What size Aquarium Stand do I really need?

[Jan Cavalieri]

I just bought a 50 gallon acrylic for about $100 less than I payed for my 29 gal acrylic oh so long ago. Anyway - I've waited and waited - all the other parts are here, including the stand. But the status of the aquarium on Amazon remains "Temporarily Out of Stock" and that they'll email me when it's back in stock. Well at this point I'm not confident it will EVER be back in stock so I've decided to purchase a 55 gallon glass aquarium (I really wanted 55 instead of 50 anyway), but the stand has already arrived for the other aquarium. The stand says it's for 50-65 gallon aquariums but the dimensions don't sound right

37.37 x 19.37 x 23.15 - that's perfect for the aquarium I was going to buy but also made me realize that a 50 gallon aquarium is not quite as big as I would like.

Here are the dimensions of the 55 gallon I would LIKE to buy:
48 x 13 x 23

That leaves several inches hanging off the side off the stand I purchased yet it says it could even be used for a 65 gallon aquarium. Structurally - is it critical that the entire base be on the stand or is it safe if 5 1/2" fall off either side? I KNOW an acrylic would warp but glass won't but will it break? Will it be too unsteady to use? (I don't have any small children or large pets that would bump the tank.

Obviously I'm trying to avoid returning the stand to Amazon - I don't have a 2 wheeler and it is heavy - the box won't fit in my car and I can't lift it so I'll have to get some help. Amazon returns are easy but in this case it's the size and weight that matters. Up until now I've used old dressers for my stands but I'm out of dressers that would fit - my biggest dresser top is 32".

Any ideas? (don't suggest building one as I would have to hire that done - no power tools and little experience with construction. )

 

[JuiceBox52]

I just bought a 50 gallon acrylic for about $100 less than I payed for my 29 gal acrylic oh so long ago. Anyway - I've waited and waited - all the other parts are here, including the stand. But the status of the aquarium on Amazon remains "Temporarily Out of Stock" and that they'll email me when it's back in stock. Well at this point I'm not confident it will EVER be back in stock so I've decided to purchase a 55 gallon glass aquarium (I really wanted 55 instead of 50 anyway), but the stand has already arrived for the other aquarium. The stand says it's for 50-65 gallon aquariums but the dimensions don't sound right

37.37 x 19.37 x 23.15 - that's perfect for the aquarium I was going to buy but also made me realize that a 50 gallon aquarium is not quite as big as I would like.

Here are the dimensions of the 55 gallon I would LIKE to buy:
48 x 13 x 23

That leaves several inches hanging off the side off the stand I purchased yet it says it could even be used for a 65 gallon aquarium. Structurally - is it critical that the entire base be on the stand or is it safe if 5 1/2" fall off either side? I KNOW an acrylic would warp but glass won't but will it break? Will it be too unsteady to use? (I don't have any small children or large pets that would bump the tank.

Obviously I'm trying to avoid returning the stand to Amazon - I don't have a 2 wheeler and it is heavy - the box won't fit in my car and I can't lift it so I'll have to get some help. Amazon returns are easy but in this case it's the size and weight that matters. Up until now I've used old dressers for my stands but I'm out of dressers that would fit - my biggest dresser top is 32".

Any ideas? (don't suggest building one as I would have to hire that done - no power tools and little experience with construction. )

If you can have a friend help you, try a cinderblock stand. Super simple, cheap and easy to assemble

 

[Colin_T]

The tank has to fit on the stand and you do not want the aquarium hanging over the edge of the stand.

The 3 foot stand is not suitable for the 4 foot tank you want.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Thanks for the info - it's just what I unfortunately needed to hear.

As far as a cinderblock stand I generally wouldn't put that in a living room but this isn't going in a living room!!! So how exactly do you construct it - like 3 rows of cinderblocks with a couple of boards on top? Real wood or that composted sawdust stuff? How tall did you make it?

 

[Colin_T]

Do not use MDF or particle board for aquarium stands. If it gets wet, they swell up and start to fall apart.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Thanks for the info - it's just what I unfortunately needed to hear.

As far as a cinderblock stand I generally wouldn't put that in a living room but this isn't going in a living room!!! So how exactly do you construct it - like 3 rows of cinderblocks with a couple of boards on top? Real wood or that composted sawdust stuff? How tall did you make it?

Look up the aquarium co op ci derblock stand. He does a really good job of explaining it