Tank without a stand - ok on hardwood/styrofoam?

[KLKelly]

I may be adopting my sisters common goldfish.  She has two of them and she has an empty 40g long.  I don't have a stand or funds for a stand.  Would it be okay right on the hardwood floor?  Should I put styrofoam under it - if so can it be cut larger than the tank itself?  Would a syphon to do water changes (bucket method) even work with a tank on the floor?

[succinctfish]

You know the MTS is bad when you're putting tanks on the floor.   
Yes, you could put it on the floor if you must.  Check how level your floor is, and definitely use styrofoam.  You can cut it larger than the tank, that way it helps protect your flooring from water splashing, but you don't want to create a hazard that you will trip over. Since it's on the floor this can be an issue.  You don't want to end up face down in the goldfish tank.    Frankly, it's a pain to have tanks on the floor, and a little alarming for the fish to have feet going by them, but it is doable.  When we had tanks on the floor, yes, I have been inflicted by this insanity as well, I was never so relieved to get rid of them and not have to crawl around on the hardwood to visit the fish and clean the tank.  I used a short ended siphon to do water changes and a short bucket and I found sometimes it helped to  curl the tubing around in the bucket to keep it siphoning.  It's an adventure.  Good luck with it.   

[KLKelly]

Thanks for the info.  I was thinking of path of least resistance. The tank on the floor - wouldn't need the husband to help   It might be a bigger pain than I initially thought though.

Thanks again.

Karrie

[fischkopp]

I used a short ended siphon to do water changes and a short bucket and I found sometimes it helped to  curl the tubing around in the bucket to keep it siphoning.  It's an adventure.  Good luck with it.   

I agree! You shouldn't consider a tank on the floor as a long term solution. Doing water changes will be a pain ...

[Brine]

I had a stand that held two tanks, one was about 10cm off the floor. It was not impossible to work with but a bit of a pain. The only reason I was able to do water changes easily is that it was near my living room window and, with a long hose, I could drain the tank onto the flowerbed out front which was about 2m below the tank.
Another issue you might consider is viewing the fish. When the tank is that low it is not so easy to sit in front of.
I'll bet you could find some kind of desk or table or stand that would work fine for a 40G. Walk around your neighbourhood on garbage night or go to a couple of garage sales or even post here that you are looking for one cheap or free. I had two 20G longs on top of some milk crates with a piece of plywood and a piece of Styrofoam on top. That worked well enough. Good luck.