60" Ikea stand with 48" 80 gallon acrylic 48x15x24

[esoxlucius]

I've zoomed in on your unit and as far as I can work out there are four extremely critical fail points. And because of these fail points you DO NOT want to be putting an aquarium on top.....as it is. But, if you love that unit that much that you definitely want to use it then there is a fix whereby you can put your tank on there and have peace of mind. Let me explain, my crude diagrams will explain better.

The first drawing shows why you just can't take the risk the way it is. The four critical potential fail points are where i've encircled "BAD". Obviously two at the front and two at the back. This goes against everything that a basic aquarium stand should incorporate in the design, and why have they done it this way?.....because it's not designed for extremely heavy weights, simple as. Simply put, your planned aquarium will be supported by the three middle very thin boards, NOT by the outer thicker boards. Even if you spanned the whole unit, which would be better, sort of, I still don't think i'd trust it long term.

The second drawing, if your DIY skills are pretty good, is what i'd do to "fix" the issue. Put a simple 2"x4" frame around it and wrap in with ply. Paint/stain it and it'll look great....and do the job.

I apologise for my crude drawing skills but i'm sure you see the flaw with the original unit and hopefully my second drawing gives you an idea of how to improve it.

 

[robmcd]

I wouldn't touch that with even a 10 gallon tank. WE had a number of these at work that we used for catalog presentation and storage. They are not built well at all and would actually start to fall apart after being moved a couple times. These is no way that I would trust it to hold almost 500 lbs of fishtank.

 

[Oughtsix]

Has this piece of acrylic welded on the bottom hopefully that isn't going to be an issue. Any advice other than sell it or use as an outside tank?
Has tanks lasted for years with acrylic fixes like this?

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That acrylic patch is probably the strongest part of the whole tank... or at latest it should be. If there was a significant amount of bubbles between the acrylic patch and tank I would worry about the patch workmanship. The patch looks clear all the way through without a bunch of bubbles. I would not worry about it!

I believe the top, bottom and two side pieces on that Ikea stand are hollow, not solid wood.

 

[amazontank]

Thanks so much everyone I see things much clearer now!
I appreciated the stand upgrade techniques but I'm not very good with fixing things. Now I understand better the flaws.
I'm happy about the acrylic fix also since it does look like a solid fix on the tank and has held water for over a year.

My plan now is I'm gonna use the stand for shelve storage space in my garage like it was made for and definitely not risk the stand in the house. I'm gonna use the tank outside on patio and just leave it on the floor.
The dimensions are crazy the 48x15x24 with the uniquarium filter at 5" which only gives 10" for fish. I'm gonna just use the tank for a baby pleco grow out and stack things to get a couple layers of pleco real-estate. Any advice on that aspect of the setup?

 

[Gourami Swami]

Just wanted to add I've used this style of stand with small (20 gallon and under) tanks for years. A 48" 60 gallon, that was shorter than the length, I would not trust. I do think you could easily reinforce it though. I have seen people place vertical supports inside that seemed to strengthen it quite a bit.

 

[amazontank]

I wouldn't touch that with even a 10 gallon tank. WE had a number of these at work that we used for catalog presentation and storage. They are not built well at all and would actually start to fall apart after being moved a couple times. These is no way that I would trust it to hold almost 500 lbs of fishtank.

Thanks Rob! So you worked with the same stand? That's great news bro ? thanks for letting me know! No way I'm risking it, I have hardwood floors and my last 20 gallon leak was a nightmare!

 

[amazontank]

esoxlucius

Thanks again for the drawings!
I screenshotted them.
Looks like this can easily turn into a solid stand with reinforcement its that width 15".
Would I be able to add a 60x18x24 acrylic tank ontop by adding a piece of plywood 60x18 ontop of the newly reinforced stand?

 

[esoxlucius]

esoxlucius

Thanks again for the drawings!
I screenshotted them.
Looks like this can easily turn into a solid stand with reinforcement its that width 15".
Would I be able to add a 60x18x24 acrylic tank ontop by adding a piece of plywood 60x18 ontop of the newly reinforced stand?

If I may, and without trying to sound too blunt, I feel like I need to adopt a new position on this. Let me explain.

Will that unit, as it is, hold a heavy aquarium long term....NO. With modifications will that unit hold a heavy aquarium long term....YES. I would find it extremely easy, and be totally confident of turning that unit into a super strong and nice looking piece of furniture. But that's ME. Your admittence in post #14 of, "i'm not very good at fixing things" has me back pedalling somewhat now. I have a feeling that this project coupled with your apprehension and limited DIY skillset would not be a good match.

The last thing I want to do is to push you into doing a job you're not confident in doing and then reading a post from you in a few months time of how your stand failed causing lots of damage. I would feel awful and very much responsible.

I feel, given the circumstances, that it would be plain bad advice for me to just be gung ho and say, "do it this way, do it that way, it's easy blah blah blah".

Can it be done? Absolutely it can. But I feel that it's not a task you want to be taking on at this time. Therefore, my advice would be to buy a proper stand or, if you know a joiner or DIY'er, get a custom stand made. This would give you, and all of us lol, peace of mind.

As for your current unit? Put a lamp and some flowers on top, and maybe put some books in it, pretty much what it was designed for in the first place, lol.

I wish you luck.

 

[Toby_H]

Esoxlucius' post above with the sketch is spot on. Cheers to you Esoxlucius to offer someone the time to not simply answer their question, but help them to better understand the situation so that they know the answer. I think that's what many people come to forums for. Its good to see someone willing to provide. My respect.

AmazonTank, in my opinion, after the efforts it would take to turn your 60" stand into a proper aquarium stand, you'd be better off building a stand from scratch and using the 60" stand separately. Building a stand isn't difficult for someone who is handy with carpentry. But if that's not your skillset it's likely not a risk worth taking.

With that said, precaution should be taken when modifying any aquarium stand. It's important that your tank sit flat on its supporting surface and that the most loadbearing points are well supported. Unfortunately with a 48" x 15" footprint on your tank you will likely need to modify any stand you acquire.

 

[fishguy1978]

I used a 48in bathroom vanity for my 90g before moving my fishroom to its present location. A standard counter is 30in wide so would easily support the length and width of your tank. You would need to have a flat surface on top. I would chech the free section of CL or find an upcycle place that resells stuff.