Bigger the better?

[JDFish]

So I currently have a 81l aquarium but I want to upgrade to an 160l. Is 80x45x45 (L-W-H) a good size tank for me? Also isit safe if I have the tank on a reinforced chest of drawers on the 2nd floor as I can't put anywhere else.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

What fish did you want to keep?
The fish determine the tank size you want to get. If you only want small tetras then the 80x45x45cm would be ok, but if you want angelfish then you would look for a tank around 120x45x45cm or bigger.

It depends on how you reinforce the chest of drawers as to whether it will support the weight of the tank. 1 litre of water weighs 1kg so the 80x45x45 tank will have about 150 litres of water (weighing 150kg) plus the weight of the glass aquarium, gravel, filter and any ornaments. All up the stand should be able to hold at least 200kgs.

If you could build a stand around the chest of drawers then that would support the tank, but unless the chest of drawers is made from solid wood rather than laminated particle board (aka chipboard), I would be concerned about the drawers supporting the weight for any length of time.

 

[JDFish]

I screwed 2 pieces of wood both sides of the drawers and 1 2x4 piece under the top part and then added another 2 inch thick wooden board on top of the drawers so it won't bend under weight.

 

[Colin_T]

get a couple of people to sit on it and if it sags then the tank will sag