# Aquarium Stand/Cabinet Advice



## Salinger (Jan 1, 2018)

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm going with a Miracles 23 gallon long aquarium. It is 36" x 12" x 12". They'll be delivering that once we finalize everything and now that my tank size is settled, I need to consider stand or cabinet options. As the tank will be in my living room, I'm thinking a wood cabinet with doors so that I can store food and supplies etc out of site underneath.

I asked Miracles about their stands and they quoted me $495 for a cabinet made of maple wood in my choice of colour. I've no doubt it would be exemplary quality and better than most anything I'm going to find at retail, but $500 is far more than I was budgeting for in a stand. While it might be a reasonable price, I'd like to think I can find something suitable for much less. I was thinking around $200 or even less, am I dreaming?

I see a 36" (well, the description says 35¾ but I'm assuming it was made for 36" aquariums?) stand at PetSmart for $175 https://tinyurl.com/yc59ot62 It says it's made of particleboard which is even less sturdy than MDF so I'm not sure how good or bad that would be. Anyone have experience with PetSmart's TopFin stands? I see some cabinets on Ikea's site that would fit the bill size-wise, but since they're not intended for aquariums, I'm not sure they'd support the weight.

Any suggestions or advice on an appropriate stand or where to look would be most helpful and appreciated. That said, I know some of you are going to suggest making a simple stand myself, but I'll preemptively take that out of the equation. I am not handy whatsoever, and honestly, I wouldn't even know how to start. I wouldn't trust a potted plant on a stand that I built, let alone an aquarium full of water.


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## TOtrees (Sep 21, 2017)

I have just been through the same quandry, and ended up building my own. It seems the 36" length just doesn't have a lot of cheap stand options. I think it's where you cross into the threshold of tanks that are heavy enough to require some actual though in their construction, and the use of better materials. 
That said, maybe if you include stands up to 48" in your search, you might simply get more options. It would mean having 6" of length on either side, but I think we can all think of uses for that space, if the space you're putting it in is big enough. 
So sorry, in case it's not clear from above, I have no specific suggestions for you, I'm just commiserating.


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Get a metal stand for now. When budget allows, hire someone to build a skirt to wrap it. Doors can be either hinged or access panels magnetically secured. Lots of options but you have to find someone that can offer you options and build specs.

Most of the "off the shelf" cabinets 3" long and shorter have too small of an opening to make access easy.

JM2C/E


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## Fisheye (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi,

We looked like crazy for a stand that wasn't fish store style and that would reliably hold serious weight. Found a very old farmers work bench for $100 and cleaned and leveled it. It's just under 7 feet long and 2 feet deep.

Not sure what your aesthetic is but wonder if you could reinforce a cool find at a furniture consignment store?

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

J


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## infolific (Apr 10, 2016)

Salinger said:


> I see a 36" (well, the description says 35¾ but I'm assuming it was made for 36" aquariums?) stand at PetSmart for $175 https://tinyurl.com/yc59ot62 It says it's made of particleboard which is even less sturdy than MDF so I'm not sure how good or bad that would be. Anyone have experience with PetSmart's TopFin stands? I see some cabinets on Ikea's site that would fit the bill size-wise, but since they're not intended for aquariums, I'm not sure they'd support the weight.


I'd say the PetSmart stand will support the weight because that's what they're designed to do. If there's a chance of a kid repeatedly running head long into one, that's another matter. I also don't think they'd survive a move i.e. they're basically disposable. And if there's a big water spill that has a chance to soak into the "wood" I'd be worried about the integrity.

One odd thing I found was that tank and stand sizes aren't actually the dimensions provided i.e. they're off by a little. However, it seems this is by design as stands and tanks seem to fit each other. I'm not sure if that changes when you get a custom built tank.

As for Ikea, I've seen in store that their stuff has weight limits provided. I remember looking at them the last time I was shopping there. Some of their stuff is actually pretty sturdy, but even so aquariums are particularly heavy so I'd want a big buffer with any stated value.


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## Salinger (Jan 1, 2018)

Just to close the loop on this, I went to Big Al's in Scrborough today. I saw and ordered the Seapora Monarch stand. It's made of pine I believe and I quite liked the look of it. I'm sure it's not the highest quality out there, but it definitely seemed sturdy, it comes in the exact size to fit my tank, and it's only $189. I thought that was quite good. Thanks, as always, to everyone who took the time to offer help and advice, it's appreciated.

...picture below, though I think it looks better in person than in this shot.


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## Jer_H (Dec 9, 2014)

I’ve been using the Seapora Monarch for several years now on my 36x20x18 50 gal saltwater setup. I painted the inside to further protect it as my sump is s bit of a mess. 
No complaints thus far. Can’t go wrong for the price.


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## Aquatic (Jul 30, 2021)

I live in a regular-sized apartment, which means that there is not much in terms of floor space. This aquarium cabinet stand is designed to lean flush against the wall, which makes it look like it was made just for my space. Took about 30 minutes to put together by myself. Super strong and rigid. I haven't done the final tightening of the bolts and it's sturdy enough to safely support my 20 gallon aquarium. I liked the huge cabinet underneath the tank. It has more than enough space for my aquarium supplies, so I am happy about that.


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