Big Tanks on Carpet

[MisterTang]

So far, my wife has been very supportive of this hobby... but then again, I've only got a tiny tank!

 

Whilst in the process of upgrading to a larger tank (70-90 gallons), I've been thinking about where it'll go, but no matter what, it's going to end up on carpet. I have a couple of questions that I was hoping someone with a similar setup (or knowledge on the issue) could answer

 

1.) Will this significantly destabilize the tank? Do I need to worry about it tipping while I'm aquascaping or otherwise leaning into it?

 

2.) Will the weight of the tank permanently indent the carpet? We just bought our first house, and I'm fairly sure that my wife would become unsupportive REAL QUICK if I ruined the carpet in our brand-new home.

 

3.) For those of you whose tanks are against drywall, have you had any problems with 'tank spray', or little drips of water that hop out of the tank? As with #2, ruining a wall would hardly be a way to engender continued support from my significant other.

[kngfisher]

Had my first saltwater tank in my first home up and running the day I moved in....well sand and pumps and rock etc......

 

to make things simple.....well did not want to place the tank on new carpet so I decided to place the tank in my kitchen.....on the hardwood floor about 6" away from two walls.......was in the corner

 

long story short, after 8 years of the tank running......we moved and moved the tank......

 

hardwood stained......dry wall had to be re-painted w/kilz and floorboard replaced due to salt

 

I did not have a wife at the time however....well my girlfriend stood there and helped me shop and setup the tank.....and further proof to why I did eventually marry her :-)

 

remember, carpet can be replaced....walls can be painted.

Edited June 23, 2008 by kngfisher

[extreme_tooth_decay]

1) No

2) Maybe

3) No, but I use a lid, unlike many others

[MisterTang]

...remember, carpet can be replaced...

...and so can I

[txaggies07]

Good question. You can find some plastic to put down to protect the carpet. I haven't lived somewhere long enough to know if it indents the carpet. I have had splatter on walls, however I just clean the wall with a damp towel every month or two and it always cleans off perfectly. You don't have to worry about the destabilization. My 72g is in the middle of the room, so I worry about my roomies running into it. But, if it is up against a wall, the tank isn't going anywhere without a very healthy shove.

[dhoch]

Best thing I ever did (and my tank is on carpet, but in our basement) for my large tank.

 

Went WITH MY WIFE and purchased (from home depot) a piece of lineoleum for under the tank (with about 4-"6" overhand all the way around, and a 2nd 4' x 4' piece (but my tank is 6' wide) to put down when doing water changes.

 

As for the carepet we had 125 upstairs on carpet and there still is a slight indendt 3 year later (but I was told a trick recently to get rid of it, but since we are replacing it we are not going to do).... involved wetting the carpet and get a strong vacuum.

 

Dave

[civitan.erichanson]

If you eventually have kids and a pet the carpet is going to need to be replaced and the walls repainted anyway. Put the tank somewhere that you think it can stay until you move out and resign yourself to new carpet and paint. I repainted my walls before buying my tank and three days later the stupid cable guy pulled on the cable box behind the sump so hard it ripped the drywall! Thankfully the tank is in front of it - my dear wife does not even know about the destruction. Just one more thing to fix when we move!

 

I put down a plastic bag in front of my tank when doing water changes and top offs. I should do that everytime I mess with the tank - but I do not.

 

Just my 2 cents worth,

 

Eric.

[sheac12]

I currently have my 90Gal on carpet with out a problem. I am sure that when I go to move the thing there will be "dents" in the carpet, but like most others, I intend to get rid of the carpet anyway.

 

I also have it right up against the wall, ok there is a two inch gap, but close enough. I haven't seen any salt creap showing up on the wall, but i have a 3" piece of glass along the back edge to protect against this.

 

For me so far so good.

[Highland Reefer]

If it were me, I would cut a rectangle out of the carpet & store it somewhere safe. Then I would cut a piece of linoleum to fit the area previously cut out. Then I would Install a carpet molding against the carpet over the linoleum to trim it.

 

When I moved, I would then pull up the carpet molding and re-install the piece of carpet I cut out.

[rioreef]

My tank/stand sits on carpet and no problems. As for any compression when the the tank is moved - soak with water and vaccuum up. Then, pull the carpet back to dry fully and replace the padding in that area too. The padding will be crushed beyond the ability to rebound.

 

Remember, if you sell your house, don't take the tank down first. When you move out, yes there will be an impression, but it is no longer your house! This happens with any heavy furniture that has been in the same place for years.

[MisterTang]

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone... could putting a piece of plywood under the stand decrease the likelihood/severity of 'crushing', or would this just make a bigger indentation?

 

I really don't have the first clue about carpet/pulling it back etc. When they were building my house, I would sneak in during the evenings and take pictures, but they started locking the house when they got to the carpet phase :(

[Larry Grenier]

I had a 65 on a carpet. I sat the stand on a finished piece of plywood. This minimized the crushing of the carpet nicely. That's the goos news, now the bad. My top-off leaked a few times (duh!) and water got under the board. Mold grew under the board in the carpet. Once I moved the tank and discovered the almost black square of carpet I tried washing several times and couldn't get all of the stain out. Not trying to scare you, just conveying my experience.

[jason the filter freak]

I'm going to say it's not a good idea to use ply wood, for the afomentioned reason of mold, but if you end up with small amounts of water on teh ply wood over time, it could deform the plywood, as well as causing rot both of which would destabilize the tank.

[MisterTang]

Yikes! Sounds like I had better just accept a bit of creasing - I have no desire to bring mold into my house.

[Rascal]

When I had a 54 corner set up on the carpet I worried a little bit about tipping. If you have a thick carpet and thick pad under that, it doesn't exactly make for a stable base. Then again, I probably worry excessively about those things.

 

When I set up my 150 it coincided with us re-doing the living room, including the carpet. So put the stand on the sub-floor and just had them carpet around it. Putting the stand on the hard floor makes it a lot more stable and also helps immensely if any shimming is needed to level things out. The whole room (14 x 18 maybe) only cost $600 for carpet installed and, as someone else has already pointed out, I figured we would have to replace it eventually anyway. The plan is that when we move we will get a couple of quotes for carpet installation and offer the new buyers a credit to install the carpet of their choosing.

 

Oh, and as far as the mold issue goes: I used a 1" oak plywood base to help distribute the weight. With a basement sump I don't have as much of an issue with water spills upstairs but to be on the safe side I went ahead and treated both the stand and subfloor with a waterproof finish.

Edited June 27, 2008 by Rascal

[hbh]

HI! As for the wall, After dealing with salt creep that wouldn't come off, I'm trying a dense piece of ceiling Tile behind my tank. So far so good. It absorbs the splashes and salt but remains dry between the wall and tile. It was easy to cut to size and was free. I've known others who have put glass or acrylic up too with success. HTH.