BioCube owners, need some input

[silver97]

I am looking at potentially buying a BioCube 32 LED soon and have a question about the stand that comes with it in some bundles. I think Coralife makes the stand themselves? Whatever the case, to me it looks cheap. Like I would find something similar at Ikea and it would work just as well if not better. It really seems that if you got water on some of the joints (which lets be honest, is bound to happen at some point) it would warp it and make the tank uneven.
I watched this build video

and really am not too impressed. I have no doubt that it will support the tanks weight, but get water in those parts not covered by the black acrylic material and I think it could cause longevity problems and maybe rot.
If you went with this stand, how do you like it? If not, mind if I ask what you got instead?

 

[DaveK]

Yes, I'd agree that the stand looks cheep, and I sure wouldn't trust the particle board used in it. Most other furniture your going to find is going to be constructed out of particle board with a thin vernier. This means that once it gets wet it will swell, possibly deform, and not be safe to keep a tank on.

A 32 gal tank is going to be about 300 lbs by the time you get water, rocks, and sand in it. Most furniture you will find will not support this kind of dead weight.

In this case I'd say make your own stand out of normal lumber like 2x4's and plywood. Give it a few coats of finish, and your all set. It might be square compared to the manufactured one, but it will be a lot stronger and will last.

 

[Pat24601]

The stand is basically particle board with a waterproof coating on it. So, it’s not the sturdiest looking thing in the world.

That said, as I went through the process of evaluating it, I didn’t see any reviews or posts anywhere that said the tank had collapsed on anyone and I think there would be if it was failing. Mostly it got good reviews on Amazon, with some people concerned about the quality.

So, I think it’s sturdy enough to hold the tank. I’m sure it’s possible to build one that feels sturdier.

I did buy the stand and I think it looks nice and holds the tank fine. I’d buy it again. But, I think your impression of what it is made of is correct. I’d like it better if it felt like it was made a bit sturdier,.

 

[silver97]

PARTICLE BOARD! I couldn't remember the name of it. I've had particle board fall apart on other tables and stuff in my house before so I don't know if I am going to trust it to hold a tank necessarily... I'll look around to see if there is a good solid wood stand I can get cheap somewhere, and if not I'd build my own.
Thanks guys

 

[DaveK]

To be fair, it's likely that Red Sea is using a higher quality, more water resistant particle board compared to the normal furniture you would get. On the other hand, I look at my stand for a standard 125 gal tank, and see how much salt creep, and so on is on it, after 20+ years. I don't think particle board would have lasted.

One additional point, particle board is inexpensive, but also very heavy.

 

[Pat24601]

To be fair, it's likely that Red Sea is using a higher quality, more water resistant particle board compared to the normal furniture you would get. On the other hand, I look at my stand for a standard 125 gal tank, and see how much salt creep, and so on is on it, after 20+ years. I don't think particle board would have lasted.

One additional point, particle board is inexpensive, but also very heavy.

I was thinking something along these lines. I probably trust the particle board stand to hold the aquarium for a year or 3 if for no other reason than there are users that have had it for that long, but not really 10 or 20.

My guess is the typically BioCube owner isn't running the same tank for decades. They likely either tear it down or upgrade after several years at most. So, the stand probably doesn't have to last that long for the typical owner.

 

[DaveK]

I was thinking something along these lines. I probably trust the particle board stand to hold the aquarium for a year or 3 if for no other reason than there are users that have had it for that long, but not really 10 or 20.

My guess is the typically BioCube owner isn't running the same tank for decades. They likely either tear it down or upgrade after several years at most. So, the stand probably doesn't have to last that long for the typical owner.

I'm not so sure about this. Yes a lot of people give up soon after "Nemo" and "Dory" die. However, a lot of people really get into the hobby and have kept their tank going for 5 or 10 years or even longer. You may have heard about tanks that have been set up for many years but need to get moved or taken down, and at that time large massive corals need to be broken apart so they can be moved. Those corals were not that large when they were added to the time way back when.

I'd say select your equipment to last for the long term.

 

[Pat24601]

I'm not so sure about this. Yes a lot of people give up soon after "Nemo" and "Dory" die. However, a lot of people really get into the hobby and have kept their tank going for 5 or 10 years or even longer. You may have heard about tanks that have been set up for many years but need to get moved or taken down, and at that time large massive corals need to be broken apart so they can be moved. Those corals were not that large when they were added to the time way back when.

I'd say select your equipment to last for the long term.

Hard to argue with that advice.