Wooden stand vs metal stand

There was a strong 7.3 earthquake which occurred lastweek, thankfully it only lasted 40 seconds. My 39 g tank however fell unto the floor during the earthquake destroying it and killing most of my fish and shrimps. I think the metal stand which was used to hold the tank was too weak because everytime I clean the tank, the tank moves causing the stand to wobble.


Now, I'm thinking of buying a wooden stand.
Is this a good idea?. The material will be mahogany which is a hard wood.


Tnx

 

Honestly, i would prefer wooden over metal, especially hard wood. Something about the stout feeling of wood that just makes me feel more at ease than a metal stand.

 

Is it a stand that's made especially for this size tank, or a piece of furniture that you're going to use as a stand?

 

Honestly, i would prefer wooden over metal, especially hard wood. Something about the stout feeling of wood that just makes me feel more at ease than a metal stand.

Mahogany are also hard to cut and resistant to water.

Is it a stand that's made especially for this size tank, or a piece of furniture that you're going to use as a stand?

I cannot tell tbh. I got the stand from the same person who build the tank. He build the stand after he delivered the tank.

 

How big is the new tank? Put up a picture of the stand. There is a lot of old furniture that will hold tanks. I bought an Ethan Allen buffet for $75 and added a center brace. It’s holding a 90g for about 5 yrs now

 

My opinion, buy a used piece of furniture, a dresser, a credenza, something with a larger footprint than the tank, and sturdy.

then install clips to hold the tank to that stand, and secure the stand to the wall.

That should "earthquake proof" it the best you can to avoid it happening again.
I think it would be the same result with a wooden stand or a metal stand unless you secured it all so it's impossible for any of it to fall over or vibrate off.

 

How big is the new tank? Put up a picture of the stand. There is a lot of old furniture that will hold tanks. I bought an Ethan Allen buffet for $75 and added a center brace. It’s holding a 90g for about 5 yrs nowView attachment 855598

The new tank is 42 gallons. What is a center brace BTW?

 

I cannot tell tbh. I got the stand from the same person who build the tank. He build the stand after he delivered the tank.

It's difficult to say for sure without pictures and dimensions, but if the stand was built for the tank then it should be fine.

 

It's difficult to say for sure without pictures and dimensions, but if the stand was built for the tank then it should be fine.

the key point here is more about the earthquake, not necessarily the stand, maybe the stand wasn't sturdy enough, but without the earthquake the tank likely wouldn't have gotten broken. If earthquakes can happen, I'd find ways of locking the tank to the stand, and the stand to a wall at the least, jsut so the earth moving doesn't break another tank.

 

The new tank is 42 gallons. What is a center brace BTW?

The center brace was a peice of wood that supports the center of the tank from front to back. It didn’t run from top to bottom so I extended it and added to the rear of the buffet.


And yes as to earthquakes not sure there is a way to protect a tank. Just the swaying of the water can break the glass. Most metal sands are stronger than wood. Maybe a acrylic tank might survive better. They are at least 3x stronger than glass and flexible.