Stand question

[suziq]

After trying an iron stand that I found way too flimsy, i decided on using a sideboard/sofa table for my 20g.
My question is for those of you that use wood stands/furniture for your tank, how do you protect the wood? The sideboard I bought is a beautiful piece and I would like to keep it that way.

[morleyz]

A desk pad works pretty well (you know, the kind that are supposed to protect your CEO's overpriced desk from pen impressions). Just make sure it's not too "squishy" so it will provide ample support.

[Sumpin'fishy]

Several coats of polyurethane or I'm sure even laquer would make it water resistant. Both will leave you with a view of the beautiful wood below.

[pinballqueen]

I would make VERY sure the sideboard was able to withstand the weight. It would be very sad to wake up to find the legs had crashed out from under it, costing you a tank AND a valuable piece of furniture (and your carpets...)

[Ger]

I think that in the case of a desk pad, some squishiness is desirable, as it would allow the tank to level itself (water always seeks its own level) in the event that the furniture is not. I read somewhere about using corrugated cardboard between the base of the tank and an iron stand to accomplish this in such a scenario.

[morleyz]

I would be concerned about something squishy causing pressure points on the "harder" areas. You should always level your stand...not your tank.

[aljen]

There's a trade-off between what looks good and what functions well. Why don't you sacrifice the finish if you truly want to use a piece of furniture as a tank stand? Later, you can restore the finish if you decide to stop using it as a tank stand.

[NJ Devils Fan]

I have like 2 old kitchen matts under my tank which is on an old sewing table.

[Cichlid Woman]

I used two half-inch-thick pieces of particle board, one placed on top of the other and cut about two inches larger than the tank on each side. Then I covered them with a nice fabric (just draped it over them and tucked it underneath) as a base for the tank on my dresser. It worked fine, and looked good.

A word of warning, though--anything you use for an aquarium stand is eventually going to get at least a bit of water splashed on it.

-- Pat