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Selecting the Aquarium Stands
Selecting the right Aquarium stand can be as important as the aquarium itself, just imagine filling you the aquarium and the stand giving way. An aquarium stand needs to be sturdy and strong but still look nice at the same time.
Don’t use an antique furniture or regular furniture as an leaks will soon destroy the antique table and normal furniture will easy warp under the weight of aquarium. So its always best to use the aquarium stand that comes with the tank, as the stands been designed to cater for the weight and at the same time the design of the stand will match the size and deisgn of the aquarium tank.
Make sure your freshwater aquarium fits its stand correctly. If the edge of the tank hangs over the stand, the stand is too small and eventually can cause the aquarium to wrap or break.
Wooden Cabinet Stand
These types of stands will have built in cupboards below which is excellent to hide all the pumps and other equipment and other gadgets that comes with freshwater aquarium hobby. Only problem is they may warp if not the correct cabinet for the aquarium and will cost a little more than a normal cast iron stand.
Despite the disadvantages mentioned they still are the best stands to have as they look good, are very stable and come with shelves to store away all your equipment.
Wrought Iron Stands
These types of stands come as wrought iron or angle frame. Angle frame stands don’t look nice and will leave nasty marks on your carpet from indentations and will leave rust stains if they get wet compared to wooden cabinet that will spread the load and not leave such a bad mark on your carpet.
Wrought iron stands look slightly nicer than angle frames and are one of the more common designs for stands in the market.
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D.I.Y Stands
There are a few stands that come flat packed that you can assemble yourself with some ease, but these types of stands are generally not as strong as pre-made aquarium stands that you can buy.
Alternatively if you go down to the hardware store and buy your own quality oak or other premium materials and build you one yourself. Best to test out your stand before adding the aquarium, this can be done by loading it with other items to simulate the actual weight of the tank.
Plastic Aquarium Tanks
Plastic aquairum tanks are the least popular of all aquariums and are very inexpensive and normally are found on the shelves of your local aquarium store. They have many disadvantages and no advantages over acrylic aquarium tanks or glass aquarium tanks and are now becoming obsolete for many reasons:
- Discoloring over time: They will turn yellowish color as the aquarium tank ages.
- Scratching: They very scratch easily and there is no real way to repair the scratches.
- Limited sizes of tanks: Typically only come in very small sizes with capacity of about 2 to 5 gallons.
- Melt under heat: They have been known to melt when their own lights get hot so not a good choice.
- Distortion: They suffer major distortion problems due to their odd shapes.
Glass Aquariums Tanks
From the days of glass tanks in the 60’s and 70’s with the metal frame tanks that were very heavy is unsightly to the eyes, technology has improved and other materials can be used for creating your dream aquarium. Now tanks come in all shapes and sizes due to the new technology of acrylics and plastics.
Glass Aquariums
Glass aquarium tanks are still the most popular form of tanks available in the market. The basic construction is plate glass sealed with a non toxic silicone. The glass can be either tempered (stronger, lighter and will shatter into pieces when it breaks) or plate (heavier, thicker and will crack when it breaks).
The frame of the glass will be pre-drilled allowing for your equipment and hoses to be concealed behind. Typically these tanks will cost more to buy and it’s not a necessary to have.
Big disadvantages of these tanks are that are limited in the shapes they can be formed, limited to rectangle and squares and if your want an unusual shape then glass is not for you.
Glass aquariums tanks are also very heavy in nature, due to the glass thickness increasing when the tank gets bigger and larger. The loading on the floor can be increased with an glass aquarium so ensure your floors can take the loadings and not recommended upstairs. Glass tanks can break and shatter easily and you can end up with a wet floor and a lot of dead fish.
Testing and Repairing a Leaking Tank
To test if your aquarium leaks is fairly simple, place your aquarium tank on some old newspaper and fill it up and let it stand for 24 hours. As you guessed when it’s wet there’s a leak. You should always test both new and second hand aquarium tanks.
