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I have a friend with a 45 gallon....48 inches long, and she has it sitting on a very sturdy trunk-like thing. The only thing is, about 6 inches of the narrow sides each hangs over the left and right edges. In other words, I would say the trunk is only about 36 inches long. I guess she has had it like that for months, and no problems. It seems secure to me, but is this a problem?
Thanks for any response!

I don’t think that this would be a problem as the vast majority of the weight is still placed on the trunk. I assume that the trunk is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the entire tank (which is what it is doing), given that it has this tank on top for a while already.

I could see a problem if your friend would decide to place lots of rocks in the overhanging sections which could conclude in a large enough lever to cause the frame to bend or the glass to break.

Would I personally be comfortable with this setup? No, I would always worry that one day it would crash, even if it never does.

Ingo

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Apparently it is safe as it's been there for some time, but like Little_Fish said, I wouldn't put any undo pressure or weight on either of those ends...and honestly I myself wouldn't do it either I have a 10 gallon that has just one corner barely hanging over the edge (1 inch cubed at most) and it worries me, but until I have a better place to put it that is where it's going to have to stay...but I do worry about it all the time...heidi

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vjayshutterbug

I am going to say "no" it is not strong enough the tank regardless of the size should be fully supported across the base.

What it requires is a larger piece of 3/4ins ply wood or particle board on the trunk to suport it all.

If it has been like that for some time it is too late to fix it now as it would require a full pull down and re setup again.

Keith

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well. a full re-set-up would not be a problem. I could help her with that.....after she invests in a decent stand.

A Bigger stand would be much safer & try to convince her that she needs one immediatly.


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It's not like the tank will every tumble to the floor or anything. I just wonder if there is too much water pressure or weight on the two over-hanging edges? It doesn't seem like there would be to be, and of course it's sitting on the black bar like things that are the base, so I don't know. I wasn't a physics major in college.

Hi,
Frankly, if the tank is to survive through the years,
it needs to be completely supported for its entire length
and width. The "black bars" you mention I suspect is the
black plastic trim and they provide absolutely no support
They are thin pieces of plastic whose only purpose in
life is to hide the junctions of the glass pieces
and protect the owner from cuts on any sharp edges.

Over time, depending upon vibrations, placement of any
ornaments and substrate, the joints on the ends will be
stressed enough to separate and leak. If the bottom is
flawed, it could crack.

I would not tempt fate. I'd relocate the tank soonest.

Frank


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