If the top looks flat it probably is. You could check with a straight edge to be sure. Just sitting the empty tank on it will show if its flat, there should be no gaps between tank bottom and the cabinet. I would be more concerned with ability to hold the weight. Hopefully its a flat bottom [no legs] so the weight is distributed evenly. Make sure all joints are tight [no flex when pushed on]. A good wood cabinet is actually much more sturdy than a wrought iron stand. Solid wood is better than a laminate for tank stands [laminates dissolve when water gets under the skin].

As long as the stand is flat and contacts the entire frame of the tank and is sufficiently strong enough so it does not bow or bend under the weight of a tank/water/gravel it should be fine. I never buy any store sold stands and have never had a problem...

Petsmart has a special on a 20 gal, with a stand (wood with three shelves) and a florescent hood for $99.00........I was looking at their tanks and stands today while waiting on the wife, and they had a laminate stand to fit a 30 gal cube for $199 for just the stand...Typical laminated (extremely thin laminate) on particle board.......but alongside it was an identical stand, with solid maple face, and no particle board at alal it was all birch or maple veneered 3/4 inch plywood (cabinet grade with 7 and 9 plies) Both stands were identical in style, with a touch latch tempered glass door. The only difference was the color and construction materials......and the better quality plywood and solid maple wa onnly $129.00......still can't figure out the price difference as plywood especialy hardwood veneer and solid maple costs more than particle board does. Laminate is dirt cheap to make.

Thanks! Yes, the dresser would hold a CAR. Further, the top wood is on TOP of the thick side slabs (not screwed or pegged level with them) plus no legs. I can check with a professional level for minor imperfections in the absolute smoothness of the top. It's also crossed my mind to scavenge a slab of countertop material or invest in a piece of cabinet grade wood to set down first, if recommended.

But wouldn't a thick cushioning layer like an excercise matt take care of any minor blemish? I don't care if the top finish is marred--the aquarium ain't moving. Similar wooden stands I've looked at (I clean out a big office aquarium occassionally) seem to support ONLY the aquarium edges & don't appear to have any special leveling cushions. Why doesn't the entire aquarium bottom need support?

(yeah, I realize this is probably an incredibly stupid question, but I haven't had an aquarium since the iron age, & never one over a simple 20 gallon.)

Thanks again for your thoughts.

I also make my own aquarium stands -only the tank frame needs to be supported. I use strips of 1/4 in cork cut from a roll I bought at walmart under the aquarium frame. Dense styrofoam works as well.

I have a 75 gal setup setting outside on a couple of concrete blocks with a couple of 2 x 4's on top of the blocks with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top of the 2 x 4's. The entire tank sets on the plywood on a piece of 1/4" foam with the center cut out so only the tanks bottom frame portion is in contact with the foam and not the glass itself. Been there for close to 5 years now. No problems.
Just set yuour tank on what you choose and look under the frame for any gaps...if its less than say the thickness of a match book cover I would not worry about it, or yuou could use thin cardboard stock to shim it where needed. or set on a piece of packing material (the thin white flexible foam you usually find wrapped up around items that were shipped and secured with tape........

If the dresser can hold the 75 gal. I would go with that. The extra inches in depth gives alot of options for decor and depth perception. If aquascaped good it looks very natural. If a knothole is protruding along the frame of the tank it could cause a leak or break. As far as level, your floor probabley isn't totaly true to level.Level is somewhat important to larger tanks but nothing some wood shims couldn't solve. If the surface of the dresser top is questionable, you can get a piece of MDF board cut to size at Home Depot. They also sell edgeing that is applied with a household iron to seal the edges. This will give a perfectly flat surface. And as far as some storebought fish stands the lower end ones are overpriced and workmenship/quality are questionable. Some dont look qualified to hold a bag of popcorn.

Excellent suggestions. Thank you all for your help :)

Only the tank frame (the bottom trim) needs to be supported because when placed on a table only the bottom trim makes contact with the table. The underside of the bottom glass doesnÂt make contact with the table, thereÂs an every so slight air space.

I felt as many of you have felt when shopping for aquarium stands. The solid looking ones were overpriced. The more basic ones were made of particleboard. I guess they build these things with physics or engineering in mind (hopefully) but I still question their strength.

In comparing the more "fancy" cabinet type stands with the cheaper more "basic" particle boards stands, I noticed that most of them had one thing in common: as Bluegirl put it best, the top wood board is on TOP of the side boards, not screwed in or level with them.

I have an old 70Âs style stereo at home. Though it has stereo equipment built in it, I noticed that the centre of the stereo was basically the same concept. There was one very thick top board running on top of two side boards. Plus the bonus with my stereo was that there were numerous other side boards which would provide even more stability.

I wasnÂt as concerned if the top of the stereo was flat as I was if the stereo itself was sitting on a flat floor. Especially since the basement floor is concrete and may curve slightly. I used a carpenterÂs level and had to put some wood shims under the front part. Actually, I used a strip of old floor linoleum as I only needed a very very slight adjustment.

I did cut out a piece of cardboard to put underneath the aquarium, but probably did this more to make myself feel better, that I was cushioning it somehow.

I am not trying to be negative, but this just crossed my mind. In determining the size of aquarium not only keep in mind how much weight your old antique chest of drawers can hold but also the flooring of your house, unless you are in the basement.

