Metal aquarium stand

[Lakb50]

I would like to raise my 48 inch  metal stand so the lower shelf is higher off the ground. The stand holds 1 - 40 long and 1 - 33 long. How can I safely raise it? I am getting to old to sit on the floor to do maintenance.              Thank You…….. Lisa 

[nabokovfan87]

@Lakb50 What does the stand look like? How is it made? Is it like a storage rack unit?

[Lakb50]

It’s a store bought welded aquarium stand with the scroll sides.

[Patrick_G]

Nice looking stand. I guess your best bet would be to have a local fabrication shop weld another shelf, but cost and hassle would probably make that impractical.  I think I'd make a short wooden shelf that fits inside the lower space. Something like this but homemade out of pine 1” stock. 

[pseudomugil]

If you decide on going through a fabrication shop, make sure they are aware of how much weight will be on the stand and that it must be level.

A few cinderblocks though would be much cheaper than typical hourly at a fab shop, if you value function over form and are on a budget. 

[Lakb50]

I want to raise the whole unit not just the bottom shelf. Would cinder blocks be strong enough to hold 73 gallons?

[gardenman]

On 12/12/2022 at 6:57 AM, Lakb50 said:

I want to raise the whole unit not just the bottom shelf. Would cinder blocks be strong enough to hold 73 gallons?

As is often the case, it depends. Cinder blocks are very strong in some directions (the solid parts) and not as strong in other parts (the hollow parts.) If you were able to park you stand atop the solid parts, it would easily hold the 73 gallons. If the legs were over the hollow parts, eh, it gets trickier. It would probably hold but the risk of failure grows. Solid concrete blocks instead of cinder blocks would definitely be strong enough.

[mynameisnobody]

You can use cinder blocks with a 1” sheet of plywood running across it, this should disperse the weight over the whole board rather than 1 spot on the block. Also, you can paint the blocks to match. 

[pseudomugil]

I can’t remember if the shelves of these stands are made from angle or square tubing, but I wouldn’t worry about the legs resting on the cinderblocks. Just support the long runs of the lower shelf with cinderblock in the correct orientation and let the legs wrap around the sides. Hard to explain without a picture, maybe.

@gardenman has a point by going under the legs with solid blocks. That could also maximize space under the stand for storage, etc.

[Lakb50]

Is the solid part stronger than the hollow side?  Thank you all for your help.     Lisa

[JettsPapa]

On 12/12/2022 at 8:32 AM, Lakb50 said:

Is the solid part stronger than the hollow side?  Thank you all for your help.     Lisa

The strongest way to set them up is with the holes running vertical (top to bottom).  That way all of the weight is directly supported all the way down.  If you turn them the other way and there's a load above one of the holes they can collapse.

On 12/12/2022 at 7:57 AM, Mynameisnobody said:

You can use cinder blocks with a 1” sheet of plywood running across it, this should disperse the weight over the whole board rather than 1 spot on the block. Also, you can paint the blocks to match. 

I agree about covering the cinder blocks with plywood, but I've never seen 1" thick plywood.  I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but if it does it might be difficult to find.  3/4" should be fine.