Ikea Furniture As A Tank Stand?

[monkfish75]

hi

i have a 3ft tank that i want to get up and running but i only have a 2ft stand with a tank on it at the moment.

my question is does anyone know if anything from ikea would be strong enough to hold a 3ft tank? i'm on a bit of a budget and can't afford the expensive ones that my LFS or online shops sell. I have looked on ebay also but there aren't any 3ft stands on there that don't have a tank with them. if ikea stuff isn;t suitable does anyone know where else to look for a stand?

thanks in advance

 

[James_loveless]

IMHO, I would steer clear of Ikea stuff unless it's solid wood as most of it is made from chip and are very light weight. any substantial weight on them would damage joints over a short period and you'll have a big mess to deal with.

try your local Freecycle.org I got loads of things from that place!

 

[monkfish75]

yeah i keep checking freecycle but keep missing out on stuff, shame. i think a lot of fish stuff that goes on there is snapped up too quickly by ebay sellers. i'll have to keep looking. if anyone on here has one for sale let me know.

 

[bae1994]

you may get away with putting some solid wood on your two foot stand

 

[monkfish75]

here is the stand with the 2ft tank on it at the moment:


does it look like it would be ok with another piece of wood on top? just wondering if it would be too much pressure on the wood either side that wouldn't be supported.

 

[bae1994]

to me it looks pretty strong but there is a chance of it not holding up
id build a new stand if it were me

 

[mixmaster jay]

i used a side table from focus for my 4ft tank its 2 years old now and holding up well so i don't see why not, it should be plenty strong enough for a 3ft

here is the stand from focus DIY with the tank on it

 

[bae1994]

alot of furniture now days has aa maximum weight rating so work out the wieght of your tank in the calculator at the top and then get one sutable

 

[mixmaster jay]

good plan my friend

 

[chr15_8]

alot of furniture now days has aa maximum weight rating so work out the wieght of your tank in the calculator at the top and then get one sutable

the stand im using had a max rating of about 50kg. Ive got a 180litre tank on it which will work out alot more than 50kg.

I could see in the picture the wood was quite thick. The 2 sides are 30mm thick conti/furniture board the top is 30mm and the 2 bits in the middle are 18mm thick.

It is built alot better than the rena stand that came with the tank.

although what your saying is true by looking at the rating sometimes its better to look at the piece of furniture first as you will soon be able to tell if its strong enough

 

[monkfish75]

ok next question. would it be stable and strong enough if i built a larger version of the stand already in used? i'd buy black covered mdf or conti-board and use the same design as the current stand but adding in a few more supports?

also has anyone ever bought one of those metal stands and used wood to make a cabinet out of them?

 

[Truck]

most proper fish tank stands are chip board

 

[monkfish75]

ok thanks. i'l have a look in wickes or somewhere and see how much it all is

 

[nicole.august]

yeah i accumulate blockage freecycle but accumulate missing out on stuff, shame. i anticipate a lot of angle being that goes on there is airtight up too bound by ebay sellers. i'll accept to accumulate looking. if anyone on actuality has one for auction let me know.


_________________
Patio furniture

 

[shelaghfishface]

why not go to a charity shop or furniture recyling centre,,,you can tell whats going to hold and what wont .. you`ll get a bargain and they`ll get some extra cash for their cause