Cabinet question...

[adsyrah]

I have a piece of IKEA furniture I'd like to use as a stand for a 120 litre (32g) tank:

IKEA | Storage furniture | DVD & CD furniture | BESTÃ… | Shelf unit/ height extension unit

If I was to strengthen the joints with metal brackets and maybe brace the back of it too, do you think it'll hold the tank?

As I'm completely new to this I haven't the first clue about what can and can't be used as a stand and the last thing I want is a tank on the floor!

[Cassy]

you cold probably go to a cabinet shop and get a basic cabinet made out of pine (pine is cheap but looks nice) should be inexpensive. I would check that out before using ikea.. there stuff is usually pretty rickety

[SiNiStEr NaTiOn]

I wouldn't use a furniture piece for a tank stand, because they're not made to withstand the weight of an aquarium.

If your handy doing DIY's you can build a stand, or if you go to like cassy said to a cabinet shop , make sure you tell them what it will be used for and it needs to be able to hold the weight of the tank.

You have to remeber the weight of SW is 8.5 to 10 lbs per gallon, so using the 10 lbs for that tank, with it empty with it filled with SW your talking about the weight of that 32g tank being up around 320 lbs. With LS and LR the water is displaced so it won't hold 32 gallons. but rough;ly how many gallons is in the tank that weight + the weight of LR you have in the tank + how man lbs of sand you have to get the bed depth you want added all together to give you how much that tank weighs.

Even though a furniture piece looks like it would hold the tank, it will in the beginning, but the weight of the tank would stress the furniture in due time until that piece of furniture collapse.

So if you can DIY a stand or check with a woodworker to see how much it would cost to build, or go to your LFS and check the wood stands they have.

[GreatWhiteShark]

Yeah, get something made to hold the weight of the aquarium or you could be setting yourself up for a disaster...

[adsyrah]

Right, i'm going to make my own cabinet. I've not done much DIY, but the designs online seem simple enough to make (famous last words!).

A couple of questions I've got...

Most tank stands I've seen have a lip around the top. Is this necessary?

I was planning on making the stand larger than the tank (about 50 inches wide to accommodate a 36 inch tank). Is there any issue with that?

Finally, do I need to attach the stand to a wall to make it more sturdy?

[SiNiStEr NaTiOn]

I can't comment on the width you want to use for your stand.

Attaching the stand to the wall, that's their would be your choice. Myself my stand won't be attached to the wall because it will be solid.

When I built my stand frame itself I use nails but after it was put together I went throu and add screws and the frame is solid now and it won't move side to side like it use to with just nails in it.

as far as the lip goes. I'm planning on placing a lip on top of my stand but where the tank will be sitting and give it around 1/4" to 1/2" space between the tank and the lip. and the lip will about 1" to 2" high so noone will see the plastic trim on the bottom of the tank.

I still need to place the outside skin on the frame, it will be either 1/2" or 3/4" plywood.