To repair any leaks, dry off the tank and remove the old silicone with a safety razor. Gently wipe the area with a soft, clean cloth to remove any oils to ensure a good clean seal. Purchase a good aquarium sealer and apply to the affect areas and let dry for at least 48 hours before adding the water again. Repeat the test again to ensure the leak is sealed.
Where to Buy your Aquarium Tank?
You will have several choices where you can buy your freshwater aquarium:
- Your Aquairum shop: The most common place to find your aquarium tanks and equipment, buying from a pet shop has many advantages and the tanks will generally come with warranties. If your aquarium has any issues you can come back and get a refund or replacement. Here you can get good advice for your aquarium. Disadvantage would be the cost of the aquarium tanks will generally be more expensive.
- Garage sales: Here you can get some good bargains and your aquarium will cost next to nothing compared to any pet shop. Big drawback would be the equipment is used and old and there are no guarantees if the equipment will last. If it’s the aquarium tank this could be fatal.
- Newspaper adverts: Following up to an advert in the newspaper can lead you to find some nice priced aquariums, but again it’s used so there could be question marks to the quality of the equipment. If you’re lucky you can see the aquarium in operation before you buy it.
- Online stores: The internet is the last and becoming the most used way to search for aquariums equipment. Only drawback is your unable to see what your buying before it arrives, so be sure you know what you’re buying.
Tips for Buying Used Aquarium Tanks
Before purchasing any used tank you need to carefully inspect it for three things, inspect for leaks, cracks and worn out silicone. Fill up the tank and look carefully any drips or leaks. Check to see if the silicone seal is worn out, peeling away or missing completely, any small defective silicone can cause a leak which will mean your house floor will be full of water and the aquarium will be dry. Look at every piece of glass to ensure there is no cracks or broken glass.
If in doubt don’t buy it…
Buying an Aquarium Tank
Whether it’s a saltwater aquarium or freshwater aquarium that you are looking at buying you will find many different shapes, styles and sizes available in the market. Even if you have limited space in your house or apartment there is an aquarium tank to suit you.
Considerations when Buying Aquarium Tanks
When buying an aquarium tank you will have the option to buy a stand. Gone are the days of ugly steel stands and they have been replaced by beautiful cabinets or wrought iron stands. Remember if you standing your tank on an existing cabinet, that your tank when filled with water can weigh a lot and your existing cabinet can quite easily collapse.
Think before Purchasing
Your first purchase of any aquarium set up is the tank, as all equipment you buy will depend on the size and volume of the aquarium and generally the bigger the tank the more expensive your other equipment will be. Consider these few parameters which will affect you decision. Your aquarium will be different to another person and will have to suit your environment and space of your house.
What’s the reason or purpose of your aquarium? Are you having a tank in your living room or maybe in your office? Or maybe you want set up a community aquarium or just a species aquarium? These questions can give you ideas on the size and shape of the aquarium tank.
Upon deciding on the purpose you can get an idea of the size of tank that can fit in our chosen space. When measuring allow a good foot either side for you to move around for cleaning and maintenance and 8 inch behind to allow for cables, filters and heaters to be located. After you have filled your aquarium it will be too late to move it for maintenance or cleaning so plan in advance.
How Heavy is Water?
Plus or minus a gallon of water is 10 pounds, so a typical 24×12×20 tank will hold approx 25 gallons, which will weigh n the region of 250 pounds, so take this into consideration when choosing your aquarium tank. By using this we can estimate the weight of your aquarium setup when you include the water, rocks and equipment etc.
Calculating the Volume of Water for Odd Sized Tanks
A good formula for obtaining an easy on-the-spot total for the gallon capacity of any rectangular or square shaped aquarium is as follows:
Multiply the length (inches) x width (inches) x height (inches) and then divide by 231. The result is the capacity of the tank in gallons
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