Question About Fish Tank Cabinets....

[cirrin]

Hi, am new to the forum... so apologies if i've put this topic in the wrong section.

After a 6yr absence I am getting back into fish keeping (tropical), am starting completely from scratch so have been surfing the net looking at aquariums, ie the tank and cabinet. I am aiming for a 5ft or 6ft tank... damn heavy on their own and even more so when full of water, gravel etc.

Which leads me to my question.... came across this website www.ndaquatics.co.uk, they are really well priced, the only thing stopping me is a concern about the actual cabinets... they are made of melanine chipboard... is this strong enough to hold up a 5ft or 6ft tank? In the past this has never been an issue or concern for me as all my tanks rested on steel frames... now however aesthetics are an issue... "significant other" you see.

I know chipboard + water = mush, but these are venereeed so that shouldnt be a problem(?). I've worked with chipboard for general DIY stuff in the past and know it not to be a particulary strong material.... basically.... will it buckle/sag/flex/distort under the weight of 100 odd gallons of water?

 

[vic]

I suspect that on edge, as is likely the case, melamine is likely to have quite a lot of support capability. What is the warranty and does it cover the potential disaster? As you have said, this material is not a good mix with water. Even veneered I would have some reservations. The pricing is perhaps attractive however; one gets what one pays for. I would continue my search until I found a stand that is built from solid wood. The price differential is clearly going to be less than a clean up and even the peace of mind value would cause me to keep up the search.
Vic

 

[2pods]

I have Juwel 400 and 240 litre tanks.
Both are resting on the requisite Juwel stands which look as if they are made from Melamine.

Maybe stands are treated with something ?

Peter

 

[anodized]

i have a 55G (so about 650 lbs+) on a stand made out of MDF, its all half inch and has 4 vertical supports, a base, and a top and is coated with malemime. the stands are mighty heavy on their own as you know from carrying them around.

mine are holding up ok. in a previous life i had a 20G on a very cheap entertainment centre type of stand and it held up for several years also.

 

[-*-MicHAeL-*-]

Bumping this thread for more opinions as i am also looking to buy a tank from ND aquatics.

thanks

 

[DarkEntity]

Have a look at Boss Aquariums.

 

[Tolak]

I had one stand long ago made of composition wood. How they could have sold this as a stand for a 55 is beyond me. 1/2" composition wood with a vinyl sort of veneer turns to mush when it gets wet.

Leaking filter got it wet, and it began to melt. I've built my own stands since then, I don't like the way any commercially made stands are built.