Visio 26-gallon Tank And Stand

HI all,

I have a very important question about the stand that came together with the Visio 26-Gallon tank.

The owner of the independently-owned Pet Store stated that the stand I have is made out of, he believes pine wood, although the stand is on the lighter side and not that heavy. The owner stated that they don't make stands like this anymore and assured me of the stand holding-up at least 25 years, which I wasn't buying, but for the good price I bought the tank-stand combo.

There seems to be a lot of support on the four corners, but very little support on the back slab of the tank.

I am very concerned that if the back slab cracks I am done for and will have a flood. Plus, the tank looks in great condition, but I believe the stand was previously used or has been sitting in the store for years, as it was extremely dusty and had lots of cobwebs and spiders under it. Furthermore, some minor paint is chipped off and a small chipped piece of wood is missing on one leg of stand. I mention these details, so as to make sure the age of the stand doesn't matter in it's usefulness of the stand.

I am trying to upload photos from my phone, but the s are apparently too big to be uploaded?

I welcome all of your experienced suggestions and honesty before I make a mistake a will regret later...

 

If you are questioning the integrity of any stand I would say don't do it. Even if it is for a TV, if you have to question it don't use it. It sounds like he just wanted it gone so honestly if it were me I would not use it.

 

Here are photos of my stand.

Also, the tank is right behind the stand.

Please advice me of what to do, as I can still return the stand for store credit and he can make me one out of 2x4's, but it takes two to three weeks...

 

Looks very solid to me. I don't question his 25 year estimate at all.

Only the 4 corners actually come in contact with a proper stand, you should be able to fit a piece of paper between the front, back and sides between the trim and stand.

Having a new one made would be a complete waste of time and money.

 

Looks very solid to me. I don't question his 25 year estimate at all.

Only the 4 corners actually come in contact with a proper stand, you should be able to fit a piece of paper between the front, back and sides between the trim and stand.

Having a new one made would be a complete waste of time and money.

I thought it was strong, but I'm having a hard time convincing my wife of it's sturdiness. She thinks it's too light of a stand and that the back slab on, as you can see on my second photo, isn't strong enough. Won't that weak back slab crack due to the pressure? Is pine strong enough?

Sorry, just need to ease my wife's and my mind.

 

While pine in not terribly strong, it is more than enough for a tank this size.

The back beam, as I said, will be supporting absolutely no weight. Only the 4 corners will actually be in contact with the stand, which is why the corners of the stand are reinforced.

I would feel completely comfortable putting it in my house to be honest. No hesistation.

 

I'm looking at the reinforcements at all the corners. I do understand what you wife is saying, visually that looks weak. Cut a piece of 3/4" OSB to match the interior dimentions, drop it in and you're good to go.

 

Do you feel it is safe and effective as is?

Also, could you please elaborate on what you mean by what OSB is and what it's used for in my situation.

I will trust your judgement.

By the way, are these types of stands obsilete or hard to find, as the shop owner states?

Thanks!

I'm looking at the reinforcements at all the corners. I do understand what you wife is saying, visually that looks weak. Cut a piece of 3/4" OSB to match the interior dimentions, drop it in and you're good to go.

 

Sorry, the husband is a contractor and sometimes I forget that not everyone knows this stuff and doesn't have a ton of it in their garage. OSB is a composite plywood. It's pretty strong. As far as the stand being fine as is, I believe it could be. The problem is it's pine. Not all pine is the same. Our old growth forests have disappeared or been bought by foreign interests. New pine is not as sturdy. That is why we have all the cross braces etc. It warps and twists. You said this stand was old. Any change it is going to make usually happens in the first year so that is a good thing. Your wife is concerned because of the thickness of the slat and the span it covers. I can't say I blame her but I have seen far flimsier stands. (I just opened the picture again the top is plywood as well as the bottom. I don't know why they didn't just use a full sheet. But plywood bends.) You will have all four corners in solid contact with the frame but nothing as sturdy as a 2x4 taking up the weight on the sides.

 

Sorry, the husband is a contractor and sometimes I forget that not everyone knows this stuff and doesn't have a ton of it in their garage. OSB is a composite plywood. It's pretty strong. As far as the stand being fine as is, I believe it could be. The problem is it's pine. Not all pine is the same. Our old growth forests have disappeared or been bought by foreign interests. New pine is not as sturdy. That is why we have all the cross braces etc. It warps and twists. You said this stand was old. Any change it is going to make usually happens in the first year so that is a good thing. Your wife is concerned because of the thickness of the slat and the span it covers. I can't say I blame her but I have seen far flimsier stands. (I just opened the picture again the top is plywood as well as the bottom. I don't know why they didn't just use a full sheet. But plywood bends.) You will have all four corners in solid contact with the frame but nothing as sturdy as a 2x4 taking up the weight on the sides.

