# securing aquarium stand to wall



## splintz

hello all. i am just getting into aquariums. i purchased a 36 gallon glass aquarium with a matching stand. i filled the tank and it looks top heavy. with 2 small kids(reason i'm buying the fish) i'm afraid they will pull the stand and aquarium on top of them.

is there a furniture securer that will support over 300lbs to keep the stand from falling over. thanks in advance.


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## majerah1

Is it a wooden stand or metal?I have for mine a rig up.what I did was place two eyelets close together in the wall,on each side.Thats four all together,two on each side.My stand is metal and has rounded legg I used zip ties,threaded them through the eyelets and around the legs,securing the shelf.You can add braces to the eyelets(like you would when hanging a very heavy picture,the ones that go into the walls and when you screw into them they spread open).If its a wooden stand maybe look for two of those stove braces and secure it that way.


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## splintz

its wooden. i was looking at the quake straps. they look like they screw into a stud then stick to the stand with heavy duty adhesive. suppose to rated at 500lbs.


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## majerah1

It could work.Id do more than use adhesive though.Thats just me,Im a bit paranoid especially when it comes to kids and heavy furniture.


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## bolram

is the stand you have built for your tank? If it is it should be fine some stands to do look top heavy but are built to withstand such weight (unless it shows obvious signs of moving of course then you should worry)


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## splintz

yeah the stand is for an aquarium and is the matching stand for the aquarium i bought. the stand leans forward even with the aquarium on top of it filled with 36 gallons of water. the stand is made with pressed wood.


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## splintz

the stand is also on carpet.
i set the tank up and i am waiting to get the water right before i get fish. so now would be the time to do it. (i would have to empty the water back out) before i put the fish in.


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## bolram

oh right yeah that dont sound right, mine does it to the smallest fraction because theres a small bump in the floor where the tank is, but not anything that would cause it to move (which i have tried, and damn near broke my back trying to do so haha)


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## majerah1

Your floor doesnt sound level.Yeah brace it to the wall.


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## splintz

i have an anchor for another dresser. plastic piece that screws into stud. and a plastic piece that screws into the dresser. it has a heavy duty plastic zip tie. would this be okay, or do i need something more heavy duty. 

if i strap the stand into the wall securing that. does it matter that the tank on top of it weighs 300+ pounds. i was thinking that if the stand is secured and level. then the aquarium weight would be pushing down on the stand and not away from the wall.


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## bolram

If you get the stand level then you shouldnt need to do anything with the tank after all the stand is designed for that tank so the weight will do the rest


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## majerah1

^What he said.


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## splintz

thanks guys i will try that


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## bolram

majerah1 said:


> ^What he said.


for some reason that made me laugh lol


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## Subaru4wd

Yes, level the stand and you wont have much to worry about. Your children would have to be super strong to pull 30+ gallons of water over (that is over 180lbs).

If anything, shim the front of the stand so the tank has alittle lean to the back.

If you REALLY want to secure it to the wall, I would goto the hardware store and get some metal strapping. It usually comes with pre-drilled holes every inch or so. Cut a small section and screw it into the stand, then screw it to a stud in the wall. This is how I have my Entertainment Center secured to my wall... but I worry since my entertainment center is 70" tall and wieghs almost NOTHING (those are the things children are able to pull over).

I am sure it would take both your kids, hanging from the top of the tank and kicking and screaming to get your tank to topple over (provided its level).


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## splintz

i drained the water out last night. i didn't feel comfortable with it around my kids. with no water in the aquarium the stand is still leaning forward. i don't think my floor is uneven, i think it is the stand. 

i will try a combination of some suggestions from your replies. i will get some wood shims and get the stand level. then i still want to secure it to the wall. the only concern about this is that the stand is made of pressed wood and i'm worried about drilling holes in it and keeping the structure integrity.


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## majerah1

Do you have a level?If so check the floor.You can always do this with a ball(if you have kids you have one.Start at your base board,holding the ball.Let go.Dont push or anything,just let go.If the floor is uneven,itll roll.
I can see your apprehension on screwing into the stand.I am sure there is an area on the stand that will be ok.Im shocked its made out of pressed wood myself.That stuff sucks.My floor is pressed wood and the bed went through it the other night.Funny as hell,(im not a big woman either,lol)but also frustrating,that someone would use something like that as flooring.

Anyhow,the weakness in on the side of it(as its pressed wood)Screw into the front of the panel,and you should be fine.If you are that worried about it,put setting the tank up on hold,sell the current stand and use that money to build a stand out of real wood.


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## splintz

i checked the floor with a level, and it is level. i think if i use some shims and get it level it will be okay. i will find a way to secure it to the wall just for some peace of mind. it is on thick carpet and i think that is not helping the situation.


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## PolymerTim

splintz said:


> i checked the floor with a level, and it is level. i think if i use some shims and get it level it will be okay. i will find a way to secure it to the wall just for some peace of mind. it is on thick carpet and i think that is not helping the situation.


