# Anyone have a stand made from particle board and is worried?



## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Hello,

I bought an Fluval Profile 1500 130 gallon and this stand is REALLY worrying me! I understand if it leaks it will melt but the support just does not feel right underneath. It has a 3/4" particle board holding the whloe thing in the middle. The sides have 2 x 3/4" , one attached to the other but only in key areas. Is it a good idea to add nice strong wood on both sides of the middle area and add more wood underneath the double sides ones in the corners? I can't believe someone would design something like this to save 10$... :x


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Sorry forgot to add some pictures, I also contacted Hagen/Fluval and they said: We have sold a lot of these tanks without any stands breaking. But I don't like when I touch an aquarium and it shakes and tumbles like a high rise building during an earthquake...1300lbs on friggin particle board..great job Hagen.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All you need is strong legs at the corners. Everything else is cosmetic.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> All you need is strong legs at the corners. Everything else is cosmetic.


Hi, it has 4 hard rubber type of legs. I went to a pet shop where they have the same model and they told me it hasn't budged or leaked for 6-7 years. Another issue now is that while mine rocks back and forth if you put it back and forth, their's did not...I'm trying to wonder why..


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## DutchAJ (Dec 24, 2016)

So the whole stand is rocking back and forth?

Grab a level and some shims (they usually have packages of them near the window and door section in the home improvement big box stores)

If the tank is rocking slightly when pushed or pulled, one of the four feet will have a slight space where a shim can slide under it. Try not to push too hard with the shin, just enough where there is a bit of resistance.

Pretty sure that will stabilize the stand for you.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Thank you. I have a level and I'll look for the shim. When we first filled the aquarium, right when the water was nearing the top, we were hearing crackling noises coming from the floor. As if the rubber legs were expanding or pressing inside the floor. Heck we thought the floor was going to go or the aquarium was going...

I will need to empty the water to insert the shims? I have 2 50 gallon barrels just in case.


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## DutchAJ (Dec 24, 2016)

I'm guessing there is just a bit of "daylight" between the floor and one of the feet, which would cause the stand to rock like that. I would just slide the shim in to stope the rocking and make sure it's level. I wouldn't drain water.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The legs go from the floor to the tank. Maybe you are thinking of the feet. Definitely it is critical that tank and stand be level.


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## Pdxmonkeyboy (Oct 17, 2016)

plastic shims for toilets work very well for these types of things. That or the rigid plastic kind will be easier to place, score and break so it is flush with the leg.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Pdxmonkeyboy said:


> plastic shims for toilets work very well for these types of things. That or the rigid plastic kind will be easier to place, score and break so it is flush with the leg.


Thanks guys, those toilet shims look like an awesome idea. How many should I put you think and where?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If your tank is low on one corner (the level will tell you), make it a little higher with the shim and recheck with the level.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> If your tank is low on one corner (the level will tell you), make it a little higher with the shim and recheck with the level.


Will do, which ones do you guys like best?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/wobbl ... p.html#srp

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/toile ... p.html#srp

https://www.renodepot.com/en/subfloor-l ... edStoreCmd

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/6-in- ... p.html#srp

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/8-in- ... p.html#srp


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

If your stand is wobbling a little back and forth it's because the side and rear panels are not bonded together. Many mdf material stands use wood pegs and cam locks to hold the sides to the back wall. If you apply some wood glue to the pegs when inserting them (both sides) or run a bead down the edge of the panel between the seams, the wood glue will bond the sides and back panel together and it will no longer wobble.

Once these are bonded together, they cannot slide past each other (what causes the wobble) and the stand will be rock solid.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Narwhal72 said:


> If your stand is wobbling a little back and forth it's because the side and rear panels are not bonded together. Many mdf material stands use wood pegs and cam locks to hold the sides to the back wall. If you apply some wood glue to the pegs when inserting them (both sides) or run a bead down the edge of the panel between the seams, the wood glue will bond the sides and back panel together and it will no longer wobble.
> 
> Once these are bonded together, they cannot slide past each other (what causes the wobble) and the stand will be rock solid.


