Will this stand work?

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Reygan2

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It's hard to tell in the picture but this desk is huge, approximately 56" across. It's a Broyhill, built with solid wood and it's extremely sturdy and heavy. My 75 gallon tank fits nicely on it, but I need some opinions on whether I should use it or not. It's way sturdier than the stands that are built specifically for the tank. I had someone paint it which is why it's on the rollers in the pic.
 

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That's a bit confusing to me, plus it's not what I want to hear lol. Seriously though, all the corners of the tank are supported, the desk has a wide footprint, and it's solid oak. I just don't see the risk.
Thanks for responding. Hopefully others will add some input.

More pics..
I removed the middle drawer and you can see that the inside part is a solid wood.
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I think it would work as long as you found a way to reinforce the center , as I'd be concerned on bowing in the center.
 
Good point, but lots of stands built for this size tank are open in the center. The top is a single, solid piece of oak that's an inch thick. I guess if I noticed bowing I could modify to support the center. I could remove the drawer and the piece that supports the drawer and support the top in the middle with a couple of 4/4's. As it is I like how the weight is distributed.
 
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It's designed to support pens, paper and a lamp, maybe a bobble head doll or two. If you want to drop a 1/3 of a ton of water in a glass box on it no one will be surprised if it fails. It has no structural support, it has no lower bracing, no cross bracing, no center bracing..its a desk not a fish tank stand..

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That center worries me. If you use it start by supporting the center more with some 2 by 4s.
 
It's designed to support pens, paper and a lamp, maybe a bobble head doll or two. If you want to drop a 1/3 of a ton of water in a glass box on it no one will be surprised if it fails. It has no structural support, it has no lower bracing, no cross bracing, no center bracing..its a desk not a fish tank stand..

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Thanks guys. This is an old, beast of a solid oak desk. From the input I've received from several sources today, this is quite superior to most stands designed to hold the weight of this tank. Bobble heads, lamps and pencils lol. Compared to the stands I've seen at the big box stores I'm good.
 
I wish you good luck with it. Keep an eye for any gaps between the bottom of the tank and the top of the desk for gaps, if there is a gap around the center the tank may crack. Saw a 100+ gallon tank crack down the middle cause of that.
 
I wish you good luck with it. Keep an eye for any gaps between the bottom of the tank and the top of the desk for gaps, if there is a gap around the center the tank may crack. Saw a 100+ gallon tank crack down the middle cause of that.


Thankfully the top of the desk is perfectly flat. I couldn't get over how level the whole thing is either.
Based on so much conflicting info I've decided to call in an contractor guy I know to go over the entire setup and see if it's doable.
 
23 years carpentry experience here and I would think as long as you got it level it should work. But best to have a pro look at it because you can only see so much in a picture.
 
And you'd be right, except for one thing, which wasn't in the pics...according to my guy the support boards do not go all the way to the floor, or this desk would be a great stand. We took the tank off and turned the desk upside down. Turns out the "baseboards" around the bottom are actually an attachment that the vertical support boards are stapled to, and they are not supported directly underneath. The baseboard attachment is wider, therefore leaving too much to chance. I wish I could explain it better. I'm very impatient, but not stupid. As much as I wanted to get this build filled up and done today, I have too much respect for the sheer weight of this tank.
I appreciate the feedback from the folks here. Even though it wasn't at all what I wanted to hear, I'm grateful for the ones that responded. Major catastrophe averted.
 
Good point, but lots of stands built for this size tank are open in the center. The top is a single, solid piece of oak that's an inch thick. I guess if I noticed bowing I could modify to support the center. I could remove the drawer and the piece that supports the drawer and support the top in the middle with a couple of 4/4's. As it is I like how the weight is distributed.

this stand is reinforced to hold the weight , a common desk was meant to write on . not to hold 100's of pounds
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this stand is reinforced to hold the weight a common desk was meant to write on . not to hold 100's of pounds
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Just like the contractor told me...this desk would be very capable of holding my tank if it weren't for the fact that the bottom molding pieces are separate and if the supporting boards went to the floor it would be more than adequate. I don't see where your comment added anything useful. This desk is far more useful than just something to write on.
 
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Just like the contractor told me...this desk would be very capable of holding my tank if it weren't for the fact that the bottom molding pieces are separate and if the supporting boards went to the floor it would be more than adequate. I don't see where your comment added anything useful. This desk is far more useful than just something to write on.

So.... just a desk after all.. one thing I've learned (cracked a 40b on a dining room table, very well built too..) If it doesn't come with a warranty or you didn't build it yourself... hmmm

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Guess so. Hopefully this thread will be informative to others. I'm glad I didn't just ignore the advice given.
 
I obviously don't know a thing about your "contractor" but I can tell you not to hire him for anything major because that was terrible advise. That's what 3/4" oak? Maybe 1"? Regardless, even before you get to the fact the bottom isn't braced to the top it cannot support the weight of over 800 lbs. A stand this size needs at minimum 6, preferably 8 2x4's that butt joint at the top and bottom. It's not even close to being able to support that kind of weight.

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I obviously don't know a thing about your "contractor" but I can tell you not to hire him for anything major because that was terrible advise. That's what 3/4" oak? Maybe 1"? Regardless, even before you get to the fact the bottom isn't braced to the top it cannot support the weight of over 800 lbs. A stand this size needs at minimum 6, preferably 8 2x4's that butt joint at the top and bottom. It's not even close to being able to support that kind of weight.

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You're mistaken. I could remove the bottom molding, brace the entire bottom and it would work perfectly. You're questioning 3/4" to 1" oak and suggesting particle board is superior?? Have you checked out the latest stands for these tanks? I think my lack of ability to accurately describe what my very successful contractor guy shared with me is causing some confusion.
 
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