# 100x30x30 tank



## Hanuman (4 Sep 2019)

I have this <Ikea stand> made out of metal.



 
I currently have my 60cm tank on there and a pretty heavy buddha head. I think total load is currently around the ~100kg. I am thinking about tossing that 60cm curved tank and custom make a 100x30x30 tank to fit perfectly the size of the stand.


 

Anyone sees any reason a 100x30x30 is a no go or at least the pros & cons of such tank size? Reason I don't want the hight to be 35cm (as standard) is to reduce load on the stand which originally was not designed for this purpose but I am confident it should hold the load, plus I think it's nicer if slightly lower.

Thank you.


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## tam (4 Sep 2019)

It does say max load per shelf 34kg on the product info. But, if your confident it will hold it then it's a nice looking style. I do like the long low tank looks - obviously it restricts what you can do in it but still plenty of options. Be worth measuring your intake piping (looks like you have glass ones) and checking clearance.... you don't want to build it and then find 31cm would have fit it perfectly but it's a smidge short.


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## Hanuman (4 Sep 2019)

Yes I am aware of the 34kg weight limitation. Note that it's the weight per shelf though. That is for legal reasons as well. The actual limit is higher. I have in fact sat on it along with someone. Total load was close to ~160kg. It didn't budge. In fact a 100cm tank filled alone will probably weigh less than the current 60cm + the Buddha head or at least not that much far off. That head I think is at least 45kg if not more. It is solid carved stone. Will weigh it tonight.

This said I would never put a tank on most other ikea furniture. This one is quite sturdy and all made of metal (except for the shelfs of course). At 100kg, each feet supports a load of ~ 16kg which is honestly not that much.



tam said:


> Be worth measuring your intake piping (looks like you have glass ones) and checking clearance.... you don't want to build it and then find 31cm would have fit it perfectly but it's a smidge short.


Indeed, I am still considering it this because it also means I need to change light and filter. So far I had a quote for the tank with 8mm glass at ~120USD.


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## dean (4 Sep 2019)

You could strengthen the stand without changing the look 
Cut plywood etc to make a back and side panels and secure to the frame 
This will help keep it square and it’ll be better for that 
Paint the board whatever colour you fancy to match your room 

Thats what I’d do to stop it twisting and collapsing 

You could even bring the boards up to the top or higher of the new tank and screw a shelf in place that sits on the existing cabinet surface, this would give extra support too 


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## Hanuman (4 Sep 2019)

Thank you. Yes that will indeed add some additional strength to the stand. I just realized though that I might not have formulated my initial question properly. What I am interested in is people's opinion on the actual tank size (100x30x30) and if there are any pros or cons to that specific size.

And I weighed the Buddha head. It is ~41KG


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## Hanuman (4 Sep 2019)

Crap I just realized that the depth of the stand is 35cm and not 30cm so I guess that makes it a L100xW35xH30 tank.


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## mort (4 Sep 2019)

When I built my stand I massively over strengthened it because I like the chunky look but I also screwed it to a wooden support I attached to the wall. That support can easily take the weight of the whole tank on its own and if you are worried about weight it would really strengthen your stand plus stop it tipping forward. You could use a metal support if you wanted, even extending it up to support your new lights.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (4 Sep 2019)

My tank is 100cm x 35cm x 40cm and I would say it all probably weighs around 300kg including filter, lighting etc... The water is 140kg on it's own.
Journal - https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-accidental-aquascape.56871/
It's a great size, but the downside to this size is the depth. It doesn't leave you much room to layer things up to give the illusion of the back of the tank being further away that it is.
Looking at your shelving (which could do with some bracing) I would probably go for something like this. I like the proportions and it will certainly cut down on the weight. Love the rocks/plants above the waterline.


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## Hanuman (5 Sep 2019)

The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Looking at your shelving (which could do with some bracing) I would probably go for something like this. I like the proportions and it will certainly cut down on the weight. Love the rocks/plants above the waterline.



What is the height of that tank?

