Stability of Cinder Block Stand

[GrumpyAlison]

I have this setup in my basement currently and its been running really nicely for a while. I was considering ways to get 2 40 Breeders on the bottom instead of the tubs (more water volume & better visibility, can light from behind, etc), but they won't fit between the stacked cinder blocks currently.
Do you think it would be a horrible idea to remove the 2 cinder blocks from the bottom-middle of the stand (circled) and leave the rest as-is? It would then leave the rest of the tanks sitting on 2x4's over a ~6.5' unsupported stretch.
They would fit if I turned them sideways, but it's a tiny space already and having more stuff taking up the walking space isn't something i'm in love with.

I was also looking for cheap ways to level the floor under the 40 breeders that don't involve lots of power tools. If the floors aren't too uneven, I was thinking those foam puzzle tiles might work?

Current setup:
Wood length : 2x4" x 8' and there are 3 pieces of wood/level
Top - 10 gal tanks (x4), plans for a future 5 gal bucket for an ato
Middle - 20L (x2)
Bottom - 27 gal tubs (x2)
ideal bottom: 40B (x2)

 

[Dom]

Nope... I wouldn't do it.

 

[link81]

no way,
you're talking about 600 pounds just in the 40 breeders, might be over a thousand by the time you add in the top row and the middle cinder blocks.
no way would i trust the 2x4's to hold that kind of weight over a 6 foot span.

*edit*
sorry read that wrong, didn't realize that the 2 middle tanks were 20's and not 40's.
but my answer stays the same.

 

[Peace River]

Nope... I wouldn't do it.

+1

I wouldn’t recommend it either. Additionally, glass tanks on the floor have other issues such as the fact that they tend to get the least maintenance, they are harder to maintain because of siphons etc., and IME the fish tend to be less comfortable.

 

[GrumpyAlison]

Additionally, glass tanks on the floor have other issues such as the fact that they tend to get the least maintenance, they are harder to maintain because of siphons etc., and IME the fish tend to be less comfortable.

I had a feeling it'd be a terrible idea, but figured I'd ask in case someone would have done it before.

And the bottom tubs (would be 40B) are sumps, so I don't do that much to them anyway besides top them off But I'm also a bit of a weirdo in that I don't actually siphon my tanks - I just let stuff collect and have lots of filter feeders and algae and such to clean the water. Been working well in my non-sumps for a while.

 

[Peace River]

I had a feeling it'd be a terrible idea, but figured I'd ask in case someone would have done it before.

And the bottom tubs (would be 40B) are sumps, so I don't do that much to them anyway besides top them off But I'm also a bit of a weirdo in that I don't actually siphon my tanks - I just let stuff collect and have lots of filter feeders and algae and such to clean the water. Been working well in my non-sumps for a while.

...and 40B are very flexible tanks so they can make good sumps and would be okay on the floor, but I would still avoid the large span with 2x4s. Would the 40s fit if you rotate them 90 degrees?

 

[mcdrichj]

oh dear, I can already see the 2x4s are not even. If you put uneven pressure on the tanks you could be putting stress on the seals. I would at the very least use 2x12s. The blocks can hold the compression force but the salt isnt good for the concrete. I would not recommend doing this.

 

[jurgenph]

No!

 

[GrumpyAlison]

Would the 40s fit if you rotate them 90 degrees?

It would, it would just stick out about 12" beyond the rest of the stand and it's already a tiny space so i was trying to avoid that if possible. It would also leave a huge amount of space left empty under the stand (like 2" short of being able to fit another 40B in lot of space). I'm only 3-6" short to begin with, which is why this is so infuriating. If i took the whole stand apart, I could probably fudge the cinder blocks a bit farther apart and get the needed space, but i wouldn't know until I actually did it and that would be so much work since there are literally 6 separate systems on that shelf

oh dear, I can already see the 2x4s are not even. If you put uneven pressure on the tanks you could be putting stress on the seals. I would at the very least use 2x12s. The blocks can hold the compression force but the salt isnt good for the concrete. I would not recommend doing this.

I think the 2x4's not being even is a trick of my crappy phone camera - I made sure they were all straight/flat before i put tanks on them they do look really crooked in the picture though @_@
And I've not heard of the salt being bad for the concrete blocks (they also almost never get wet), but cinder block stands are used pretty commonly by a lot of people because they're cheap & very stable. (I interpreted your comment as you shouldn't have a stand setup like this at all, if that's not what you meant, ignore me)

No!

I have also come to this conclusion XD