I’m moving house, which involves moving my axolotl tank. Problem is, the (steel framed, school surplus, built like a tank) desk it’s currently on is going to be way too big for the new flat.
I do have a little, low, wooden TV cabinet, which used to have a smaller aquarium on, but how do I test whether it’s going to be strong enough to hold a bigger tank, using what I have at home?
My housemate reckons simply getting an equivalent weight of people to stand on it won’t be accurate enough, as the weight won’t be evenly distributed, but is that actually relevant in this situation? If so, is there a better way?
For the record, the tank is bow fronted, 32" long, 15" high, 12" at the ends and 15" in the middle. According to this, it’d weight about 122kg, 269lbs filled.
The uneven distribution of weight might break the cabinet in a way the tank wouldn’t, but I have trouble envisioning a sensibly constructed cabinet that would break under an evenly distributed weight after being tested the way you describe.
It’s wood. Pine, by the looks of it. Solid top, solid base, three upright supports, one at each end one central, all look to be one piece. Can’t see how all are attached due to decoration and drawers.
It used to have a 24" x 12" x 15" fish tank on it, without problems.
The calculator assumes the tank is full to the brim, which is nowhere near the case- there’s actually an approx. 6 inch gap from where I typically fill it; axolotls spend most of their time on the bottom, they want tank floor space, they’re not so fussed about depth, so I would expect the actual weight to be substantially lower than the estimate, even taking all the (pretty minimal- thin layer of sand, no gravel, a few ceramic hidey holes, a couple of pebbles and plastic plants) decor into account. I can’t practically weigh it though, so using a higher estimate seems like a good idea.
You might get away with that TV stand but you’re taking a chance. That’s a lot of load to put on something. It might seem very stable but there are subtle shifts of the weight happening every time you touch that tank. The problem with aquarium stands is not holding the weight of tank in compression, it’s the joints in the stand that have to withstand those weight shifts. Over time the joints can loosen, the whole thing can become shaky, and eventually the tank will end up on the floor. In addition to all that when you use a wooden stand you have to be conscious of condensation forming and seeping into the top and the joints.
Now if that stand is solid enough, and made of real wood, you might be able to pick up some angle brackets and screws at the hardware store and reinforce the joints to make it strong enough.
You may be fine with that stand, but a stand failure creates a major mess that you want to avoid.
Beware of the lateral strength of such a stand. The upright supports are very strong for weight straight down. But often weak if lateral forces are large. If things are a little out of square the thing might collapse sideways, folding flat. A thicker backing attached well to all three vertical supports might do the trick.