To be honest I didn't expect much for $99, I was pleasantly surprised when I received the box. Assembly was easy and parts all fit like a glove. The stand is actually nice enough to place adjacent to the entrance of our front door. I definitely would buy again.
UPDATE: I received my new AQ 29/37 the other day and assembled it in under an hour. It now supports my Mr. Aqua 17.4 gallon aquarium. These stands really are nicely made.
It's just unfortunate that the powder coat used to seal them bubbles up when it gets wet over time.
The bottom shelf of the AQ 29/37 that I ordered this past week to replace the water logged on on my old AQ 29/37 arrived today. I installed it within 10 mintues, and now have it supporting my Glasscages' 1/2 15 Panda Cory tank.
The part was very inexpensive and with shipping came to just under $20. What impresses me most about these stands is how well the parts fit together. And that the company uses lock fasteners for added strength.
As previously stated, this enabled me to unscrew the lock fasteners which were attaching the old bottom shelf to the AQ 29/37, and install the new shelf with the old fittings in less than 10 minutes.
Instead of having to toss out the entire stand, for less than $20, it's good to go for a few more years.
Earlier...
I E-mailed Aquatic Fundamentals earlier today and received a prompt response from one of their representatives.
I decided to replace the bottom portion of my 29/37, since the rest of the stand is fine. I will update how this transaction goes along with the specific cost including shipping for the part.
After shopping around for a new aquarium stand (which I was going to replace this one with) I found nothing at near the price that I liked as much. So I decided to purchase another Aquarium Fundamentals 29/37, and use the old one to support a *Glasscages.com 1/2 15 acrylic aquarium that I use as a dedicated Panda Cory tank, for a breeding pair of Panda Cory's and their fry.
*If you haven't heard of this company, they have a huge selection of aquariums and will build you a custom one for a very competitive price. The hitch is that they will only ship certain aquariums via UPS. The rest you must pickup from a delivery point at one of their national tradeshows.
As for the AQ 29/37, I must say that I was impressed with the fact that Aquatic Fundamentals maintains spare parts for all of their aquarium stands, which is extremely important if one of the panels on these stands starts to bubble up after getting wet.
Overall, I really like these stands and hope that in the future, this company will find a powder coat that will be completely impervious to water damage.
And as I previously said, in spite of this, I have purchased another AQ 29/37 upright stand because in my opinion, they are the nicest aquarium stands on the market for the money.
Earlier...
Nearly three years ago I purchased an Aquatic Fundamentals
29/37 aquarium stand for my Aqueon 37 gallon aquarium.
This stand will also accomodate a 20 long aquarium which has the same footprint as the 29 and 37 gallon aquariums.
This stand will also support smaller aquariums which have up to or less than a 12" depth and 30" length, and which weigh less that 400 lbs.
Up until a few weeks ago, this stand had held up well over the past three years, supporting the weight of my Aqueon 37 along with about 30 lbs of sand. Since the sand displaces the weight of an equivalent number of gallons of water, the total weight of this tank including its frame is just North of a 400 lbs.
The AQ has done its job of holding this aquarium up for the past three years, even through a mild earthquake that we had here in the Northeastern part of the United States in August of 2011.
I have since broken down the 37 gallon and replaced it with a Mr. Aqua 17.4 gallon rimless aquarium to house a school of Rasbora Harlequins and some dwarf hairgrass and microsword plantings which are presently sitting atop the AQ 29/37.
My only criticism of the AQ 29/37, and one which has turned out to be important, is that when the powder coating gets wet, the water can oftentimes seep underneath the powder coat and saturate the fiberboard.
This results in the powder coat bubbling up.
The real issue here as obvious as it may sound is that aquarium stands are used to support aquariums. And aquariums hold water.
Therefore, it is impossible from time to time, not to get some water on an aquarium stand.
Over the past three and a half years water has occasionally gotten on this stand and was quickly wiped off.
