# kitchen base cabinets for 120 gallon



## otterich (Aug 15, 2012)

I've made an aquarium stand out of stock kitchen base cabinets. I read all the previous forums on this subject, and the general consensus was that stock cabinets will not hold the weight for a fish tank.

I did it anyways with some minor adjustments, here are some things to discuss.

when you look at a 12in, 18in, 24in, up to 72 inch cabinets they all have the same exact structure and build. they might have 1/2 inch, 3/8 inch particle board, or sometimes plywood. the sides, faces, and backs do not change based on the width of the individual cabinet. with this in mind. I built 72" cabinet with 4 separate 18" cabinets. this gives me 8 vertical supports instead of 2(from a single 72"cabinet). the faces of the cabinets will be flush with a small space between the sides of each cabinet. I cut another 1/2" plywood and slid it between the cabinets and screwed the pieces together. If you can visualize this, I now have the end panels normal size and strength, but I have 3 vertical supports in the middle that are essentially 1.25 inches thick.

I also added another 1/2 plywood to the back, and screwed the entire thing into the wall. this provides stability, but not support. 
covered it with 3/4" plywood, and placed granite to match the rest of the kitchen.

I can't imagine that long term this will be inadequate. when I look at commercially purchased products... many are single units of particle board or pine that do not strike me as strong or durable.

I agree with previous posts. I do NOT think stock base cabinets will support a fish tank long term, but with some minor adjustments I do think they can be more than adequate.

I welcome any discussion on the matter. any suggestions?

PS- this cost me far more money than purchasing a pre-built stand, but it matches my kitchen and will help with re-sale down the road.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

I tend to think you are ok with added support, but pics would be nice.


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## ChuckinMA (Aug 24, 2013)

I wasn't comfortable with the structural integrity of the kitchen cabinets for larger tanks but fully appreciate your desire to match what you have. I ended up building a 2" x 4" stand, skinned the sides with 1/4" oak veneer plywood, and purchased matching kitchen cabinet doors. It worked well and while it's probably over engineered for weight stability, I sleep well at night. :wink:

One thing to consider is if you live in an area that occasionally gets earth tremors, a top heavy aquarium stand with gallons of water swaying back and forth will put a lot of strain on the stand structure.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The described construction should be more than adequate, although I would have rather seen the two ends stiffened with plywood like the interior ones. However, I don't see a single issue arising from this, either in terms of strength or longevity. There is a reason store bought stands seem so slight; it is called engineering. there really isn't any need to have a stand you can park a car on to hold a 55. At the same time, building with structural lumber such as 2 x 4s can be done with a minimal number of hand tools and so is within the scope of far more people. Nothing wrong with having an overly strong stand, just realize it isn't necessary.


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## otterich (Aug 15, 2012)

Both great points. Thanks for the comments. I didn't think much about tremors, we rarely get any in my part of the country. I suppose any tank stand will be put at jeooardy during a tremor. My kitchen cabinets are 35 inches high. So that is a bit more than pre-fab stands. Having the extra stability screwed into the wall studs should help with that also.


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## otterich (Aug 15, 2012)

And BillD... You are right. 2x4 construction with plywood would have probably been better. But I didn't want to make any cabinet doors. And I couldn't find matching cabinet doors for purchase locally. If I was to do it again. I would probably do it your way.


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