[Blackheart]

Who here has used other items of furniture for a tank stand? I don't think I would trust this entirely with a huge tank. If it was a 20 gallon or under, I would say that's more reasonable, depending on the type of furniture that is. I had thought about setting up a 20 or 10 or somewhere in there sized tank on my stand up dresser, but I don't know if it would support the weight or not.

 

[jellopuddinpop]

I would think a sturdy hardwood dresser would support a 20G tank. If you were talking about putting it on a folding table or something like that, then I would be worried.

A 20G tank with all the fixins will probably be around 200lbs. The only thing I might do is find some way to affix it to the wall so it cant be pulled over. If all the drawers are open in a tall chest, it can easily tip. Add 200lbs to the top, and it will be worse.

 

[MissCris]

My 20g is on my oak dresser (low, wide type of dresser though, not tall). Haven't had any issues, and it's been there for years.

 

[minorhero]

Decent quality hardwood furniture is significantly better at holding a tank then most tank stands made of plywood, melamine or worse yet, MDF. That's because hardwood doesn't systematically destruct once it gets thoroughly wet. MDF literally disintegrates and melamine/plywood will start to swell/delaminate.

Anyway, bottom line is that decent quality furniture would be my preferred stand for anything with a rim on the bottom, and also for rimless if the top were dead flat. Securing a stand to the wall is always a good idea if there is any hint it might tip.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'm using these racks... Will be four high soon (top aquarium is staged on the left.. just need to finish plumbing it). Don't know if you can see in the photo... but the bottom shelves store the sump (it's in 2 sections... one section on each shelf).

 

[tombat]

It may be ok for 20g, but it depends on the quality of your dresser. I have been using a wine rack/cabinet I bought years ago for a 65g tank, so the structure was really important. It was a solid thing to begin with, and I installed extra "legs" under it to distribute the weight more evenly and relieve some of the pressure. Is there any wobble to the dresser when you sit on it? How wide are the drawers (with a very wide dresser the weight on the top might prevent the drawers from opening smoothly)? Also, consider that your tank might damage the surface: if you care about that you can have a piece of clear plastic cut to the shape of your dresser top at a shop that sells glass (like for shower doors, windows, etc).

 

[Fat Guy]

I rebuilt an old dresser and cut a custom plywood top with holes for tubing and using a little ingenuity (wood glue and time) created a door that swings open for access to the filter, co2, supplies, router and modem!