Sideboard strong enough?

I'm glad you found a solution!! I hope you have fun setting up your tank!!

A crude test.. lay yourself down on it and see how it reacts, I'm sure it won't break but you may be able to gage its sturdiness.

1.5 cm is not that thick, particularly for mdf and similar particle boards which do decay when humidity is present.

If there aren't any vertical supports, your fully loaded tank may prove too much for it if not now, in the long run. The idea of spending the load with a layer of plywood sounds like an easy fix

I'd say it was all about weight distribution.
The fact that the tank almost goes a drawer length says to me that the weight isn't going to be a problem on the actual sideboard top. The sheer force wouldn't be a factor. The problem is, though, that the supporting sides may bend out. For instance we had a TV on our bedroom chest of drawers. It's around the same percentage of width to that shown on your pics. The top doesn't bend down but the sides have bowed out so that the drawers don't fully engage in the runners and drop out of them. I've cured that by putting the TV on a wall mounted fixture so it doesn't rest on the set of drawers at all. That isn't an option for you though.
If the sides of that particular set of drawers are joined to the adjacent drawers then that might just give sufficient support to prevent them bowing out.
The chance of it all collapsing is slim and if the strain does start the sides from bending you can easily remove the bulk of the water to lift the tank off.
Plywood on top of the sideboard won't give you any side support where I think you'll need it more. It may still be a good idea though if you want to hide the top.
Thinking this out; I know that I can get lengths of angle iron from my local DIY store, Maxwells in my case, that I could probably use to strengthen the sides of the unit at the rear behind the drawers. Worth looking at this as an option, or something similar.

Lynnzer said:

Plywood on top of the sideboard won't give you any side support where I thhink you'll need it more.

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Sure it will, for the exact same reason that there are headers over doors and windows to transfer the roof load across to the studs on either side of the opening. With a thick enough plywood top, you could remove the whole center section of the sideboard.

If the vertical members are continuous to the floor they will take quite a bit of load in that plane. The horizontal piece is the one one in question 2x4 or 2x6 under the tank transferring the load to the vertical members should work. There is probably a latch or extra screw keeping the drawers in on purpose. show us a pic of the outside of a drawer pulled out.

outofwater said:

A crude test.. lay yourself down on it and see how it reacts, I'm sure it won't break but you may be able to gage its sturdiness.

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I did this when I wanted to use a coffee table for my Betta tank, put it in the middle of the lounge and sat on it…(I weight far more than the tank ) and the table didn’t move…

This will not work long term, The tank needs to be sitting on the vertical panels, as this tank is inside of those it will eventually fail.

Ok, so when my partner got up, within seconds has spotted a place we can the tank on a proper tank unit (I could not see this at l ). Do that’s the new plan.
Would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to respond with such well thought out answers. Very much appreciated

Me again! Do you think these two units side by side would hold the weight…? The metal legs make think maybe not…?

I am going to pipe up here cos, as someone who made the mistake and paid for it dearly, please check your home contents insurance to ensure that you will be covered for damage caused by an aquarium sitting on non standard (ie not an actual stand recommended by aquarium manufacturer) should things go wrong.

Also if the aquarium is brand new or under two years old the manufacturer will not cover the loss by replacement if it is not on the recommended stand.

Long story short, I had a 60 litre on what I thought was an adequate sideboard type unit. It was on there for about 18 months but thanks to the occasional splashing of water during water changes, the sideboard got weakened and the aquarium ended up on the floor. My insurers refused to pay out and the manufacturers refused to honour the warranty even though it was an accidental loss.

Just be very very careful.

wasmewasntit said:

I am going to pipe up here cos, as someone who made the mistake and paid for it dearly, please check your home contents insurance to ensure that you will be covered for damage caused by an aquarium sitting on non standard (ie not an actual stand recommended by aquarium manufacturer) should things go wrong.

Also if the aquarium is brand new or under two years old the manufacturer will not cover the loss by replacement if it is not on the recommended stand.

Long story short, I had a 60 litre on what I thought was an adequate sideboard type unit. It was on there for about 18 months but thanks to the occasional splashing of water during water changes, the sideboard got weakened and the aquarium ended up on the floor. My insurers refused to pay out and the manufacturers refused to honour the warranty even though it was an accidental loss.

Just be very very careful.

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Yes, fully agree. Have now decided against the sideboard and looking at something else. Just not very impressed with the 'tank stands' I have found so far.

LisaG said:

Yes, fully agree. Have now decided against the sideboard and looking at something else. Just not very impressed with the 'tank stands' I have found so far.

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I disguise my smaller stands with bushy plants and have a large bean bag infront of my 200 litre open "H" stand

As long as the footprint of an actual aquarium stand is the same or slightly larger than the footprint of the aquarium, you should be able to get a cupboard rather than an open "H" type

This is mine....




There are a variety of colours, sizes and shapes of aquarium stands out there that can fit into your decor. As long as the footprint is sufficient and its an actual aquarium stand made by a reputable firm you should be OK. They are made in a very specific way with materials that are less likely to soak up water (like MDF in "normal" furnishings does)

As long as the dimensions of the aquarium are the same or under the dimensions of the top of this stand, something like this might look good since the rest of your funiture is greyish

Another alternative if you can only find a black or white aquarium stand that you like is to get some grey Fablon sticky backed plastic and cover each part of the stand before assembling it so that it blends in with your decor more.