However, even after a quick wipe up, certain areas of this stand began to bubble up, and over time the bubbling has spread to other areas.
However, the integrity of the stand has remained good in spite of this.
That was until the other day, when a check valve installed in a CO2 line failed, and the tank lost about 5 gallons of water during the night.
Some of the water got underneath the Aquatic Fundamentals 29/37 stand and warped the bottom panel of the stand. The warp is substantial and the bottom of the stand is now water logged, so I will have to get rid of it and purchase another aquarium stand.
The problem is that I really like this stand. It was priced right, looks nice, and did a good job of supporting my aquariums for more than three years.
However, the powder coating has become a serious issue in regard to the long-term durability of this type of aquarium stand.
Moreover, while Aquatic Fundamentals warns not to get the stand wet, it is nearly impossible not to do so from time to time.
Furthermore, and again for emphasis: it is unrealistic for a manufacturer of aquarium products not to recognize that a product which is used around water is going to get wet at some point; regardless of how careful the user of the product is.
This is especially true since the bottom of this aquarium stand has become compromised enough, that I am going to have to purchase a new aquarium stand.
As for price, for those who purchase an AQ 29/37 online, I have also noticed the substantial price increase in the AQ 29/37 since I purchased mine in 2010. With shipping, the price now approaches $180, when I paid about $106 for mine including shipping. That is quite an increase in price over a period of 3 plus years; the higher shipping costs making up most of the increase.
In summary, this is a frustrating piece of equipment to do a long-term review on.
On the one hand, I find that the AQ 29/37 is an aesthetically pleasing and well made piece of aquatic furniture with excellent structural rigidity.
On the other hand, its powder coating is not effective in keeping the fiberboard used in its construction from becoming saturated with water.
And in my opinion, this constitutes a serious enough problem for AQ to find a better way of sealing its fiberboard products.
Now if Aquatic Fundamentals can only use a fully waterproof coating, this product would represent one of the best values in aquarium stands on the market. And I would purchase another one without hesitation.
However, as it stands, I am hesitant to do so, since a new AQ stand will inevitably be subject to the same problem as the stand I am currently replacing.
If an AQ representative is reading this, I implore you to find a better solution to sealing your stands, since they
really are some of the best thought out aquarium stands on the market.
And I really would like to be able to purchase another one with confidence.
Buy Aquatic Fundamentals 29/37 Gallon Upright Aquarium Stand Now
This is a heavy piece of furniture that is strong and stable. I have my 20 gallon aquarium on it (it's made to hold up to 30 gallons or so) and it looks fantastic! The quality is rock solid and although it does not have a shelf inside, it does have a door (the middle panel opens) and storage space inside. You can even use those Command 3M hooks on there to hang fishnets or your gravel cleaner. Worth every penny I paid for it!
Read Best Reviews of Aquatic Fundamentals 29/37 Gallon Upright Aquarium Stand Here
This filter is the whole package. The instructions made it easy to setup but lacked details about which trays get which media. it comes with 3 thin white floss pads for the trays so I purchases a separate thick blue sponge, bio balls, carbon and ceramic disks. Once it was all set up, the filter took a few seconds to prime up and now its running beautifully. The self primer button got the system going with no problems, just make sure you fill the bucket with water to the line. Very very quiet, all i hear is the bubbles breaking the surface now, not a peep out of this unit. The surface skimmer is set a little low but i don't use it anyways. The UV sterilizer is controlled by a on/off switch on the size of the top part of the unit. The UV sterilizer cleared my water up in a matter of hours. A lot of people complain about how fast these lights burn out, but your not suppose to run them constantly. Only as needed. This unit is very well constructed with tough plastic and I predict it will last a very very long time. Only complaint is I doubt it is actually 265 GPH, flow seems very soft for such high flow rate. I would rate it around 100-150. but you can't beat the quality for the price. Best filter I've ever owned. Water is crystal clear...
