nwaas.com

I shall endeavor to not be scared by forums.

My email is charlotte.rhys(at)gmail.com

Random question... are there types of furniture that can be used instead of 'official' aquarium stands? Because we have this big cabinet thing that we currently feed the cats on, but I think it should be all right for tanks.

Charlotte,

Welcome to the forum. It was a pleasure meeting you last night at the Christmas party.

I changed how you had your email address listed (changed the @ to an (at)). This way it is more difficult for online machines to scavenge your email, but we can still access it.

Kevin

There really isn't any rule that says you have to use an aquarium stand. Just realize that water will splash on whatever you use, and that water wieghs more than 8 pounds per gallon. Whatever you use must be sturdy enough to hold the weight without problems. Welcome to our forum. Denny

Regular furniture can work for aquariums, depending on how well built. Many items of furniture these days are made of particle board or plywood, with a thin laminate applied. Such furniture works well for holding light household items, but can quickly sag or break under the weight of an aquarium. Also, particle board deforms if you spill water on it and don't clean it up immediately. Plywood does, too, but it takes a bit longer for damage to result.

So look at the furniture in question and try to determine if it is made of real boards, or made of particle board or plywood covered with laminate. Real boards are more likely to be safe. Of course, the safest bet is a stand built for aquariums.

Thanks for attending the party!

What's an aquarium stand? You mean they actually build furniture just for aquariums? All kidding aside, good sturdy furniture works great but like Mike said, avoid particle board. Believe it or not I've seen stands MADE for aquariums that were particle board.
Welcome to the forum Charlotte.
Michael

I'm glad to see you on the forum, Charlotte! See? We aren't nearly as scary on here as we are in real life!