exact sizes at Swadlings. The tank would then sit on that. The structural ply is very very strong and would support it in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kribbie Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Thankyou guys for the advices~ I think I might just get another piece of wood and put it under the tank, just incase if it really cracks... don't really want to dry all the carpets afterward...it will be a REAL mess! and oh.... should I cover the whole tank bottom with a single piece of wood OR cut a piece of wood and put it under the center of the tank bottom? do they work the same way? mianos, what is structural ply? are they available in Bunnings? Once again, thankyou for the advices~ Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Most the the weight is actually taken up by the timber around the edges (if the stand is fitted to the tank), so strictly speaking, a centre piece of wood is not necessary. But it is useful to prevent the longer pieces from spreading, thus holding everything together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 The structural ply is used to building things that take load or build formwork for concrete. It's made of pressed 'veneer' like sheets and glued together with very strong glue making it very stable. Bunnings have the ply but they don't cut it for you at my local store. If you go to some other buildng supply places (like Swadlings on Botany I think the road is) they will cut it on a flatbed bench saw to an exact size for only a few dollars more. I am sure many other building supply place will cut as well. The person who does this can cut it very accurately and square, something that's hard to do at home with a saw to such a degree of precision. edit - added more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kribbie Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 Oh....alright, I get it...thanks mianos! I'll try to look for structural ply at Bunnings tomorrow..if I can't find it there, I'll just get a piece of wood and put it under the tank bottom~ Anyway, thankyou guys for all the advices~ Cheerz, Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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