Aquarium Stands- cabinet wood vs. pine

[tyrancooper]

I am planning to set up another discus tank. I purchased an All-Glass cabinet wood aquarium stand. (I couldn't afford their solid pine stands, and thought the cabinet wood ones were nice enough.)

A few weeks later, I got into a discussion about various tank stands with a LFS employee. He told me that his shop refuses to carry cabinet wood (laminate) aquarium stands, because they will literally break down within 5-6 years because they are made of inferior materials. This REALLY worries me.

Has anyone experienced any cabinet wood stand disasters? The thought of having to break down a tank and replace its stand after a few years is frustrating... The thought of a tank suddenly collapsing after a few years is downright frightening!

Tyra

[AADiscus]

Haven't had theat problem yet! Knock on wood.:smash:

We have wood and laminate counter top for our fish stands.

[wolfbane]

By "cabinet wood" do you mean particle board? If so, I had a Wal-Mart stand that was that way, the finish ruined, but it never showed signs of breaking down. I had it for 5 yrs., then sold the set-up to a fella thru the newspaper. I now have a pine stand, love it, but costly. Could build one if you're handy, not hard to do.

[tyrancooper]

The All-Glass company catalog describes the stands as both "particle board" and "laminate wood".

I truly hope that the "gloom & doom" attitude of the LFS employee was more of an attempt to sell a higher priced product than anything else. The solid pine stands without a doubt look and feel more sturdy than the laminate wood, but I just couldn't afford one. I don't want to believe that All-Glass would market an unstable item, considering the potential amount of damage that would occur if the stands could collapse after a reasonable amount of age and wear.

Tyra

[JMArtist]

The big problem with laminates stands is that they are only an applied surface on particle board.
Particle board is made of wood chips that have been glued, squeezed together, then cured till dried.
Problems arise when the wood gets wet for long periods of time, the glue loosens, the wood chips expands and the whole thing begins to crumble.
The other problem that might arise is that the screws and or nails often become loose should you move the stand around too much. Particle board furniture is known to do this since it is not really a particularly strong material to begin with.
Plus the weight of a large tank is constantly applying pressure on the joints.
So having a tank that will be going thru frequent water changes on a laminate stand is problematical at best. Water is bond to be spilled frequently even by the most steady of hands.
However, if you dry up every spill as soon as it happens, and do not move the stand around too much, you should be fine.
A pine, oak or metal stand would give you greater security in the long run. I'm sure each of these probably have their own little problems.
For exsample, pine is a soft wood, and is prone to splitting.
Metal can rust, but be sanded and refinished...making oak the great choice if you want something that only needs to be polished once in a while...my lord, I have a pine stand...
All Glass is not selling items that will cause future disasters on purpose, but they are selling items in a wide range of price ranges for people of different incomes levels.
After all, you were able to afford what you got, it look's nice, and you have your fish in it.
You can always down the line up grade to a better stand should you see it begining to weaken. Or you could just buy another laminate stand to replace it.
Options for stand are only limited by your imagination.
I once saw a 72 gallon bow front tank placed on top of a curved rod iron balcony window grate with iron legs welded on the back to make a table and a marble top. A foe finished marble hood was also added...it was a little too much for my taste...besides, it was salt water...

[tyrancooper]

Great information, JMArtist. Thanks.

[Dood Lee]

Particle board stands are perfectly fine if you take the time the ensure that the exposed sides (the edges with no laminates) always stay dry. Always wipe your spills. I have had the All-Glass laminate stands for years now, and they last.

If you have skills at woodwork or have a friend who does, you should build the next stand you need. There are numerous web sites and forums that have topics on diy stands.

[wolfbane]

my 29 gal tank is sitting on a "basic console" built from a kit, from Lowes Home Improvement store. I put doors on the front, and its a great, sturdy, stand. I can't say that I saved much money, but have a stand far sturdier and prettier than the stands that are at petsmart. I was appalled at the shoddy work I saw there, but I did buy my 150 and pine stand there later on sale, this stand is STURDY!

[JMArtist]

my 29 gal tank is sitting on a "basic console" built from a kit, from Lowes Home Improvement store. I put doors on the front, and its a great, sturdy, stand. I can't say that I saved much money, but have a stand far sturdier and prettier than the stands that are at petsmart. I was appalled at the shoddy work I saw there, but I did buy my 150 and pine stand there later on sale, this stand is STURDY!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with finding other types of furniture to place a tank on, even a large tank.
As long as what ever it is, is able to support the weight, you should be fine.
It's your tank and your home, be as creative as you please with it.
There are no rules to this.
My 40 gallon Discus tank is on a pine stand I bought from a pet shop, but my 20 gallon angel fish tank is on a dresser...it's just a little high during cleaning, but other then that it's fine for veiwing.