[BANANAHANDS]

I bought this setup tonight from CL. Its a 50g that came with everything including a stand and hood. I went to the guys house looked it over(it was still setup), it looked like a steal at $180. So we tore it down, i hauled it home and set it back up(not permanently, just a test for integrity). I filled it up, put the the pleco and prehistoric dragon goby he had back in(the goby won't be here very long, hoping to trade it in). I sat down to enjoy some dinner and noticed that the tank size looked rather odd compared to the stand and hood. Upon closer examination the tank hangs 2 inches off of the stand in the back. see pictures. He told me the tank had been set up in this exact configuration for over 5 years. now I don't think he was lying because his answer was in response to a joke I made about the stand being so light. he mentioned that it had held the tank for over 5 years so its light but strong. the other reason I believe him is that judging by how much fish fecal matter there was at the bottom of the tank it had been set up for a very very long time! I've never seen so much, pretty much the entire surface of the sand was coverered in a layer of it. He admitted that was why he was selling, just didn't have any interest in the tank at all.
So back to my question: how dangerous is this? It does look odd but I have it almost full now and its holding up well. Any thoughts???
How much does a standard 55g run in most pet stores like Petsmart or petco or even most LFS?

 

[F8LBITEva]

A standard 55 is usually $100-$125. Im not sure what to think about that tank/stand, tanks on metal stands are only supported by a little rim all the way around. You could get a piece of plywood and cut it to the exact footprint of your tank and put it between the tank and the stand to spread out the weight.

 

[iceblue]

Wow. He said it has been like this for 5 years? That's pretty amazing considering the walls of a glass tank are supposed to carry the wieght. If it were mine I would put a piece of 3/4" ply or something on top of the stand to make up the difference and fully support the aquarium.

 

[prov356]

If it were mine I would put a piece of 3/4" ply or something on top of the stand to make up the difference and fully support the aquarium.

Agreed. The tank corners should be supported. I posed this question to a tank manufacturer once and that was what they said. Corners should be supported.

It probably has been this way like he said, but as the tank ages, your luck may run out.