Is it OK to use ikea furniture as stands for our tanks?

[uncle luke]

I did it because the IKEA table looked nice and started bowing the first day lol. I got nervous and I constructed a internal non see through wood stand to re-inforce. No way I would've trusted it without reinforcement.

 

[Phil D.]

Have you seen Red Sea stands? They are made from MDF. My Deep Blue 35g cube stand is 5/8" MDF and put together with those twist lock fasteners. I'd say IKEA furniture would be fine as long as it was sturdy and designed to hold weight... like a heavy tv stand or something.

Ah, but one difference with the Red Sea stands...they are epoxy coated and made from FRP, not MDF, (I have a Red Sea tank), plus the way they are put together is totally different from Ikea. I WOULD NOT use an Ikea as a stand.

 

[Dom]

Hey guys, how is it going? I’ve been using ikea furniture as stands for my tanks for a little over a year, and now I’m thinking about upgrading my t tank but was wondering if the kalax stand would be ok. I was thinking about putting a Innovative Marine 30L tank on top of a IKEA Kalax. Do you guys think it is ok?

Thanks,

Hugo Garci

Nice idea, but, I don't think it is wise to do without some modification for additional support.

 

[Dom]

Have you seen Red Sea stands? They are made from MDF. My Deep Blue 35g cube stand is 5/8" MDF and put together with those twist lock fasteners. I'd say IKEA furniture would be fine as long as it was sturdy and designed to hold weight... like a heavy tv stand or something.

Yes, but those stands are designed with the fact that it will be supporting a tank. Ikea furniture, while made from the same material, is not anticipating its us as a tank stand.

 

[JessicaBaker]

I'm not sure about IKEA furniture. I heard that it is of poor quality recently

 

[Dom]

I'm not sure about IKEA furniture. I heard that it is of poor quality recently

Has the quality EVER been good??? LOL

 

[STEEZY]

I’d recommend searching Facebook marketplace/ OfferUp to find something sturdier that you don’t have to worry about. I found a solid wood cabinet with a marble top for $70 in great shape.

 

[JustinTanks]

IKEA is good quality furniture on a budget, and I have my set up on a Brimnes cabinet that I reinforced with 2x4s. I wouldn’t trust many store bought cabinets to hold hundreds of pounds of water, and equipment below the tank. Always reinforce.

 

[terraincognita]

Hey guys, how is it going? I’ve been using ikea furniture as stands for my tanks for a little over a year, and now I’m thinking about upgrading my t tank but was wondering if the kalax stand would be ok. I was thinking about putting a Innovative Marine 30L tank on top of a IKEA Kalax. Do you guys think it is ok?

Thanks,

Hugo Garci

I think anything under 50G is okay on almost anything.

40G with LR and Water is probably 400lbs. That's like 2 people sitting on a desk. It shouldn't break... ever... Jumping on a desk maybe.

But sitting there should be fine. it may bow or warp after awhile but that's ikea.

I'd try to get something that has a supporti n the middle at least.

I did have 15G on a small 3FT wide 3 Ft high chest one time and after 6 months the top of the thing warped (I also spilled PLENTY of water) so I couldn't close the front drawer anymore it bowed in the middle about 1/8 and inch.

 

[windemerejack]

I wouldn't trust Ikea furniture to hold my cup of tea.

 

[JessicaBaker]

I'm not sure about the IKEA furniture. I have heard that recently it is of poor quality and I recommend not to put a marine 30-liter tank on the stand, because your stand may break. I think you'd better look for something stronger than this rack. I remember buying a chair at a local store, but a year later the chair broke, and because of this I almost fell. Since then, I have decided that I will no longer buy in local stores. I decided to search the Internet for stores where you can buy a chair, and stopped at one site abakusdirect.co.uk Where did I buy the swivel chairs

 

[MALIBU]

I've used IKEA furniture on up to 40g tanks, and would go higher. I have however reinforced those IKEA pieces with clips and angles and screws from Home Depot, and I know how to do so effectively as a structural engineer. I wouldn't trust the normal ikea stuff without reinforcement. The stuff made from solid pine wood is OK, and should be able to support an aquarium <50g no problem.

The post above is correct, probably 80% of stands out there are made of particle board or MDF, they just should be sealed and treated properly.

I'm considering putting a 20 gallon long on an IKEA HEMNES sideboard/buffet, it's solid pine. I'm thinking of only filling up to 15 gallons. Any ideas?

 

[MALIBU]

I've used IKEA furniture on up to 40g tanks, and would go higher. I have however reinforced those IKEA pieces with clips and angles and screws from Home Depot, and I know how to do so effectively as a structural engineer. I wouldn't trust the normal ikea stuff without reinforcement. The stuff made from solid pine wood is OK, and should be able to support an aquarium <50g no problem.

The post above is correct, probably 80% of stands out there are made of particle board or MDF, they just should be sealed and treated properly.

Tank is an Aqueon 30 1/4" x 12 1/2" x 12 3/4". Sideboard is IKEA Pine- 61" long x 18.5" deep x 35" high. Material listing:
Top panel/ Rail:
Solid pine, Adhesive, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer
Side panel:
Solid pine, Adhesive, Clear acrylic lacquer, Stain
Bottom panel/ Middle part/ Shelf:
Particleboard, Paper foil
Drawer front/ Door:
Adhesive, Solid pine, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer
Drawer side/ Drawer back:
Adhesive, Solid pine
Drawer bottom/ Back panel:
Fibreboard, Acrylic paint
I've got a 9 gallon on it now.

 

[Jasongtr]

I’ve got an oak cabinet (not a tank stand but soon will be)

it’s very solid but I still put 1” plywood under the top and bottom to support the tank and sump, then used 2x4 to brace internally for all 4 legs and across the top front and back then put another 1” ply across the top to ensure it’s perfectly flat, a few coats of primer/under seal then yacht varnish then silicone sealed every gap so it’s fully waterproofed inside, I also put 4x metal supports on the top to leg diagonal on the back so it doesn’t twist under the weight - probably total overkill for a 75g system but I’m happy it will survive