AGA tank and stand . . . stable?

f14peter

Member
FNG, so please bear with me . . .
Wife and I just picked up an All-Glass 90g drilled w/overflow and basic black pine stand and it's currently sitting in our living room empty.
Frankly, the set-up doesn't seem all that right with me, in regards to the tank sitting on the stand. The bottom rim of the tank merely rests of the rim of the stand, and with very little contact surface (The tank rim extends over the inner rim of the stand) and there's nothing supporting the tank elsewhere other than the rim. Is that how it goes? It strikes me that things would lock together a bit more solidly and there would be more direct support for the tank. I know when the tank gets filled it will be fairly inmovable, but a decent tug on the tank right now and I can slide it off-center.
I read in another thread about a LFS installing an AGA stand upside down, but I'm not sure that's the case as there's only one shelf in the stand, and it's on the bottom (you can look down through the bottom of the tank all the way through to the bottom shelf of the stand) and it is exactly how the store had it displayed (Although a thought crossed my mind, maybe it is upside down but the store had it that way to make it easier to seperate the tank and stand). I haven't looked at the underside of the stand yet, but we'll be dismantling the set-up and moving it out of the way for a new floor installation and I plan on taking a peek then.
Also, and I'm no structural engineer, it doesn't seem like there's a heck of a lot of support built into the stand, particularly along the front and back. The boards running vertically on the front/back portion only overlap the horizontal pieces supporting the tank by around an inch or so. The ends seem a bit more supported but it doesn't really inspire confidence, after all we're talking about 900 or so pounds when filled. I have enough woodworking skills to add a few support pieces, if that's a necessary (And without compromising the stand's integrity as my wife fears!).
Sometimes I wonder if this is a knock-off stand the store had instead of an authentic AGA.
 

dogstar

Active Member
Yep, thats the way they make those...The tank trim sits flush, on top of the stand trim....I agree that it looks weak. Water is 8.5 lbs. per gallon plus the tank and lights...."" I built my on stand for my AGA RR 150g and I sleep good at night ""....If you dont trust it, dont use it....
 

cgrant

Active Member
I have an aga210 w/oak stand, not sure if they are made different or not?
I do know oak is a harder wood...Dah! :)
I have my 210 w/~225 lbs of LR and a deep sand bed, I have not had any issues with it, but then again i dont have the pine stand so not sure?
I fugure my tank is ~2000 lbs with everything, stand is fine and seems sturdy!
 

stanlalee

Active Member
It will hold but yeah it looks like it could be a little stronger. The only reason I'm comfortable with them is because they've had the same design for years and of the thousands of people who use them everyday I havent heard many incidents (or any not that I've looked) of failures.
 

oceanists

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dogstar
Yep, thats the way they make those...The tank trim sits flush, on top of the stand trim....I agree that it looks weak. Water is 8.5 lbs. per gallon plus the tank and lights...."" I built my on stand for my AGA RR 150g and I sleep good at night ""....If you dont trust it, dont use it....

Yeah I built my own Stand for my AGA 180.... and I sleep a WHOLE lot better. I cant see buying a stand for 700 dollars when I can DIY one a hell of alot better for I think i payed 65 dollars for everything.
 

cgrant

Active Member
I paid around ~600 for my oak stand, well constructed and no way you can build anything like this for under 100 bucks!
 
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