Currently have a stand that was made for a 20x72 inch footprint tank. The stand does have a platform that the tank sits on. Can I safely use this stand for a 18x72 tank?
I wouldn’t do it because most stands are built to properly support the tank dimensions that it’s built for. You can likely get away with a smaller tank, but it may cause an awkward pressure point and cause the silicon to fail, which will spring a leak.
Most definitely not the vertical boards at the edges is what really supports the aquarium, the board at the top really is more for integrity, but it not meant to support the aquarium.