There's an important detail to know when putting furniture against a wall on carpet. Carpet is most commonly held in place with a tack strip near the baseboards. This tack strip is a thin piece of wood, maybe 1/8" thick by 1" wide (I'm guessing from memory) under the carpet right against the baseboard. If you put furniture on the carpet right against the baseboard, it will never be level.

I've used a couple options successfully:
1) Pull the furniture away from the wall about 1-2" so it isn't on the tack strip.
2) Shim the front of the furniture to level it with the tack strip.

While both of these work, I prefer the first option because it is simpler. I also like my heavy furniture to be well supported across the entire base and not just the front corners and back edge (although I guess you could support the full rim).

Like others have said, if you get it level, the weight of the aquarium (probably closer to 400 pounds when you include the gravel and glass) will actually help embed the stand into your carpet and make it more stable. You could still anchor it for peace of mind, but make sure you anchor it as high as possible to take advantage of leverage.

I think once it is leveled and full, you can give it a nudge yourself and get a feel for how sturdy it is. I like to picture it this way: imagine a 400# person sitting on a bar stool and your kids trying to pull it over. It may look top heavy, but with enough weight on it, it's still going to be pretty difficult to pull it over from the bottom half.

-Tim


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## Subaru4wd

PolymerTim said:


> make sure you anchor it as high as possible to take advantage of leverage.
> 
> -Tim


Very important!


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## holly12

Our 20g and stand are on carpet and we had to pull them away from the wall because where the carpet meets the wall was causing the tank and stand to tilt backwards.

Now it's almost perfectly straight, (sliiiight backwards tilt), but it wobbles a bit when I push the stand doors open, (pop-out magnet doors.) The water moves back and forth a bit, and I'm sure when I get fish in there they will move a little, but nothing 'earthquakeish.' We don't have kids though and our cats don't jump on top of it, so it should be fine. It would be completely stable on a hard floor, but we don't have one.

I completely get where you're coming from! Wobbly tanks are scary! (How old are your kids? Is it possible to start teaching them about not grabbing onto the tank/stand or banging on it?)


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## splintz

the tank is a good 2 to 3 inches from the wall. that should clear the strip. i am on my way now to home depot to try to figure some solutions out.
as far am the ages of my kids. my son is 5 and my daughter is 2. my son absolutely loves fish.


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## holly12

Aww, cute! Yeah, at 5 he's probably able to understand not to pull on or bang on the tank, but being in love with fish maaaaay cause all that to go out the window, lolol.

And.... with a 2 year old..... there's no way they will remember not to touch the tank. 

Let us know how the securing goes!


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## splintz

i think i got it worked out last night. i leveled the tank with a wood shim under the middle support leg. i then got an eye bolt with a long screw and screwed into the stud. u used heavy duty wire cable and drilled 2 holes in the stand. one on the left side and one on the right side.(both as high on the stand as i could) i doubled looped the cable and secured it with a metal cable bolt.(like a u bolt configuration, the wire goes through the middle and you tighten 2 screws to tighten the bottom to secure the wire) i then put a washer on same. i thread the wire through the right hole pulling it tight so the washer and bolt were against the wood on the inside of the cabinet. looped the wire through the eye bolt and into the left hole on the cabinet. i pulled it tight and put a washer and another metal cable bolt.

filled the tank up and the tank sits level, and will not move forward. it is a 1000 times better now and i am so happy with the solution. i also have peace of mind. now i just have to wait for the water to be conditioned(city water) and i will be ready for some fish.

thank you everyone with the help


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## majerah1

Very welcome,glad you have it sorted.


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## holly12

Glad you fixed it.

I noticed you said once the water is conditioned you are ready for fish. Just wondering if the tank has been cycled yet or if you are cycling it with hardy fish?


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## splintz

like i said i am new to all this. i put the water conditioner in the tank to get the chlorine from the city water out. i was waiting a couple of days to get the water temperature right. i was going to get some fish friday after work. 

my son really wants a bala shark. that is the reason i got the 36 gallon aquarium because at the petco they say you need a 30 gallon aquarium for the shark. i read on the forums that you should get at least a 55 gallon aquarium for the bala. i don't know if i should get it or not. and my daughter wants a pictus catfish which will be good because it is a bottom swimmer. then we were going to get a couple other fish. we were going to get tropical aggressive type fish.


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## holly12

Bala sharks do need at least a 55g tank, and they are a schooling fish, so you need a few of them. (They get huge!)

If you are cycling with fish, start off with just a few hardy ones.


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## splintz

when you say hardy fish. is that a type of fish and if i go to pet smart will they know what i''m talking about? if i get a couple of those, how long before i can put other fish in the tank?


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## majerah1

Doubtful on petsmart knowing a hardy fish.Zebra danios though are the most hardy.Many other fish wouldnt live through the cycle.


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## bolram

Glad to hear you got it sorted. Ive cycled my 2 tanks one was done with a small group of pearl danios, the other was cycled by 4-5 guppies. Cycling a tank on average can take anything around 4weeks (have you got liquid water test kit) easy way to know is by getting one of them and looking at the parameters. Once you've added your first fish to help the cycle along you could be looking at 2-3 weeks before adding anything else depending on your params, and even then only adding a small amount of fish every couple of weeks


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