HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have my current 20g on some Ikea shelving with cross braces - but I wouldn't trust that with the new 55....I'm trying to find weight/load stats on some of the shelving we have here around the house, with little luck.

I really, really, don't want to spend any more money if I can help it - especially on an aquarium stand -- I'd rather get some sort of shelving and reuse it at a later day.

So what are you all placing your tanks on?

My 75gal is on a table that was designed to be used as a dining room table. When I had a 29gal, I put it on a coffee table, buuut it split the top of the coffee table all the way down the middle

Yikes! See, that's what I'm afraid of - ruining and/or splitting a piece of furniture, and even worse, having the tank fall over!

Is a full 55 gal going to be so heavy that "regular" furniture wouldn't work? I have 4-50lbs bags of play sand for it - not sure if I'll use all 4, perhaps just 3....that puts it at 150lbs, plus however much the tank itself weighs.

This is what I was thinking of putting it on: http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials ... A-15113339

The unit would be laying down sideways -- it is the exact length of the tank!

Hmmmmmmm........

If you get a chance, stop in at a pet shop and see how the aquarium stands for a 55 or 65 gallon are designed. They're not nearly as sturdy as you think they should be, but they're also designed in a way to offer even support. Aquariums put all their weight on the black rim around the bottom, and that's where the most support is needed to keep the stand from buckling. If you could find a second-hand wooden or metal one for cheap, you'd be set!

You may be able to find something similar in design elsewhere, but please take into account that while the materials used may be the same (MDF), there are different grades and formulations that can support different amounts of weight. The cubes you linked to is neat, but without bracing at either end it could easily fold to one side and collapse. That's not to say it can't work, and I tend to over engineer stands to be on the safe side.

I've got aquariums up to 15 gallon tanks on regular solid furniture (dressers, cabinets) but for my piece of mind anything more than that needs a real stand because I just don't trust furniture that is open on the inside to support a couple hundred pounds of weight without eventually giving way. When I had my 55 gallon crab tank set-up, it was on a 2x4 base that sat on the ground. The only 55 gallon I have running right now is also on a 2x4 base, but since it's just a tank with no extra weight to it (for a snake), I was able to put it on wheels so I can tuck it under other shelving.

(sigh) - well this is really bumming me out....it's like an extra expense that I hadn't planned for (and don't really have the $$ for).....I suppose I could check out eBay and some other local sites for some used stuff, like you suggest Wodesorel, but it also means delaying tank setup, which I really don't want to do, either...

I wonder what a 55 gal tank would weigh, after putting about 200 lbs. of sand in there....maybe 250? So I would need shelves rated higher than that....

how about something like this? http://www.target.com/p/whitmor-supreme ... vertical_1

it says the Max weight capacity is 350lbs....

thoughts?

I have my 55 gallon with ten inches of sub on a coffee table that is designed like this: http://www.elec-toolbox.com/tagservices ... pfront.jpg

It is solid wood and seems to be holding up well with no signs of stress, but that could change.

I also considered a design like this that was pretty budget friendly: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ ... 0b1d82.jpg I've even seen people paint the cinderblocks and it didn't look half bad.

Edit: I got my coffee table at goodwill for like $14 and there was even a second one that was a bit more expensive that I decided against. I bet they are common in thrift stores since they are pretty outdated.

I bet it would weigh more like 350+. Including the water to keep the sub moist and the weight of the tank.

Edit: I would definitely not use that shelving unit you posted...

Save up the money and buy a stand fit for your tank! You will be happier in the end being able to sleep at night knowing your tank isn't going to crack or worse, completely bust a seam and let everything come crashing down. You could damage your equipment/catch something on fire and/or worse hurt your crabs! It's worth the extra buck to buy a stand built for distributing the weight correctly. You MIGHT be able to get away with something else since the stands are meant to hold tank of water, which weigh far more than our tanks, but I wouldn't take the risk.

Cinderblocks! Mine it set up like this but without the turned in ones, it holds the tank and the plywood gives you pockets to store crab supplies! I used just regular lowes plywood and Cinderblocks, but we avoided any with cracks in them. you can spraypaint it if you'd like to make it prettier too!

Agree with Ellysara, prob don't use anything from Target.
I put my 75gal on a daybed, reinforced by a heavy(100lbs) office tabletop in place of the mattress (right over the slats). It's a buuuunch of space.
For a tank that isn't as long, a coffee table goes a long way. It's also nice to have it sit lower, which is exactly why i specifically did not want an actual aquarium stand. I wanted to view it at a good level but also to reach down from the top without needing to stand on a chair, as i was 8 mos pregs when upgrading
You will basically have enough support as long as the piece is solid and sturdy, made of thick, heavy and strong material, and weight distribution is even with your tank's brace. Reinforce the weight distribution for stability, like in Cydonia's cinderblock setup, you'll be good to go!


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I cannot seem to picture that setup, YYWW.

I've been waiting for an appropriate place to say I hope you and your baby are good and one hasn't popped up yet! I know that's why you were absent for a bit. Glad you are back

Aww thanks Ellysara! HCA rooooocks! I've been reading up, just too sleep deprived to have any confidence in writing/helping baby's popped and now i have a chubby lil boy bundle
My setup is unique, as i somehow got hold of a tabletop that fit the bed exactly. Long story short, i took a bedframe and replaced the mattress/box spring with a tabletop. I figured a bed is supposed to support peoples' bodies, so i put a crab tank on it i'll get a pic tomorrow, hopefully, if i remember.....


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Thanks for posting that, Ellysara! I was googling DIY aquarium stands made with cinder blocks last night, and came up with a ton of links and pics. Now just to get hubby onboard with all this....

So you are saying that you just used the cinder blocks and plywood? Some people are saying to lay 2x4's down and lay the plywood on top of that, but you don't have any 2x4's on yours? I'm just checking because that's my favorite setup so far, and if I could go without the 2x4's, I would like that. Also, how thick is the plywood? I can't tell from the pic, but it looks pretty thick! And how many cinder blocks did you end up using? From the pic posted, it looks like 8 total?

Man, I had such a nice coffee table about 10 years ago that would've been GREAT for this -- I think hubby and I got rid of it, though. Guess I'll have to go down into the labyrinth in the basement to see if we somehow kept it....

Congrats, YYWW!

And just out of curiosity - how about this? Do you think this would work?
http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-731706 ... shopping15

I have one of those sitting in my basement!

CrabbySquirrel wrote:(sigh) - well this is really bumming me out....it's like an extra expense that I hadn't planned for (and don't really have the $$ for).....I suppose I could check out eBay and some other local sites for some used stuff, like you suggest Wodesorel, but it also means delaying tank setup, which I really don't want to do, either...

I wonder what a 55 gal tank would weigh, after putting about 200 lbs. of sand in there....maybe 250? So I would need shelves rated higher than that....

how about something like this? http://www.target.com/p/whitmor-supreme ... vertical_1

it says the Max weight capacity is 350lbs....

thoughts?

I think by the time you add water it's double the weight of the sand you started with. Add in the weight of the tank (between 75 and 150 pounds, depending on the age) and the decorations, water bowls, etc.

Those stands can actually work, but I don't think 350 would be enough to be safe. Our local pet shops uses one of the heavier duty metal stands for their aquarium racks.