# Reinforcing a metal stand?



## beltaguise (Nov 20, 2021)

I have a metal shelving unit I bought us d, that came with several tanks. I've already been using it for a bit, but I've seen comments in other places about these types of shelves causing problems leading to cracks in the glass or leaks. I was already planning on replacing the wood it came with, so I thought I'd reinforce the stand a bit while I'm doing that.

Some of the wood boards the shelf came with are already warped and bowing, I'm assuming from the weight of tanks the previous owner had (it came with a 30 and 36gal, along with the 20gal that I'm using). I was thinking of laying some wood across the middle to add some support, but I'm not sure if I'd need to attach them to the metal parts or not. 
























I'm the exact opposite of handy though, so my DIY abilities are limited to whatever I can get the workers at Home Depot to do.


----------



## brads (Mar 23, 2013)

The first thing I'd want to know is how stable is that stand? Is it solid or will it rock back and forth/ left to right? Maybe try it without the tank. See if you can make it wiggle. If it's solid, great. If it's not stable, get a different stand. Why it worries me. Water weighs 8.3 lb per gallon . Assuming that tank on top in your picture is the 36 gal, the water weight is about 300 lb plus the tank itself and the gravel and everything else. Let's say about 350 pounds. Anyway, I would think a piece of 3/4 inch plywood would be fine and I'm sure your local hardware store will be happy to cut it to size for you. Make sure it fits as tightly as possible inside the frame. You can paint or stain it if you wish. Hope that helps.🙂


----------

