Are metal stands still available?
I'm returning to the aquarium hobby again after a break of 20 years. A lot has changed in the form of technology since then. I previously kept coldwater fish, Axolotls, and aquatic frogs. I'm looking to set one tank up above the other, which was how I used to have them.
The type of black metal stand I’m currently using is no longer available to purchase. Would I need to consult a blacksmith to design such a stand? Or are there any online manufacturers who still make such metal stands?
Also, back in the 1990s, live Tubifex was readily available but none of my local stores stock it. Are these worms still sold? MAJID ALI, VIA EMAIL
NEALE SAYS: Wrought iron stands are rarely sold nowadays, and I can’t recall seeing any in shops for decades.
For one, they’re much more expensive to make than wooden cabinets. The other big downside is that, unlike a wooden cabinet, a wrought iron stand doesn’t have anywhere to discretely hide the filter and any other accessories.
If you want a wrought iron stand, you’re going to have to find a specialist vendor. I would suggest finding one who has built aquarium stands before, rather than a general metalworker, because the finished stand needs to be extremely strong. A litre of water weighs a kilogram, and by the time you factor in the glass box, rocks, gravel, and the hood, even a small tank can weigh well over 100 kg.
Live Tubifex worms are certainly available, and most aquarium shops will have a selection of live foods on sale.
I’m not sure buying online is necessary, but a quick glance on eBay indicates they’re widely sold there. Bags of live bloodworms, brine shrimp, Daphnia, and sometimes glassworms and river shrimps can also be found in most tropical fish shops. If you can’t get live Tubifex, the frozen version makes a good alternative, as do frozen bloodworms.
(Editor’s note: I had a quick peek on eBay to see what the going rate on metal stands is, and... just wow. As someone who used these a lot in my youth, I should also add just how top heavy and unstable many of them are.)