Would you trust this solid pine shaker dresser to hold a 30 long?

[rennjidk]

I want to add an aquarium to my bedroom, but have no room for a stand. This is solid pine with a plywood back. Pieces seem to be about an 1" thick. All the joints are glued dowel rods with pocket screws. The dresser is 63" and the tank is 36". It would be positioned dead center over that middle brace.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I want to add an aquarium to my bedroom, but have no room for a stand. This is solid pine with a plywood back. Pieces seem to be about an 1" thick. All the joints are glued dowel rods with pocket screws. The dresser is 63" and the tank is 36". It would be positioned dead center over that middle brace.

@Lost in the Sauce thoughts? (He is smarter than me, so figured would ask him his thoughts lol)

I would, as have had a 40b sitting on a similar dresser in the past with no issues. Like you, I had it centered on the support and just had there back of the tank in line with the back of the dresser.

 

[homer1475]

I wouldn't hesitate.

The top is pushing down on the legs, and center brace with no screws/nails holding them up. Exactly how it should be.

I have an 80G cube sitting on a plywood box(1" thickness) thats basically built the same way.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Solid pine likely stronger than post particle board stands that often are options- I trust it

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I wouldn't have any issue centering a 40b on that stand.

 

[rennjidk]

I wouldn't have any issue centering a 40b on that stand.

What about a 60b, lol? I contacted the manufacturer and they claim the max weight is 200lbs.

 

[JPM San Diego]

My only concern is that the center support only reaches the ground in the back.
It appears to be "floating" in the front. I would add support to the front half of the center support.
You could place it back a couple of inches as to not be visible in the front.

 

[Tired]

More support is definitely a good plan, though might be difficult with the drawers.

You can plan on a full aquarium weighing something approaching 10 pounds per gallon of water volume, between the water and the sand/rock/etc. Here's a simple test; do you have 2-3 people around whose combined weight is over 300 pounds? Have them sit on this. See if it makes any concerning noises.

Logic and knowledge about strength of materials is the best way to figure out if a stand is safe, but physically putting something over the expected weight on the stand is a good way to see it with your eyeballs, and most people can move if the stand does in fact do anything weird.

 

[Quietman]

Most furniture have a max weight of 200lb. I doubt they test beyond that as most people aren't loading up the top of a dresser (except to stand on it when changing a ceiling light). Same for those put together kitchen tables.

So yeah, if you put your aquarium on it and it breaks, you can't sue. I think most of us that keep fish tanks would have a hard time suing manufacturers...it's just part of the hobby.

That said...solid wood/plywood construction, center support (even though not full), dowels and pocket screws under a 30/40 gallon tank. I'd sleep at night no problem. You can (and I would) as you fill it with water, give the stand a gentle push to see if it remains stable, it should as a 30 long will have a low center of gravity. If you were doing some taller it would still hold the weight but might be a bit unstable and need some kind of wall anchor.

Good luck!

 

[Tired]

Max weight ratings on household furniture are kinda like expiration dates on over-the-counter medications; they mean "we know it'll work up until this point", not "past this point everything falls apart". As Quietman said, they often don't bother testing past that point.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

My only concern is that the center support only reaches the ground in the back.
It appears to be "floating" in the front. I would add support to the front half of the center support.
You could place it back a couple of inches as to not be visible in the front.

The center support does not touch the ground at the front but it triangulates from two points.

It's essentially cantilevered, with a solid center.



I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I’d put Three to Four Coats of Spar Varnish on the top. With a Sanding Block, lightly sand all except the last coat with 220 Grit. The Last Coat, buff it with Johnson Yellow Paste Wax using 0000 Steel-wool as the pad.