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25g desktop capacity question


Daecrist

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Hi all. So I recently upsized my tank to a 25 gallon cube that's sitting on my desk. The worry that I have in the back of my mind now that I see the 25 gallon versus the 9 gallon I used to have in that spot is that the thing is big. Really damn big.

 

I've got the tank sitting on an old Shaw-Walker beast of a desk dating from the '50s or '60s. We're talking a real beast of a "don't make'em like they used to" steel frame mother of a desk that takes three grown men to lift even when it's emptied out.

 

I've never really worried about having a tank on this desk before because, as I said, it's a real beast of a desk. Only because it's so old I can't find any information on what the actual carrying capacity is, and I worry that over time the added 300lbs will cause trouble. I have visions of the desk giving out in the middle of the night or while I'm working someday after something finally gives.

 

It doesn't seem likely that a fish tank would slay this desk after 50 years, but water and rock is heavy.

 

So has anyone here ever put a tank that size on a desktop without any issues? Think it'd be okay, or should I go better safe than sorry and grab a stand specifically for the tank and lose the desktop aesthetic? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I've attached a file for reference. Thanks all!

post-90130-0-23400700-1453954141_thumb.jpg

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Here's what I've seen go wrong. The desk can usually support it, but what happens over time is the desk actually starts to bow in the middle. I haven't actually seen a tank break as a result, but I have an older, and very well made oak buffet that had a tank on it like this and there's now a noticeable bow on the main surface. Tank was on there for several years though, so it's not a short term risk, more of a long term one. Also, double check the legs where the contact the floor that there's no damage, cracking, bowing, etc.. If one of these were to break on the tank side, it would be a disaster.

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