Edit: I googled it. It’s a 120 x 30 x 20cm tank size.


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## Hanuman (5 Sep 2019)

mort said:


> When I built my stand I massively over strengthened it because I like the chunky look but I also screwed it to a wooden support I attached to the wall. That support can easily take the weight of the whole tank on its own and if you are worried about weight it would really strengthen your stand plus stop it tipping forward. You could use a metal support if you wanted, even extending it up to support your new lights.



Care to show me an example? Not sure I fully visualize what you mean.


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## Hanuman (5 Sep 2019)

By the way just wondering if having a 30cm width tank instead of the 35cm width of the stand would be an issue regarding weight distribution.

In fact I am also thinking of dropping the hight even further to something like 25cm. That would make the tank L100xW30xH25.


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## mort (5 Sep 2019)

Hanuman said:


> Care to show me an example? Not sure I fully visualize what you mean.



I don't have a camera at the moment but I simply mean you could screw a piece of wood or metal to the wall which goes the length of the top shelf and supports it. If you do that then the wall takes a lot of the weight and puts less strain on the shelves. If the metal that's males the shelving unit is thick enough you could probably just drill that and screw it to the wall with long fixers. That's assuming you have good solid walls.


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## webworm (5 Sep 2019)

If you read the assembly guide, the top shelf actually has the best construction for load transfer, I've included screenshots below. But effectively load is transmitted directly down into the legs, with no parts of the construction being exposed to shear forces. It should be noted however that the area of weakness still comes from the possibility of racking (corners not being maintained at 90 degrees)


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## Hanuman (6 Sep 2019)

mort said:


> I don't have a camera at the moment but I simply mean you could screw a piece of wood or metal to the wall which goes the length of the top shelf and supports it. If you do that then the wall takes a lot of the weight and puts less strain on the shelves. If the metal that's males the shelving unit is thick enough you could probably just drill that and screw it to the wall with long fixers. That's assuming you have good solid walls.



You mean something like this:


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## mort (6 Sep 2019)

That's the idea but you don't need a new top ( if I'm reading the drawing right then it looks like you have a new top that's connected to the wall), I just meant some reinforcement connected to the wall and I place that under the support for the top shelf. In your picture, the uppermost cross brace under the original shelf. It might mean you have to split it in half if you have a central brace on the unit.

The simplest way I can explain it and perhaps how I should have, is its like one/two brackets connecting the top shelf to the wall. This holds its to the wall and stops the stand from moving and adds strength at the same time. You may find the stand is strong enough on its own without any extra help but I would recommend screwing it to the wall for safety (even if it's only a couple of screws to stop it falling forward).

Should be a really nice tank though, I love long shallow tanks.


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## Hanuman (6 Sep 2019)

Thanks. Wondering if having a 30cm width tank (or even a 25cm) instead of the 35cm width of the stand would be an issue regarding weight distribution. Anyone?


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## Hanuman (29 Nov 2019)

Ok so I ordered the tank. It will be a 100x35x25. Since I had my doubts that the ikea stand would not hold the weight I ordered a custom made stand as well. Set and good to go in a week time!


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## zozo (29 Nov 2019)

35 deep is indeed a better choice.  tad deeper than tall creates a better depth perspective. The dimensions are very nice, then regarding your geographical location, this has a stunning paludarium potential.

Something in this trend. And this is 125x35x22cm




And i'm in the northern hemisphere, tropical plants struggle a bit during the winter period. I guess this would be booming to the max if it was located in south-east Asia.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (29 Nov 2019)

Hanuman said:


> Ok so I ordered the tank. It will be a 100x35x25. Since I had my doubts that the ikea stand would not hold the weight I ordered custom made stand as well. Set and good to go in a week time!



Cool, looking forward to seeing what you create. Really like the tank proportions you’ve gone for.
Thinking of doing this sort of thing myself when I’m bored of my big tank.
Good luck, may the aquascaping gods be with you!


