New Petco Stand Too Shaky?

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Hey all,

 

Deferring my reef tank plans for maybe 6 months due to build up funds for the tank my wife and I want - a somewhat big custom deal since she will only accept a corner overflow (and frankly the amount of stuff you have to master at once is a bit intimidating).   Instead, I'm going to learn some of the ropes with a small 29 gal FOWLR, whcih I'll move to the reef when it's ready.  

 

So I go to Petco and get a tank and the stand.  I assemble the stand and - much like many bookshelves and the like I've bought from BigBoxPlace, which are a step down from even Ikea - upon assembly it's a bit shaky/wobbly.   

 

 

 

Part of my is freaked out that 300-ish pounds of stuff will permanently reside on this.  And that maybe I improperly assembled it, though I think it's OK (and I'll double check).     But then I think again of those bookshelves which are now loaded with books just fine; they decidedly do not wobble once extra weight is on (and the stand would not wobble when 150lbs of me* sat on it).    

 

Still I have some lingering doubts.  

 

- should I go to Home Depot and get shims for this?

- do you think I assembled this right?

- is this acceptable in a stand of this type?

- is it worth putting in a piece (or two) of wood as a diagonal brace (or two)?

 

Thanks for any suggestions.   

 

(yes, I did also post on R2R)

 

* THAT IS MY WEIGHT AND I'M STICKING TO IT. AND NO IT HAS NOT GONE UP AS I'VE AGED

Edited August 6, 2017 by KingOfAll_Tyrants

[Jon Lazar]

Is it wobbly because all four feet are not touching the floor at the same time?  You need adjustable feet or shims to make it stable as well as level.

 

Or is it wobbly because the different pieces of the stand (side, back, etc.) are joined together loosely?  They should be tight.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Forgot to add this YouTube vid!!!!

 

https://youtu.be/AL7J49p241g

 

I think it's because the stand, but I can doublecheck this afternoon.

[Origami]

Make sure that the joints are tight. Is there a back panel that needs to be secured? In the end, I think that you'll be fine. There shouldn't be much of a side load ever on the tank. The center of gravity is still squarely between any pivot point, so strength of the upright members becomes the primary concern and you're only talking about 75 lbs per leg. Keep things level if you can.

 

If you want to be extra conservative with such a small setup, you can take it out to the garage and set it up with fresh water to check the load and stability there.

 

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[miggs76]

I bought a stand from Petco for my 17 gallon.  It didn't seem stable at all.  I promptly returned it and bought a deep blue stand from Fantastic.  It is 100x more stable.  You always have the option to return it.  Fantastic sells stands for your 29 gallon.  I bet it wouldn't cost more than 150.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Thanks everyone.   I just checked the floor model at Petco and it was not wobbly at all (so it's either a flaw in this particular unit, or assembler error.  Ockham's razor says.....nevermind   ).   It's also more crooked front to back - due to the floor - so I'll have to shim it either tonight or tommorrow night and see how it goes.  If it's still like that even when straight, it's going back and I'll either straight out return it.  Or take the floor model.  :D :D (now if someone buys the floor model at the Springfield petco I WILL FIND YOU AND KEEL YOU....        ).  

 

Mr President,   there is a backpanel but it's only a thin paper-ish thing you attach with small screws.  I (incorrectly?) think it won't make a difference.   

 

And it's not a 20G, it's a 29 gallon (30X12X12), so with 8.3 lbs per gallon, 40 lbs of sand, and say 40 lbs of extra stuff* that's 320lbs.   160 lbs per side (or did you mean per leg = /4, for 80 - in which case you are quite correct).  

 

Checking it out with freshwater might be an option; I live in an apartment but can bring it down to the car wash area in the garage.  Assuming it's not even more crooked than the apartment...... :D

 

Miggs,

 

Thanks, if this doesn't work out I may just go order a Deep Blue 29 gal......  but Fredrick's a bit far.  :(  

 

 

* I made a mistake; it will not really be a FOWLR and will only have a bit of LR.  

Edited August 6, 2017 by KingOfAll_Tyrants

[Jon Lazar]

Even a thin back panel adds a fair bit of stability to the design.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Jon Lazar

[Origami]

Even a thin back panel adds a fair bit of stability to the design.

+1.Those paperboard back panels do a lot to reduce racking (which is the motion you seem to be describing).

 

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[madweazl]

Not that it is of particular importance but the rock and sand will displace water so the actual volume will be considerably less than 29 gallons (likely closer to 20g of actual water).

[Origami]

And it's not a 20G, it's a 29 gallon (30X12X12), so with 8.3 lbs per gallon, 40 lbs of sand, and say 40 lbs of extra stuff* that's 320lbs.   160 lbs per side (or did you mean per leg = /4, for 80 - in which case you are quite correct).  

 

As written to, above, 75#/leg (since the video shows that the stand has 4 legs, the weight is distributed over all four). 

 

As for total mass, I think it's fair to say it's 320 lbs or even a tad more. Salt water weighs more than 8.3 lbs per gallon. It's closer to 8.55. So you're under with that estimate. However, the addition of the heavier rock without accounting for displacement of water helps to remedy that shortage. So, in the end, the aquarium will probably weigh somewhere between 300 and 350 lbs when filled. 

 

Bottom line, the vertical load is supportable. However, you shouldn't see too much racking (horizontal motion) in the stand. In the long run, if there's a lot of racking, the joints can gradually open up and fail. Almost all stands have some observable racking, though very small. Materials and joints are not perfectly rigid. Very small racking will be manageable. Having a rigid (or nearly so) back panel stabilizes the structure to mitigate side-to-side racking in the same way that the side panels mitigate front to back racking.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Thanks, again all.  I installed the paperboard; there's a actually a little depression in the back that just fits the paperboard; of course it makes it much more stable (I thought you just screw it in back without the depression, which shouldn't make a difference).  Now it's as solid as the one in the store.

 

Ockham's razor is right again..........   

[Origami]

Thanks, again all.  I installed the paperboard; there's a actually a little depression in the back that just fits the paperboard; of course it makes it much more stable (I thought you just screw it in back without the depression, which shouldn't make a difference).  Now it's as solid as the one in the store.

 

Ockham's razor is right again..........   

Great. Even without the rabbeted joint, that paperboard adds stability when nailed/screwed. The load is mainly borne by the screws against shear forces. The rabbeted joint, though, makes the side of the paperboard less visible, giving a cleaner look. It can also bear some of the load if it's a nice, tight fit, which can only help by giving more stiffness. I'm glad that you got to the bottom of it!

[zygote2k]

dont put that whole huge bag of gravel in there...

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Thanks, Rob.  I did the Marineland sandbed calculator, and got that for 2" of stand on a 30X12 I needed 30 lbs.   That was 40lbs of sand (I think I mis-recalled the first time), giving me 2.6 inches in theory; reality is that the sandbed, presently uneven, looks to be around 2.33" overall.   I'll smooth it out later.

 

Why do you think that's too much gravel?  

 

All that said, maybe it's time for a build thread...............

 

ETA: in the end I moved the stand to a different part of the house, after trying two other parts.  One part required no leveling at all, the part i chose required maybe 1/4" of a wooden shim at the most, and only on one leg)

Edited August 25, 2017 by KingOfAll_Tyrants