Sorry, the husband is a contractor and sometimes I forget that not everyone knows this stuff and doesn't have a ton of it in their garage. OSB is a composite plywood. It's pretty strong. As far as the stand being fine as is, I believe it could be. The problem is it's pine. Not all pine is the same. Our old growth forests have disappeared or been bought by foreign interests. New pine is not as sturdy. That is why we have all the cross braces etc. It warps and twists. You said this stand was old. Any change it is going to make usually happens in the first year so that is a good thing. Your wife is concerned because of the thickness of the slat and the span it covers. I can't say I blame her but I have seen far flimsier stands. (I just opened the picture again the top is plywood as well as the bottom. I don't know why they didn't just use a full sheet. But plywood bends.) You will have all four corners in solid contact with the frame but nothing as sturdy as a 2x4 taking up the weight on the sides.

Ok, so should I add extra support using 2x4's, and if so, how would I accomplish this as I have no woodworking experience and don't want to mess with the stand toi much.

So, the stand isn't entirely pine?

 

The stand is more than sufficient.

You don't have to be a contractor to see that. It is sealed to prevent water damage and has good reinforcement on all four corners.

The tank is 25 gallons. It's not something to be concerned about at all, I promise you.

 

The stand is more than sufficient.

You don't have to be a contractor to see that. It is sealed to prevent water damage and has good reinforcement on all four corners.

The tank is 25 gallons. It's not something to be concerned about at all, I promise you.

Thanks!

I did place the aquarium on top of the stand and a piece of paper does go between the tank and back slab, so that's making me feel better. Once I set it up, I will try that again. Hopefully the stand won't crack or fall apart when I am filling it with water; we'll see.

One last question, while I was moving the stand to another room today with my wife, accidentally I hit one of the legs against my body hard and heard a noise in the stand. Is the stand still alright?

I know I'm getting a little obsessed, but I just don't know how much force and exertion the stand can take...

 

Check for cracks, and to make sure all of the legs are still straight. I doubt you cracked it or anything, if you did, your leg would be in some serious pain! It will all be okay, just make sure it is level.

 

Check for cracks, and to make sure all of the legs are still straight. I doubt you cracked it or anything, if you did, your leg would be in some serious pain! It will all be okay, just make sure it is level.

Yeah, I kinda thought I was overreacting.

Also, I believe the Visio tank may be a little old too just like the stand, so would the sealant be ok or will I need to reseal it, if possible? I'm not sure how long the tank and stand have been sitting in the store...

Thanks for your reply!

 

If you know it is old, and you are paranoid about it, just redo the caulking in it. You should be able to tell how strong it is by cleaning out the tank really good with hot water. If it needs done the edges will be coming up a little bit (just like it would in a shower that needs redone at home)

 

Why don't you do a test run? Set everything up, fill the tank with water, and let it sit on the stand for 3-4 days. See how it all settles in. I would probably even add my substrate since weight is your main concern. I did 2 separate leak tests in my garage before deciding the tank could come inside lol

 

As soon as I set my tank up and filled it with water, then I heard a noise in the stand like it couldn't handle the pressure, so I immediately dumped the water out and now am just going to temporarily put the tank on the floor until I figure something out.

I had a feeling that the stand was pure garbage...

Thanks to the first replier to this post who mentioned the "common sense theory" that if you have to question a stand to NOT use it.

Tanks are very heavy and your going to need something that can safely support it...

I blame the makers of these tanks for not making proper stands made out of oak or maple, instead of pine or worse particle board; which is nothing but sawdust, glue and staples...

 

I blame the makers of these tanks for not making proper stands made out of oak or maple, instead of pine or worse particle board; which is nothing but sawdust, glue and staples...

I used to make tanks and accompanying stands. My personal tank was a 22 gallon long with a stand made of Particle Board. Put it this way - the stand outlived the tank. 90% of all modern aquarium companies, including the premium brands like Juwel, use particle based composites.

Wood creaks and groans as strain is placed upon it. So long as the pressure is even and applied consistently, even lighter and lower quality particle based composites are more than capable of mid-heavy load bearing.

 

I used to make tanks and accompanying stands. My personal tank was a 22 gallon long with a stand made of Particle Board. Put it this way - the stand outlived the tank. 90% of all modern aquarium companies, including the premium brands like Juwel, use particle based composites.

Wood creaks and groans as strain is placed upon it. So long as the pressure is even and applied consistently, even lighter and lower quality particle based composites are more than capable of mid-heavy load bearing.

Sorry, but I'm not buying your post.

Particle-board based stands are not capable of withstanding 100-200 gallon tanks much less a 55 gallon.

Many people realize this now...

Your claim is unsubstantiated!