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## Hanuman (30 Nov 2019)

zozo said:


> 35 deep is indeed a better choice.  tad deeper than tall creates a better depth perspective. The dimensions are very nice, then regarding your geographical location, this has a stunning paludarium potential.
> Something in this trend. And this is 125x35x22cm
> And i'm in the northern hemisphere, tropical plants struggle a bit during the winter period. I guess this would be booming to the max if it was located in south-east Asia.



Yes 30cm was a bit too narrow to my taste so pushed it to 35cm as that was the stand depth.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Cool, looking forward to seeing what you create. Really like the tank proportions you’ve gone for.
> Thinking of doing this sort of thing myself when I’m bored of my big tank.
> Good luck, may the aquascaping gods be with you!



Thanks. Looking forward to receiving the tank. Already did a few layout mockups but still not final. This is one of the ones I have selected.


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## Hanuman (30 Nov 2019)

Today got to play with some stones:


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (30 Nov 2019)

Nice start and materials.
Is that rock in the last 2 photos?
I think they need to be spread apart a bit more, which would make it look similar to the composition of my large tank 
Or you could turn the rock on the right to point right?
Have you got more hardscape?
Loving the hardscape breaking the waterline. Definitely keep that!


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## Hanuman (30 Nov 2019)

The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Is that rock in the last 2 photos?


Yes that's fossilised wood.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> I think they need to be spread apart a bit more, which would make it look similar to the composition of my large tank


I tried that already but can try again. Problem is I am relying on the right stone to partially hold the left one because it is tip heavy.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Or you could turn the rock on the right to point right?


I tried that as well but the back side of that rock is not as appealing. If I tilt it instead to the left in order to point to the right then because of the shape of the stone it looks unnatural.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Have you got more hardscape?


I have got another stone but it is of similar size than the right stone. I tried with those 3 but for some reason it didn't look nice.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> Loving the hardscape breaking the waterline. Definitely keep that!


Yes definitely want that either with wood or stone.

Below are three trials but in my opinion are not good at all reason why I didn't include them in my post before. Don't pay attention to the smaller rocks, those are meant to prop up the bigger ones. I will probably do some other test but I really need to be careful with those stones. They tend to chip quite easily.


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## zozo (30 Nov 2019)

This reminds of James Findley's Crimson Sky.


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## Hanuman (30 Nov 2019)

That was my initial inspiration a few month ago when I planned this project. Things have evolved since then but I always keep that scape in mind. The simplicity of that scape yet its impact is what I was drawn to. It only has 3 plants species if you don’t count the terresterial mosses on the emersed rocks.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (30 Nov 2019)

I think the 2nd one is the best of the 3.
It’s more natural and you’ve got rocks in front and behind, which has made the tank look deeper.

really interesting rock/wood.
I guess it’s petrified wood right?


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## Hanuman (30 Nov 2019)

Yes fossil/petrified I believe it’s the same. Got the big piece in JJ market and the smaller pieces in Chiang Mai where they were selling them for 20 Baht (~0.6 USD/kg). A total bargain. I brought them with me in the plane. Security and Custom officers asked me twice to open my bag as the xray couldn’t figure out what those huge masses were .


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## zozo (30 Nov 2019)

Hanuman said:


> A total bargain.



You're smack dab in the middle of the main source. In Europe, Malaysian (Indonesian) petrified wood is very popular, actually if we find any 90% comes from that region and big bucks are paid for nice pieces. When it's polished prices go over the top.

But James Findley used to use TGM Fosilized wood. He probably grew it in his back yard in wales.


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## Kalum (30 Nov 2019)

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this, love shallow tanks 

Wood in your previous post is


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## MJQMJQ (30 Nov 2019)

zozo said:


> You're smack dab in the middle of the main source. In Europe, Malaysian (Indonesian) petrified wood is very popular, actually if we find any 90% comes from that region and big bucks are paid for nice pieces. When it's polished prices go over the top.
> 
> But James Findley used to use TGM Fosilized wood. He probably grew it in his back yard in wales.


Omg grew fossilised wood?Is he a living fossil too?


