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100x30x30 tank

Hanuman

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Joined
4 Jan 2019
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2,419
Location
Thailand
I have this <Ikea stand> made out of metal.
0473387_PE614538_S5-1.JPG

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.
69685282_495845584294166_8932704039129317376_n.jpg


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.
 
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.
 
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.

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.
 
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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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 ;)
 
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.
 
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.
TGM-Continuity-Aquascape-by-James-Findley-34.jpg
 
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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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.
 
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.
 
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)
ikea2.PNG
ikea1.PNG
 
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:

Screen Shot 2019-09-06 at 13.35.39.jpg
 
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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.
 
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
DSC_0235.jpg


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.
 
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!
 
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.

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.
Screen Shot 2019-11-27 at 14.44.25.jpg
 
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