Plus, a store manager at Petsmart admitted to me that these stands are not that good and that I should seek out a quality piece of furniture.

Do it yourself particle board-based stands come apart as you are putting them together and you teally think they are safe?

 

Sorry, but I'm not buying your post.

Particle-board based stands are not capable of withstanding 100-200 gallon tanks much less a 55 gallon.

Many people realize this now...

Your claim is unsubstantiated!

Plus, a store manager at Petsmart admitted to me that these stands are not that good and that I should seek out a quality piece of furniture.

Do it yourself particle board-based stands come apart as you are putting them together and you teally think they are safe?

...you don't have to buy my post. Neither was I attempting to "substantiate" any claims.

I know I built the stand out of particle board, and I know it held the tank for the years I cared for that set up. I'm just trying to point out that the integrity of an aquarium stand is just as much about the design as it is about the material. In fact, that goes for the design of just about anything.

 

...you don't have to buy my post. Neither was I attempting to "substantiate" any claims.

I know I built the stand out of particle board, and I know it held the tank for the years I cared for that set up. I'm just trying to point out that the integrity of an aquarium stand is just as much about the design as it is about the material. In fact, that goes for the design of just about anything.

Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Could you please advice me on my aquarium stand in the photos?

 

It's probably worth mentioning i'm a Product Designer. Designing and building stuff is what I love to do!

If you are concerned about the integrity of your stand, there are a few things you could try. A more mechanical approach (preferential to me) would be to bolster the stand with additional 90 degree brackets screwed to the existing supports in appropriate areas. If your stand is truly a particle based composite, the glue will be stronger than the wood, so i'd leave that alone. You could however run additional beads of glue around the existing joints to provide yet another layer of contingency.

When I built stands, I would test them by loading them up with bags of sand equivalent to the weight of the aquarium they were designed to hold. That way, if the stand failed, there would be no mess. I would recommend you do that, given how concerned you are with this particular stand.

 

I just purchased a metal stand because of this issue. The first shelf/stand I got was particle board and Naively, I had no idea a 29 gallon would weigh so much. (About 350 lbs with water and substrate) I got it for relatively cheap and am filling the tank with water and sand today. Here is what I got if you are interested. They have all different sizes.

 

I just purchased a metal stand because of this issue. The first shelf/stand I got was particle board and Naively, I had no idea a 29 gallon would weigh so much. (About 350 lbs with water and substrate) I got it for relatively cheap and am filling the tank with substrate and sand today. Here is what I got if you are interested. They have all different sizes.

Looks great so far...

I would love a metal stand, but the dimensions of my tank are nonstandard because its old and they don't manufacter 26-gallon tanks anymore.

However, I just got done putting the gravel and all the water in the tank that is on the stand and so far so good with no squeaking.

Hopefully the stand does good...

 

Looks great so far...

I would love a metal stand, but the dimensions of my tank are nonstandard because its old and they don't manufacter 26-gallon tanks anymore.

However, I just got done putting the gravel and all the water in the tank that is on the stand and so far so good with no squeaking.

Hopefully the stand does good...

Yeah I was wondering about that. Well good luck! I am at the doctor so when I get home I will be doing lots of sand rinsing before I get both water and sand in my tank. I have no doubts this stand will hold my full tank, it is very sturdy and stable. One less thing to worry about.

 

Well, the tank stand is a bust...

It was filled with water all day today, then at night I heard a loud cracking noise twice and so immediaty took out half of the water.

My father knows of a contractor and I am going to see if he can make me a sturdy stand for my tank.

 

Well, the tank stand is a bust...

It was filled with water all day today, then at night I heard a loud cracking noise twice and so immediaty took out half of the water.

My father knows of a contractor and I am going to see if he can make me a sturdy stand for my tank.

There are tons of how to videos on YouTube. I would go check them out and get an idea of what kind of stand you want. They have tons. You wouldn't need anything to fancy, well unless you want it that way lol

 

HI all,

I bought a new stand today for $140 that is a little lower than the previous stand.

My concern though is that this stand supports the perimeter or trim of the tank and not just the four corners, as the previous stand did.

I placed the aquarium on the stand, dumped the 25 lbs. of gravel in and the filled the tank with 10 gallons of water...but I can slide a thin piece of paper on one corner of the tank and on other areas of the stand. Hence, the stand doesn't have complete perimeter contact with the stand.

What should I do?

The LFS employee ensured me today that this is normal and that over time the tank will settle and adjust to the stand and so eventually the perimeter of the tank will be supported...

Any advice or anyone who experienced the same issue?

By the way, I noticed this issue in the store with other tanks on similar stands...

Thanks!

Furthermore, the store employee seemed very confident, stating that he hasn't seen a stand like mine fail!

 

I don't understand the upset here.

