Aquarium Stands - Choosing the Right Stand For Your Aquarium

By Jake Wilson

When you are purchasing your aquarium, you are naturally going to be caught up in the selection of filters, fish, plants, hoods, lighting and all. A common mistake people make is overlooking where they are going to actually place their aquarium. Have you guessed what I am talking about yet? That's right folks, I am talking about aquarium stands.

Aquarium stands are just as important as any other part of your aquarium setup. There are many different sites on the web that offer aquarium stands. In this article I will offer a couple points to consider when looking for your aquarium stand.

There are two main types of aquarium stands open and closed. Open stands are usually pre-made for smaller sized aquariums (up to 40 gallons) and normally made out of metal. Closed stands are crafted most of the time using pressure-treated wood, and cover both the top and bottom of the tank. You must make the closed stand out of pressure treated wood, as normal wood will rot with all of the moisture it is exposed to.

Closed stands are normally pre-made in rectangular shapes to fit most aquariums. The bottom portion of the aquarium stand normally extends at least a few inches past the size of the aquarium to maximize stability.

The interior part of these aquarium stands normally features a support bar for the middle of the aquarium to further stabilize it and prevent too much movement. Closed aquarium stands are normally made for larger sized aquariums, and most of the time they have cabinets and drawers built in to hide the other equipment required to run the aquarium.

Open and closed aquarium stands are good if you are trying to have a pretty standard shape aquarium. For those of you out there who are out there requesting custom jobs, try to get your aquarium builder to build a stand for you as well. Most custom aquarium designers on the web will also offer custom aquarium stands.

Make sure to mull over a few different design options for your aquarium stand, aquarium stands can be pretty pricey. However, I am sure that any company you are purchasing your custom aquarium from can have special discounts when you purchase the two together.

Many people choose to use a metal aquarium stand for their setup. Metal is a very strong material and can support much more weight per pound as opposed to wood. With metal, you do have to make sure you pick the right material as some metal aquarium stands can rust when continuously exposed to moisture. To avoid this problem make sure you use rust resistant metals for building your aquarium stand.

I hope you found this article on the different types of aquarium stands helpful. I personally recommend anyone looking for an aquarium stand for a tank over 40 gallons, to call one of the custom aquarium stand makers.

Getahugetank.com offers large fish tanks, aquarium stands, and aquarium supplies.