Ryan S July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 Here is a picture of the marineland stock stand under my 150g DD tank. You'll notice a 9" extension under the stock stand, built by a carpenter to raise the tank. The doors on the sides of the stand push up, then the bottom slides out, and you can remove the side. I noticed when I bought the tank from Andy, the right door was hard to remove. The back part would come out, but the front part, you had to really pull on. I didn't notice a split at the corner seem at the time, but I am guessing it was there. Here it is right now: I noticed today the left door, which never had a problem coming off, is now hard to remove at the front as well. And now I noticed a split on the left side as well, shown here: My question is -- Is this safe? What's going on? Why is it changing over time? I believe the wood inside the stand, which runs vertically from top to bottom, is strong and sturdy and solid. I think this part that appears to be splitting is just a frame around the bottom? But something on the inside must be pushing it out? Why are the sides not fitting anymore? Almost like the front end of the stand is sinking down and that's why the doors on the side are hard to get in/out in the front and easy in the back? I just used a level on all sides of the stand and the tank, everything is level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 All the heat and humidity may be causing e wood to swell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 All the heat and humidity may be causing e wood to swell. Should I be concerned Dave? Or will it "unswell" when it starts to get cool again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 Hammer Time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 I think the joint is just opening up a bit. Call your carpenter to come out. Throw a screw or two or some finish nails with a nail gun in there and I think you will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 Is everything still level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 I agree, check the level of the water line and of both stands. If the 9" riser stand is not flat on top it could be pushing the trim causing it to spread. More likely, If the sun is hitting the stand and since it is painted black it will cause the wood to dry out on that side which would make it shrink and seperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 That looks to just be trim, not anything structural, and if you look at things like crown molding or wood floors you'll notice that they do the same thing. In the summer they swell up with the increased humidity and in the winter they shrink down. I have crown molding that you can see the seam in the summer because it buckles out slightly and then you can see it more in the winter when it shrinks down and separates. Wood floors are typically "floating" as well because of the same issues - you leave a little gap between the wall and the floor so that it can expand and contract. Is your sump in the stand? If so, increased evaporation in summer could be the cause. Also, I'd double check the stand you put it on - if that's pushing and pulling on the stand then you could be in for a catastrophic failure. This is not likely, but why chance it - take a look and make sure that it's not becoming unstable or warping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 If they were swelling from humidity, the joints would be tight. Just like a door swells and won't close all the way. You are running AC so that should be pulling all the extra moisture out of the air. Those joints are pushing apart. Is it a solid piece that the original stand is sitting on, or is it all just molding? I would worry. If the doors aren't closing right, something is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 27, 2012 Author Share July 27, 2012 the stand underneath appears solid. just the molding isn't flush anymore. the tank and stand are level all the way around. maybe i can buy some L brackets from homedepot and install them just to be safe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 I'd take some real careful measurements in relationship to the house and build a bedroom directly underneath that tank and invite your mother in law to move into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 other than that, I'd ask ybe to have a peek, He'll know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 Ryan, it just looks to be trim that's affected. If that's the case, it's extremely unlikely that it's load bearing in any way. However, definitely check level on the tank. Plus, check the cabinet design to make sure it's appropriately braced against collapsing. You might be able to check the cabinet for square by measuring the diagonals. Normally, side panels are attached to the frame and add a lot of structural rigidity. If your panels are removable, they clearly do not add that rigidity in the same way. In this case, it's possible that the cabinet is falling out of square (slightly) under stress of the aquarium weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbh July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 Lol on the MIL bedroom! If you can I would have someone come look. Ybe is a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 If they were swelling from humidity, the joints would be tight. Just like a door swells and won't close all the way. You are running AC so that should be pulling all the extra moisture out of the air. Those joints are pushing apart. Is it a solid piece that the original stand is sitting on, or is it all just molding? I would worry. If the doors aren't closing right, something is wrong. That's true, but if the trim is swelling and buckling then it could also pull away and appear to be splitting apart. It would stand to reason, though, that if it was being pushed apart then the facing on the stand would also be pulling apart and following the path of the trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 the stand underneath appears solid. just the molding isn't flush anymore. the tank and stand are level all the way around. maybe i can buy some L brackets from homedepot and install them just to be safe? I don't think that that would solve any issues. If the stand is physically pulling apart, you'll want to address the issue rather than put in a stopgap measure like a bracket. The bracket can prevent it from separating to an extent, but if the integrity of the stand is compromised then it's compromised and a bracket won't help it much. You'd need to do more internal bracing to have any real affect on keeping it from shifting. Think of it in terms of a house of cards - if it starts to lean you can't just tape it together to keep it standing, you have to brace it with more structure so that the lean is countered by an opposite force. I'd really take a good look at the stand and try and determine if the trim is simply coming apart, if it's not, then time to look at the structural integrity of the stand which to me means draining the tank and removing it from the stand. Hopefully you don't have to go there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 27, 2012 Author Share July 27, 2012 Thanks everyone. I have sent Ybe a PM. If he can't tell from the photos I will try to get him to come over and take a look. Removing the DT to fix the stand would suck, but not as much as the stand failing, that's for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 Ryan, here's another thing you could do to test it out. Hang some plumb lines on the tank from the edge of the trim and see if they shift over time. It will be easy to see if one side touches the stand and then a day later it no longer touches it. if you hang them on each side of the stand you'll be able to get a good idea about any shifting occurring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k July 28, 2012 Share July 28, 2012 after looking at your pictures, it appears that there is a hairline fracture in the glass on one of the panes.... oops- it was a hair on my screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef July 28, 2012 Share July 28, 2012 ARGH... i went back through his posts to see if I could see any of the tank, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 28, 2012 Author Share July 28, 2012 rob you suck. now seriously. i need your services. take a day off from biking and stop by please. kthx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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