I want to put a 36 Gallon, 30″ fish tank on top of a dresser in my bedroom. It will be a reef tank, so it will have rock and sand so the total tank could come close to 400 pounds. The mechanicals of the tank will be in the bathroom behind the wall, so the dresser will still be used as a dresser. I’ve attached a picture of the dresser we have currently. You’ve all seen these dressers before, I think Sears sold a million of them. It is 48″ long. I’m assuming the top of this dresser would deflect too much. Could I build a torsion box of some sort to put the tank on and get the weight out to the posts? Could I use angle iron somehow?
If instead of using this dresser I either built or bought a new one, what would work? We would probable be looking for a 6 drawer, low dresser. Any thoughts?
Dave
Replies
Resting 400 lbs on that dresser does sound like a problem. Have you considered building a stand which would stand over the dresser? Its legs would flank the dresser. You could make it strong enough that the tank wouldn't bother it.
I thought about that. I'm not sure how to do it and have it look good. I guess you could make it like a big sofa table. Tall and narrow that was just big enough for the dresser to slide under. I'll think about it.I also think it would be possible to build a new dresser, probably with a middle style that runs to the ground so that the dresser would have 6 legs. I think I would need to do something still to move weight from the top to the six legs while stiffening the top so that it won't deflect. Most fish tank stands I've built or have seen people build are framed with 2x4's.Come on you furniture designers, give me some more ideas.Thanks,
Dave
"Come on you furniture designers, give me some more ideas."I'm not a designer but I think you should hang the tank from the ceiling and the wall, leaving the space below open. Metal brackets off the wall and stainless rods to the ceiling.
I would be concerned with how well those legs will handle the load. 400# isn't all that much weight, but those curves in the legs are probably the weakest points in the load carrying parts of the dresser. If one of them quits........................ - lol
I also don't think that furniture style will really work with a fish tank on it. I've seen some really nice reef tank stands but your setup will always look like a fish tank sitting on an old dresser - lol
A coupleof RSJ's to the outside walls should do it may look a little interesting,
.You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
What's an RSJ?
Its the abbreviation for a ROLLED STEEL JOIST or an I beam steel girder in common terms would certainly hold up your fish tank just make sure you are not suffering from an Irony deficiency.
Regards John B
You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
What the heck do you do with a 400 pound fish? Steinmetz
Cut the line before it gets in the boat and bites someone!
Hal
Hal, Re: 400 lb fish yarn. Or, if he's a 'keeper', put him on a 'no-salt regimen. DR. Steinmetz.
Dave,
Seems to me the dresser would handle that much dead weight. I would worry if there were any racking, however. A twist in the case could cause a failure. I would "look under the hood" of the piece to see if I could add any glue blocks to weaker areas. How about adding a glued-on piece of 1/4" ply to the back of the case to keep it from racking left to right.
Your idea about moving the weight of the tank over the legs is a good one. However, if the tank is 36" wide and the dresser is 48" wide that means 6" on each end when centered. The top has an overhang which puts the legs inside that number. I'm not sure you'll get much sag in the top. If all the weight were within 6" or 12" of center I'd have more concern.
It's tough to really tell what the best solution is. Maybe there are ways to test it before you put the real thing up there. Keep adding weight see what happens.
I might be more worried about a leak soaking whatever I had stored in the dresser!
Good Luck,
-Paul
Pablo -
Yeah, my response assumed that the dresser was structurally sound. If it is, then the legs are the weakest part of the structure. If it has loose joints, etc then I wouldn't do it at all - without some serious work to tighten it up.
My other comment about the appearance of the finished piece is just my idea of what looks good. Somehow, fish tanks on dressers just don't "work" for me - lol.
Dave,
I agree. All our tastes are different. I enjoy the challenge of trying to solve problems like the one in this thread. I look forward to finding out what the solution is.
-Paul
I like the feedback. I actually think that the tank on a dresser may look better than most stands. A 36 gallon bowfront tank is quite small and somewhat tall. When you add the room for metal halide lighting the hood ends up quite tall also. Most reef tanks I've seen setup this way end up looking too thin and tall or top heavy. I'm thinking if I put a nice clean looking tank on the dresser with the lighting hung from the ceiling, a 14' foot cathedral, the tank will look nice and the dresser will make the tank look more grounded than a typical small and tall fish tank stand. I also don't have that much room. If I add a stand to the room it will get to look cluttered.The dresser is sound. My wife and I really want to replace it but I would rather not start that project now. Of course, if I put a tank on it, it will probably never get replaced. Moving a reef tank is pretty disruptive to the tank.Dave
Moving a reef tank is pretty disruptive to the tank.
Tell me about it - lol. Early this year, I did some extensive kitchen cabinet remodeling in a VERY high end home. The owner has a 500 gallon reef tank and it's his pride and joy. He told me one day that he had spent ~$30k just to beef up his floor to carry the weight.
Part of the job included replacing some of the old cabinets that were hung on the wall between the kitchen and his reef tank. A couple of days before I was to deliver the new cabinets and demo the old ones, he called and asked if I knew how to fix a crack in the tank. I told him that I had no idea and that he needed to call somebody who did reef tanks - and he should call them RIGHT NOW!!! (His entire first floor is oak hardwood.) I also told him that he should deal with the tank before I started the demo on the old cabinets 'cause I wasn't about to even walk past his tank with my demo tools - let alone start pounding on that wall. He agreed, and my work was postponed for a week. - lol
Interesting and entertaining. Earlier this year, I made a cabinet for a 270 gallon salt water tank. The empty tank weighed 400#(at least that is what he said) it sure looked heavy. I am quite sure the cabinet I made would handle the tank and water, but I told him all bets were off when it came to the floor. His foundation is concrete slab and I think it will hold it.
BTY the cabinet was walnut.
A 270 gallon tank is really large. I have one in my backyard that isn't quite that big. I think that it holds about 240 gallons, which is small for a hot tub, but just right for my wife and me.
Hal
Dave,
EDIT: I saw the measurement is 30" not 36"........I wonder if simply putting a secondary piece of ply under the tank that is the size of the dresser top would work? Laminate two together? Gets back to your question about a torsion box. Perhaps nothing that radical- just enough to spread out the load.
-Paul
You may easily transform the middle and last drawers into two drawers and meet your desired need by cutting them off.
Bergen... you are responding to a 15 year old post. This fish was fried a long time ago.
Why do you keep spoiling these things? These threads are as close as we will ever get to eternal life...
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