I'm sorry Narwal72, I'm useless with this stuff without a diagram I can't understand anything. If you ever feel like uploading a quick hand scribbled diagram I'd appreciate it. I bought some shims earlier and placed them under the stand like this: (already I feel more comfortable).


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## Marc (NJ) (Jul 25, 2016)

I have this set up. The stand is particle board as well, and I must say this stand is rock solid. I was quite skeptical when I bought it, but its been fine.
http://www.petsmart.com/fish/supplies/a ... gid=300013


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

If the shims solved the problem then the issue was not with the stand construction being wobbly. It was with the stand and floor being uneven. The shims solved the issue so no need to go any further.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

Narwhal72 said:


> If the shims solved the problem then the issue was not with the stand construction being wobbly. It was with the stand and floor being uneven. The shims solved the issue so no need to go any further.


I wouldn't say it solved the problem just yet, they just make me feel more secure. I need to put a few more shims on both sides, it's still wobbly but not like before. It's getting there though, I think I got more worried than I should be.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Ok in that case the stand construction may still be wobbly because the side and back panels are not secured.

To the back of the stand, apply a bead of wood glue between the back panel and the side panels down the length of the vertical seam. Elmer's white glue works fine. Generally this is done before the stand is assembled but since you already have the tank on it not much you can do. Try your best to get the glue inside the seam and not just on the outside. Once the glue hardens the sides and back will be bonded and won't be able to slide back and forth which eliminates the stand wobble.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Shouldn't any shims be under the feet and not under the panels?


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## DutchAJ (Dec 24, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> Shouldn't any shims be under the feet and not under the panels?


I would say yes, from a general construction standpoint that's good advice. If the stand is solid and simply out of level one shim in one corner would solve the problem. I think glueing the back panel was good advice as well.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

DutchAJ said:


> DJRansome said:
> 
> 
> > Shouldn't any shims be under the feet and not under the panels?
> ...


Glue the back panel to the wall?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Narwhal72 said:


> Ok in that case the stand construction may still be wobbly because the side and back panels are not secured.
> 
> To the back of the stand, apply a bead of wood glue between the back panel and the side panels down the length of the vertical seam. Elmer's white glue works fine. Generally this is done before the stand is assembled but since you already have the tank on it not much you can do. Try your best to get the glue inside the seam and not just on the outside. Once the glue hardens the sides and back will be bonded and won't be able to slide back and forth which eliminates the stand wobble.


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## easywolf31 (Jan 19, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> Narwhal72 said:
> 
> 
> > Ok in that case the stand construction may still be wobbly because the side and back panels are not secured.
> ...


Maybe I'm overworked and stressed lately, I seriously can't figure out what you guys mean, sorry.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

The stand is a box with a front (the doors), the sides, and a rear wall. It wobbles because there is a little bit of movement possible between the sides and rear wall. If you glue the side walls to the rear wall this eliminates this movement and the stand will not wobble. Put a bead of Elmer's glue from top to bottom in the rear corners of the stand where the side walls meet the rear wall.

Maybe a demonstration will help you.

Take a cardboard box. Place it flat on the floor with the bottom of the box on the floor. If you push on the side of the box (doesn't matter which one) it does not fold up. This is because the sides are all bonded to each other and cannot move independently. 
Now pick up the box, cut or remove the tape on the bottom flaps of the box and open it up. Lay the box on the ground so that one of the side panels is flat on the ground. Now push on one of the side panels. The box will fold over easily to flat. This demonstrates what happens if there is nothing preventing the movement of the side panels.
Now fold over the bottom flaps as they were but do not tape it shut. Lay it on a side panel and push again from the side. The box will wobble but will not fold because the flaps are preventing the complete movement of the side panels.

This demonstrates what is happening with your stand. The stand has enough support to hold up the aquarium without collapsing. But there is a little bit of play between the side and rear panels which allows for movement. If you can eliminate this movement by applying some glue between the rear and side panels it will no longer move and therefore stop wobbling.

I don't know how else to explain it any simpler.


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