ikea furniture for tank stand?

[PicoSavvy]

Does anyone have a tank on Ikea furniture? I was going to use a piece from Ikea for my sub-gallon pico which would work just fine as the tank itself won't weigh much but has anyone used their stuff for bigger tanks? I have a couple of tanks in the 2.5 to 5 gallons range that fit perfectly in their cube storage shelves. I have build my own tank stand in the past but I have a tendency to overbuild the crap out of them and I am trying to avoid that this time as I have no self-control with wood, when I get a hold of 2x4 I keep adding them until I have something that looks like a stand for a car engine then a tank

[Christopher Marks]

IKEA definitely has furniture pieces that can act as stands for nano reefs. The classic KALLAX shelves, turned on their side, come to mind. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kallax-shelf-unit-white-80275887/. Very rigid with the grid structure.

 

There are other cabinets that would make good tank stands. Check out some of the office furniture too. 

[PicoSavvy]

I actually own one of the smaller 4 cubes Kallax shelves your right about them being surprisingly rigid. I was planning to use the top part of it to put a 4-gallon tank on it but the whole it being mdf had me reconsider that. Even tho I have seen stand made specifically for aquarium build from mdf which adds more to the confusion. I think the next shelve I buy I will silicone the corner edges and add sealer to any raw wood surface just to be on the safe side.

[Christopher Marks]

Yes, moisture at the seams of MDF board stands will always be a data flaw. With proper care and caution however, it’s a low risk on undamaged furniture. Damaged corners or surfaces on existing furniture could be sealed first though.

 

Some IKEA furniture is painted or powder coated too, I kept a pico reef on a metal IKEA PS locker style cabinet years ago. A foam leveling pad underneath a tank is best with metal.

[PicoSavvy]

So note to self the eket 4 cube storage sucks it broke just on assembly defiantly would not trust it I guess I have to place an order for some more kallax.

[jbb]

I kept an Innovative Marine Fusion 20 on a 24" Besta cabinet. It held just fine.  

 

 

Old video but here it is 

 

[farkwar]

Reinforce it with 80/20 aluminum frame on the inside

 

That's what I am working on on my big tank

 

 

[coltnanoreef]

im doing this in the future, and from my research i found the most commonly used are the BESTA and the SEKTION

[Christopher Marks]

My pico reef currently resides on a media center built from 3 BESTA cabinets with doors and metal legs. I keep all the equipment inside the cabinet and run cords through a hole I drilled in the back of the cabinet. No trouble from moisture or salt creep two years in. 

[PicoSavvy]

1 hour ago, Christopher Marks said:

My pico reef currently resides on a media center built from 3 BESTA cabinets with doors and metal legs. I keep all the equipment inside the cabinet and run cords through a hole I drilled in the back of the cabinet. No trouble from moisture or salt creep two years in. 

Did you seal it at all? or did you build it exactly as the instruction?

[banasophia]

I have my Biocube 16 on an IKEA Kallax, it’s still going strong after 2 1/2 years... I did not seal it at all, just assembled per directions and bought some of their doors so I could hide all my reefing stuff inside, and some different knobs to look nice. With the Kallax shelves you want to make sure to orient them so the longer sides are on the top and bottom so the wood is bearing the weight, not the screws. (So I used two 2x2s instead of one 4x2 because the 4x2 was oriented wrong.)

 

 

I also had an IM Nuvo 10 on an IKEA shoe rack for a while, Hemnes I think. It seemed to be sturdy enough, but the tank was so high up I had to get up on a step stool to work on it and look in the back chambers, and that became a nuisance after a while so I wouldn’t recommend it. 
 

[jbb]

On 10/29/2020 at 9:24 AM, Christopher Marks said:

My pico reef currently resides on a media center built from 3 BESTA cabinets with doors and metal legs. I keep all the equipment inside the cabinet and run cords through a hole I drilled in the back of the cabinet. No trouble from moisture or salt creep two years in. 

Still so weird to see you with an aquarium  🤣

[PicoSavvy]

Ok so I just picked up another Kallax and the Lifegard Aquatics 4.14 Aquarium fits into the cube areas perfectly and you'll have 3.5 inches of height left. 

[Hasted]

I am putting my 15g Mini Peni Waterbox tank on an Ikea desk set up:

 

Similar to this, but other legs due to out of stock

 

 

I had the regular tube legs on all 4 corners and one of the open grey cabinets in the middle. I then hooked my dual monitor mount through the open cabinet and on the top. Been holding for a year with barely any signs of stress. 

 

Replaced the two tubular legs with another open faced cabinet on the left side and plopped my tank down. 

 

I know this isn't the type of IKEA furniture you are inquiring about, but wanted to share my experience regardless. 

 

Strong enough to suspend two mounted monitors and all my PC accessories. 

 

Should be strong enough to have a tank sit on top with the extra support added now.

 

Edit: tank sits exactly centered over the left cabinet where the most support is. I would not suggest a tank in the middle of this table / desk.

[PicoSavvy]

Well just came across this photo of a kallax and I am rather impressed it can take this amount of weight.

[Christopher Marks]

On 10/29/2020 at 8:43 AM, PicoSavvy said:

Did you seal it at all? or did you build it exactly as the instruction?

Nope, I haven't done anything special to the cabinet.

[banasophia]

3 hours ago, PicoSavvy said:

Well just came across this photo of a kallax and I am rather impressed it can take this amount of weight.

I wouldn’t trust that long term 😬😬😬

[PicoSavvy]

tell the German that they seem to have a love affair with the kallax, i seen some crazy size tanks put on kallax by them.

[farkwar]

On 11/2/2020 at 2:52 PM, PicoSavvy said:

Well just came across this photo of a kallax and I am rather impressed it can take this amount of weight.

Reinforced

 

Or the owner has a steady supply of ativan

[farkwar]

I never realized how modular and adaptable Ikea stuff is until I went one of their stores

 

And they do have more than the aircore junk that normally comes to my mind

 

 

[PicoSavvy]

9 hours ago, farkwar said:

Reinforced

 

Or the owner has a steady supply of ativan

Unless you are counting the light as structural support I see no reinforcement so it must be option b ativan

[TanyaMR]

On 11/2/2020 at 3:52 PM, PicoSavvy said:

Well just came across this photo of a kallax and I am rather impressed it can take this amount of weight.

 

On 11/2/2020 at 3:52 PM, PicoSavvy said:

Well just came across this photo of a kallax and I am rather impressed it can take this amount of weight.

They are probably only 2.5 gallon to 3 gallon tanks which would weigh approx 29 lbs each. Ikea shelves state that they can hold 29 lbs.

 

[jennvasu]

I’d probably skip using IKEA stuff for a tank stand, honestly. Even though things like the KALLAX can hold up okay, I’d still be nervous about the weight and any water spills over time. I’ve seen people reinforce them, but that’s extra hassle. Personally, I went with something a bit sturdier for my own setup— see here if you want to check it out.