# Will this office desk hold a 55 - 75 gallon tank?



## JellyRaven (Nov 17, 2014)

Hey guys! ^^

I'm getting a large tank from a friend for around $75 (which is a good deal here in Australia), unsure of the dimensions yet, but I'm just wondering if this desk would be able to hold it without breaking? I'm thinking of clearing it off to put it here, It's only going to have small peices of texas holey rock, the rest is going to be imitation resin rock, so the hardscape shouldn't be too heavy. But I'm not very good at building/engineering stuff so I don't know if the middle of the desk is going to break, It seems somewhat sturdy though. Should I get a plant of wood and put it under there just to be sure? or like, stuff some foam in-between the draws and the desk (they aren't connected). It's just got a small hospital tank on it right now with a little cichlid. So any one who knows how sturdy stands work, I would love some help! ^^ Thank you!

Here is a picture - http://puu.sh/dahF5/abfd2d157c.jpg


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I would say, you would be inviting disaster if you were to put a tank of that size on that desk as is. It could be shored up to take the weight, by bracing the ends and placing a partition in the centre. Not knowing exactly how it is connected, there may be more that is needed, but, this would be the starting point.


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## Matt- (Jul 14, 2014)

Yea 55+ gallon tanks filled with water can go upwards of 500 lbs. It's hard to tell how sturdy it is from a picture but I would highly recommend looking into a stand specifically made for a tank of that size. I don't know what type of pet stores you have in Australia but I just purchased a stand from petsmart for a great sale price. I'd look into that or even craigslist, also don't know if you have that either but just be careful about it. You don't wanna get it all set up just for the whole thing to collapse. Also, tanks that size kinda stay put once they're set up. So make sure that the spot you choose is ideal and that you aren't going to want to move it a month later. Good luck!


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## LeeAberdeen (Sep 4, 2014)

Why would a flimsy piece of office furniture hold a tank which could weigh as much as 750lbs when full? Avoid using it at all costs or you'll end up with water everywhere, broken furniture, a damaged tank and, possibly, a wrecked floor. This is why people get stands designed for the task. It's very little to do with the weight of your hardscape, which will be far less than the weight of the water. The clue's in the name - office furniture is designed to be used as furniture in an, er, office, and a tank stand is for standing tanks on.


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## JellyRaven (Nov 17, 2014)

Thank you for your help first two guys! I will look into re-enforcing it or I might just buy a stand. And @LeeAberdeen, no need to be rude, that's why I'm asking for help.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

One thing that I have learned is that tone can never be inferred in emails. I believe that Lee is just giving good advice to avert disaster.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I have an office desk that would easily carry the weight of a 55 or even a 120. There are reasons for not using it, but not because it can't carry the weight. Same can be said for mass manufactured aquarium stands. Not all are equal, and, some barely capable. In this particular example the desk is not of a design that would carry an appreciable amount of weight.


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

My concern on this particular desk is the top. I have had less expensive desks get a little wet and deteriorate quickly. Keep this in mind when selecting what you will put a tank on since there will be spillage and splashing.

I used to have a credenza that held my old 55G with no problems. That piece was also capable of holding up a dump truck though. If I were considering the pictured desk, I would first apply pressures on the top from the sides and front to back to see if it deflects much with the load currently on it. If it deflects (top moves side to side) then you have to decide if you are looking at issues in the near future.


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## JellyRaven (Nov 17, 2014)

Thank you! That's a lot of help dsiple, I don't really want to spend more money on a stand.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

You can make a DIY aquarium stand for very little money - if you don't care what it looks like. The cinderblock (concrete block) stand with 2x4's is a tried & true method for making a burly stand that can support a very heavy tank with very little outlay of capital.

Get 6 or 9 concrete blocks and set them in either two or 3 columns. Use the 2x4's to make a frame the same foot print as the tank (assuming of course that the tank in question has the black plastic trim around the bottom, which is what rests on the wood, rather than the glass). Make sure the 2x4's are on edge as they can carry much more load then if you lay them flat. You can cap this frame with plywood if your budget allows - but it's not required if your tank has the trim I describe above.

Keep in mind that 1 litre of water weighs 1 kilogram - so that's a bit more than 8 lbs per gallon. So a 75 gallon tank is going to weigh at least 600 lbs for the water alone. Then add the weight of the tank, then the substrate & décor... Probably safe to assume that the aquarium when full will be 750 lbs.

Read this thread from the DIY section of this forum. It has some links to pictures of what the proposed concrete block & 2x4 stand will look like.

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=323482

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

D


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## JellyRaven (Nov 17, 2014)

Thanks mate c: I don't want to build one though as I have zero tools and don't even have the money to build a stand which I'm guessing would be around $100 for materials?


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

JellyRaven said:


> Thanks mate c: I don't want to build one though as I have zero tools and don't even have the money to build a stand which I'm guessing would be around $100 for materials?


It's hard for me to say how much the materials would cost you; being that we're half a world apart!

However - think of how much it will cost if that desk fails; spilling some ~75 gallons of water on your floor, and breaking your aquarium in the process!

Can you get any more pics of that desk? Specifically it's vertical supports and any cross strapping?

The one you've posted makes it look like an Ikea office desk I used to have, complete with the re-movable desk drawer units. If your desk is similar to my old desk I would not chance it at all... But I can't really be sure. There is a chance it could be perfectly suitable for this application - it's just not likely. Hence all the concern.

Regarding the no tools part... When I built my first stand I had zero tools either. What I did was take precise measurements to the hardware store and have them cut the wood for me. They were supposed to charge me $1 dollar per cut after the first as a store policy - but I chatted with the worker and told him what I was doing and he did it all for free. All I had to do was take the pieces home and glue/screw it together.

Thing is I didn't have a drill - so what I did was glued all the pieces first and held them together with a bunch of old bicycle tire tubes, and after the wood was dried I put in a few screws in key areas by hand - it was probably unnecessary, but I did it anyhow.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

It kind of looks like a desk I used to have... if that's the case, it would not work.
There is one easy way to test it. As mentioned, you can guess about 10 lbs per gallon, with substrate, etc. 
You said 55 - 75 gallon tank. Let's go with worst case scenario - 750 lbs. 
Get some friends together until you hit at least that weight and all of you sit on it first, wiggle around, and if it holds, then all of you stand on it and move around. If it's like what it appears (hard to tell from photo), you probably won't get past the sitting on it step. This will probably convince you not to try it... 

+1 on illy-d suggestions for DIY stand... much safer...


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