Could this work as a stand?

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

Hello reefers! Curious to hear your input on whether this piece of furniture could work as a stand for a 20g glass tank that is 30" length-wise.

Cabinet is 40". Details about the cabinet here: https://www.westelm.com/products/mid-century-dining-storage-acorn-h860/

I guess I'm a little worried about the slanted legs, but at least it is made with real wood rather than particle board?

I'm trying to find something that looks like furniture rather than a tank stand and fits with the rest of my home (which is proving to be hard). Any input appreciated! Thanks in advance!

GabeM · May 22, 2019

Tigahboy said:
Hello reefers! Curious to hear your input on whether this piece of furniture could work as a stand for a 20g glass tank that is 30" length-wise.

Cabinet is 40". Details about the cabinet here: https://www.westelm.com/products/mid-century-dining-storage-acorn-h860/

I guess I'm a little worried about the slanted legs, but at least it is made with real wood rather than particle board?

I'm trying to find something that looks like furniture rather than a tank stand and fits with the rest of my home (which is proving to be hard). Any input appreciated! Thanks in advance!

You should calculate how much your tank will weigh (tank + equipment + (gallons * 8.6 lbs)) and contact the manufacturer for max load. I doubt that is designed to hold a substantial weight (a 40 gallon tank will weigh almost 400 lbs generally).

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

GabeM said:
You should calculate how much your tank will weigh (tank + equipment + (gallons * 8.6 lbs)) and contact the manufacturer for max load. I doubt that is designed to hold a substantial weight (a 40 gallon tank will weigh almost 400 lbs generally).

Yeah, I figure it will end up being around 200-225 lb. I contacted West Elm and they said they have no idea, but would put in a message with the actual mfr. but didn't promise anything.

BeejReef · May 22, 2019

I don't like the legs. Even if the manufacturer says it's strong enough, you'd be putting a heck of a lot of pressure onto 4 very small parts of your carpet and floor. If it's real hardwood, fine, but I'd want to know it's not particle board under carpet or laminate

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

William DeCoursey said:
I don't like the legs. Even if the manufacturer says it's strong enough, you'd be putting a heck of a lot of pressure onto 4 very small parts of your carpet and floor. If it's real hardwood, fine, but I'd want to know it's not particle board under carpet or laminate

Good points. Didn't really think about the damage to my floors (was just thinking of whether the cabinet could support the weight). I have engineered hardwood flooring. Hmmm....

cracker · May 22, 2019

Nice cabinet . I'd think it would work. Can you sit on it? If the legs were removed ,it would work well .

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

I'm going to check it out and see if I can sit on it without breaking it. And if it breaks, I'm going to have to run out of that store real fast.

Without legs would definitely work I think, but I like how it looks with the legs.

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

FYI, I stopped by the store to check it out. Even sat on it. Super solid (more than I expected). I think I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks again!

BestMomEver · May 22, 2019

Take the legs off!

Coastie Reefer · May 22, 2019

If the price on the link is the price of the "stand"... you could get a super nice custom job that you know will work for less than 700 bucks!!!

MnFish1 · May 22, 2019

One issue (and BTW I like it - and at least in our area you couldn't get a custom stand with nice 'furniture' quality wood for anything less than $1000) is that when you put those legs on a smooth surface there will be more stress than if you put them on a carpeted surface (picture spreading your legs far apart on an ice skating rink vs on grass). The friction on carpet will help keep the legs 'in line'.

Remember also - that just sitting on something for 5 minutes is a different load than 24/7.
The legs do look well supported (the brace going along the front of the furniture).

Bottom line - IMHO if you put a rug underneath the entire length so all the legs were on it - it would be fine for a 20 gallon tank.

Tigahboy · May 22, 2019

BestMomEver said:
Take the legs off!

I'll see how it looks without the legs when I build it.

Coastie Reefer said:
If the price on the link is the price of the "stand"... you could get a super nice custom job that you know will work for less than 700 bucks!!!

It's on sale right now for 20% off so that helps a little (but yeah, still pricey). I did get a couple quotes for custom stands (very very basic ones that would look like standard tank stands) and they were definitely more expensive. Southern California prices I guess.

MnFish1 said:
One issue (and BTW I like it - and at least in our area you couldn't get a custom stand with nice 'furniture' quality wood for anything less than $1000) is that when you put those legs on a smooth surface there will be more stress than if you put them on a carpeted surface (picture spreading your legs far apart on an ice skating rink vs on grass). The friction on carpet will help keep the legs 'in line'.

Remember also - that just sitting on something for 5 minutes is a different load than 24/7.
The legs do look well supported (the brace going along the front of the furniture).

Bottom line - IMHO if you put a rug underneath the entire length so all the legs were on it - it would be fine for a 20 gallon tank.

That's a really good point. I like the idea of the rug. And hopefully it will really tie the room together as well.

Tigahboy · May 23, 2019

So I bought it. Opened it up and the first page of the instructions say not to put a TV that exceeds 100lb capacity on top. ugh. Hoping that's just a really conservative number that the lawyers wrote up for liability reasons.

Because aside from that, it is SOLID and very sturdy. More sturdy than any particle board type aquarium stand I've owned in the past. It's pretty heavy too so those legs must be pretty sturdy as well. It basically came fully constructed and all I had to do was screw in the legs which are 2 pieces that run the length of the bottom.

It'll probably be very uncomfortable, but maybe I'll sleep on it tonight to see if it can support the weight. LOL.

Box makes a nice fort/house though.

SammieT · May 23, 2019

I'd just take off the legs and use it

MnFish1 · May 23, 2019

Tigahboy said:
So I bought it. Opened it up and the first page of the instructions say not to put a TV that exceeds 100lb capacity on top. ugh. Hoping that's just a really conservative number that the lawyers wrote up for liability reasons.

Because aside from that, it is SOLID and very sturdy. More sturdy than any particle board type aquarium stand I've owned in the past. It's pretty heavy too so those legs must be pretty sturdy as well. It basically came fully constructed and all I had to do was screw in the legs which are 2 pieces that run the length of the bottom.

It'll probably be very uncomfortable, but maybe I'll sleep on it tonight to see if it can support the weight. LOL.

Box makes a nice fort/house though.

It MIGHT be incase a child pulls the TV down on top of him/herself....? BUt....

Coastie Reefer · May 23, 2019

I admit the "stand" looks great and I like having a little room on the sides of the a tank to set things like food. I'd almost be willing to bet it will hold a 20 long without any issues. A filled 20 long is roughly 165 lbs.

Wonder if you could add a "leg" in the middle where the supports cross. Maybe cut a large dowel to size and paint/stain it. Likely wouldn't even notice it, and it would be added peace of mind.

Tigahboy · May 23, 2019

MnFish1 said:
It MIGHT be incase a child pulls the TV down on top of him/herself....? BUt....

Yeah, the image shown was a child pulling at the tv.

Coastie Reefer said:
I admit the "stand" looks great and I like having a little room on the sides of the a tank to set things like food. I'd almost be willing to bet it will hold a 20 long without any issues. A filled 20 long is roughly 165 lbs.

Wonder if you could add a "leg" in the middle where the supports cross. Maybe cut a large dowel to size and paint/stain it. Likely wouldn't even notice it, and it would be added peace of mind.

That's a really good idea. I'm going to look into that. I tried to see how it looked without the legs, but it's way too short. It's already pretty short with the legs, but it's a good height for my son who can see everything now as opposed to a 36" tall stand.

And yes, having the additional storage space is really nice. Definitely putting all the supplies in those drawers.