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## zozo (30 Nov 2019)

MJQMJQ said:


> Is he a living fossil too?



In the aquascaping scene, he could be considered as such. He's an oldtimer in the hobby.
I don't know the British history of Aquascaping pioneers, but i guess he might be somewhere in the top of that list.


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## MJQMJQ (30 Nov 2019)

zozo said:


> In the aquascaping scene, he could be considered as such. He's an oldtimer in the hobby.
> I don't know the British history of Aquascaping pioneers, but i guess he might be somewhere in the top of that list.


Nice.Would be great if I was in london instead of Singapore ugh.I love the colour of arizona petrified wood but it is so ridiculously expensive.I got a trunk section of the white and black asian petrified wood though.


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## Hanuman (1 Dec 2019)

zozo said:


> You're smack dab in the middle of the main source. In Europe, Malaysian (Indonesian) petrified wood is very popular, actually if we find any 90% comes from that region and big bucks are paid for nice pieces. When it's polished prices go over the top.



Yes I know but if you buy them in Central Bangkok then the price has gone up 5 fold so I couldn’t let this pass. Obviously it is still way cheaper than in Europe. Here is a picture of what they were selling in Chiang Mai. If only I had come in a truck I would have taken them all :






zozo said:


> But James Findley used to use TGM Fosilized wood. He probably grew it in his back yard in wales.



Yes certainly. He has a special powder to accelerate the process.

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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (1 Dec 2019)

Hanuman said:


> .
> View attachment 129459



What happened to the piece of wood in the first mock up... people ignoring how awesome it is lol? Forget the rocks and go with this


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## Hanuman (1 Dec 2019)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> What happened to the piece of wood in the first mock up... people ignoring how awesome it is lol? Forget the rocks and go with this


ahaha Nothing happened to them. Still in my place . Just wanted to try again with the rocks as those were the ones I had initially bought for the scape but a few weeks back I stumbled upon these woods pieces for yet another cheap price and thus couldn't let them pass . I even tried mixing both these rocks and wood pieces in the scape but so far haven't been able to obtain anything decent. I think they all have very specific characters reason why it's difficult to mix them.


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## MJQMJQ (1 Dec 2019)

Hanuman said:


> Yes I know but if you buy them in Central Bangkok then the price has gone up 5 fold so I couldn’t let this pass. Obviously it is still way cheaper than in Europe. Here is a picture of what they were selling in Chiang Mai. If only I had come in a truck I would have taken them all :
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice I guess the petrified wood would look much nicer after cleaning hehe.


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## Hanuman (1 Dec 2019)

Received the stand this morning but rejected it because it was seriously rocking. One leg was shorter than the others . I don’t like paying for half backed products. They will return it tomorrow hopefully properly leveled. I took a picture before they took it back:


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## webworm (1 Dec 2019)

Not sure I'd like to use that as a stand, you're relying on the fixings holding the top horizontal member to take the weight and not sheer.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (1 Dec 2019)

webworm said:


> Not sure I'd like to use that as a stand, you're relying on the fixings holding the top horizontal member to take the weight and not sheer.



It would be ok, but I noticed the chairs for little people. They’ll be bumping/driving/dancing in to it occasionally (I know mine do), so some cross bracing at the back would give you peace  of mind.


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## Hanuman (2 Dec 2019)

webworm said:


> Not sure I'd like to use that as a stand, you're relying on the fixings holding the top horizontal member to take the weight and not sheer.


Lol - That stand was made by a reputable local aquarium stand maker. The stand is rated to withstand at least 200Kgs with a safety factor of 2.5 so it's not my shallow tank with its ~130 Kg that will stress the stand.



The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> It would be ok, but I noticed the chairs for little people. They’ll be bumping/driving/dancing in to it occasionally (I know mine do), so some cross bracing at the back would give you peace  of mind.


That's not the location of the stand obviously. Next to the sofa... no good. Next to the daughter's playground.... no good. It is simply there for the picture and layout tests.


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