My house was built in 1949, I hear creaks and the like all the time. Wood has give to it, but also has incredible strength which is what makes it a good building material.

There's nothing wrong with your stand, you're totally over analyzing the entire situation.

The tank is 25 gallons! It's light. I have a 55 gallon on a piece of IKEA furniture held together with wooden dowels. It makes all kinds of noises when I fill it with water but it's constructed in a way that the weight it distributed in the load bearing areas of the piece. Your stand is MORE than sufficient. Relax. Take a breath.

I'm not trying to be rude but you're making this out to be way more of an issue than it is.

EDIT - you've wasted your money, but it If gives you peace of mind that's fine. I mentioned early on that the trim of a glass tank is only supposed to come in contact with the stand in the four corners and that you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the stand and tank in the other areas.

 

I don't understand the upset here.

My house was built in 1949, I hear creaks and the like all the time. Wood has give to it, but also has incredible strength which is what makes it a good building material.

There's nothing wrong with your stand, you're totally over analyzing the entire situation.

The tank is 25 gallons! It's light. I have a 55 gallon on a piece of IKEA furniture held together with wooden dowels. It makes all kinds of noises when I fill it with water but it's constructed in a way that the weight it distributed in the load bearing areas of the piece. Your stand is MORE than sufficient. Relax. Take a breath.

I'm not trying to be rude but you're making this out to be way more of an issue than it is.

EDIT - you've wasted your money, but it If gives you peace of mind that's fine. I mentioned early on that the trim of a glass tank is only supposed to come in contact with the stand in the four corners and that you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the stand and tank in the other areas.

I don't understand the upset here.

My house was built in 1949, I hear creaks and the like all the time. Wood has give to it, but also has incredible strength which is what makes it a good building material.

There's nothing wrong with your stand, you're totally over analyzing the entire situation.

The tank is 25 gallons! It's light. I have a 55 gallon on a piece of IKEA furniture held together with wooden dowels. It makes all kinds of noises when I fill it with water but it's constructed in a way that the weight it distributed in the load bearing areas of the piece. Your stand is MORE than sufficient. Relax. Take a breath.

I'm not trying to be rude but you're making this out to be way more of an issue than it is.

EDIT - you've wasted your money, but it If gives you peace of mind that's fine. I mentioned early on that the trim of a glass tank is only supposed to come in contact with the stand in the four corners and that you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the stand and tank in the other areas.

Yes, but I am not using the stand that came with the tank...

Today I bought a 29-gallon with stand, since the tank was cheap when purchased with the stand.

The stand it sits on doesn't fully support the perimeter, since a piece of thin paper goes right under certain areas of the tank: including the corners.

Is this normal or safe?

Also, is the store employee right?

They don't make much business, so maybe he is not truthful?

 

It's fine. It's completely fine. Chances are the stand isn't totally level but will level out while sitting with water. The stand won't fail. Nothing to worry about at all.

 

It's fine. It's completely fine. Chances are the stand isn't totally level but will level out while sitting with water. The stand won't fail. Nothing to worry about at all.

Truly, I trust your judgement, since you have a good reputation on here...

But, could you explain how it will level out and how long before I notice results?

I will post photos of aquarium and stand in a bit... Also, you recommend I add some thin wooden slab on the stand before I place the aquarium on it?

 

No, you do not want a barrier between the stand and a trimmed tank. It ruins the structural design of the stand and tank themselves.

Having a full tank with apply weight to the stand and, over time, will apply equal pressure to all four corners.

A 29 gallon tank simply isn't heavy enough to be worried about.

 

Hey all,

Just yesterday I picked-up yet another aquarium stand for my 26-Gallon tank with dimensions 36 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 17 1/4.

The issue is that it appears strong and is made from pine and cedar, but is put together with staples and glue. Also, it's designed to support the aquarium around the perimeter...

Is this a good stand, despite it being cheaply put together?

Photos soon to come...

 

waiting on pictures.

 

The glue will be stronger than the wood.

 

The glue will be stronger than the wood.

So, even though the stand is stapled and glued together, you think I'll be fine?

Also, my aquarium water line is only slightly off-level...
Do you know what I can do to fix this issue?
My stand has four vertical 2x4 legs and so will wood shims under two of the left legs of stand work?

I will upload photos right now...

Here are the photos of my stand so that you may evaluate its effectiveness...

 

That's more than adequate.

 

That's more than adequate.

Alright, do you know how I can fix my water line, since it is a little unleveled?

 

My tank was slightly off level, too. I drained almost all the water out, then inserted small carpet squares (that match my carpet) underneath the low side, which was the front. Definitely did not want the 600+ lb set up leaning forward at all. The stand is also bracketed to the wall. Wooden wedges would work, too, and can be snapped off to be made virtually invisible