Or, maybe I am just being overly cautious. It's just that you mentioned a 75 gallon aquarium (though you are leaning toward a 55) and 75 gallon aquarium filled might be 800 pounds of weight with water and gravel, etc.

So, I guess what I am asking to anyone who knows, how much weight can the average household floor hold? I am curious to know as well because I am thinking of putting an aquarium upstairs this fall, though mine will be only 20 gallons, which is probably the equivalent of a person standing on the floor, 200 pounds.

A house that was built in the last 80 years "should" be OK. Some factors- Termite Damage or rot.- Severely unlevel house or other structual issues. The only way to be sure is Knowing the size and on center distance of floor boards. This would determine load capacity. A 75gal is spread over approx 8 square feet. That would be like 4-5 people standing in that same area or a heavy antique cina cabinet filled to the hilt.

Well, I went with a 39 Marineland tall because of size, cost, & the fantastic hood--covered double lights, separate flip-top for filter access, a biowheel, etc. Yeah, I know, less O2 absortion area, but hey, only 4 goldies & a few cories, plus i maintain regularly. The 55 longs had crummier hoods & light set-ups & were too long for the ONE place I could put them--the dresser top.

Plus, I hate the hang-on-the-back filters I've been using--even though they ARE good filters. They just bug me as far as accessing them from behind the tank to service. And finally, I HAD to make a decision (even if it was the wrong one!). I had four goldies in a cracked 20 gallon tank that could fail any minute.

Got a slab of MDF cut to stretch across the full length of the dresser top. Then (couldn't find the #$*% foam) lined the tank edges with that thick heavy-duty stick-on foam to pad campers to pickups.

So far so good, fingers crossed. Each of the 3-4 levels we have reads differently (!) but all have the bubble in the middle, a couple have it VERY *slightly* left/middle. But the best level we have, though a professional one, is visibly warped, sooo.... I'm watching carefully as things settle. Shimmed with heavy cardboard to the right, added gravel & a few gallons, rechecked level, added more water, etc.

And y'all are quite correct: no floor is true level either!
We have a slab foundation, so no problems there, as far as the weight. The goldies & moors are in hog heaven & the tank is a beauty.

Ehh...so what if I now have to stand on a stool to pull out the filter foam (yup, I DIDN'T think about the height)! still wouldn't matter, because it came down to: the tank MUST go on the dresser, PERIOD.
Thank you again for the great advice :)

Its not the level aspect that can cause a tank to crack as much as the point of it not being fully seated on a "FLAT" surface with the bottom of the frame fully supported...

As to your numerous levels that all read different......Take one level and shim or adjust it so the bubble is in the middle of the lines......Take another level and lay it on top of that level.......is it the same results, then do the same with the next level etc etc....Then do it again with a different level as the base level. Keep track of which level reads what way. Those that are out, trash em........if your in need of a precise way to check em, take a container of water that is long and fill it with water, (caserole dish etc) and shim up container until the distance of one end reads the same as the other, when you measure from water surface to top of containers lip. Water will always be level. Once you have the same reading on both ends of the container lay the lvels on top of the containers edge. It will show if its reading right or not. Adding a bit of dishwashing soap to container eliminates surface tension so more precise measurement without surface tension affecting it may be necessary.....Or just use the aquarium and measure from water surface to top edge (without using dishwashing detergent of course)Nothing worse than a level that is not true.

I see you got a tank already, but for that next tank ;) don't forget used...

I love craigslist.org... I just picked up a 75 Gallon for $300 - tank, stand, hood, lights... and now there are several complete setups - gravel, filters, etc. for similar cost (of course!)

anyway, just saying you don't always have to buy new....

Regarding less 02 absorbtion area (less water surface), you can always add an air pump and airstone if need be. Chances are, however, if the filter is powerful it's providing enough air circulation/stirring the water enough. Especially if you see small bubbles at the point where the water from the filter hits the water in the tank.

Having a biowheel on the filter is a very good thing. Apparently this encourages the growth of lots of beneficial bacteria, which is good when you have goldfish as they have high bioloads due to their body mass.

For example, a 2 inch goldfish would create more waste and need more oxygen than a 2 inch guppy, because a goldfish is more wide bodied, more body mass.

Enjoy your tank, it sounds very nice. I almost bought a used aquarium at a garage sale. Unfortunately though, the tank had been used for an iquana and the owners did acknowledge that it leaked water above a certain height. I realize it probably could be fixed, but I decided not to bother. It was good that the owners were honest, however.

Glen

Most tanks that housed reptiles end up with leaks. They bump around in them pretty good. As long as the glass isn't broken and frame isn't cracked they can be repaired easily. I would remove all the caulking though and recaulk.

"Water will always be level..."

*SLAP!* Dang!, I forgot such a basic concept! Thanks, Kirap, for the great reminder & for the useful hints on checking levels.

And yeah, I have had excellent luck buying used tanks. They are usually dirt-cheap & have the filter, hood, & pump thrown in. The folks I've bought from were honest & nice. I keep a watch on local ads, but no tanks popped up during this semi-emergency. Now, AFTERWARDS...at least 3 were in there! An extra for such emergencies ain't a bad idea, either.

But the new tank is still doing great. The fish are so happy it's a pleasure to watch their exhuberant behavior. Punkin', Blackie, Calico & Droopy (he got his dorsal fin crimped in a filter intake as a kiddo) are in hog heaven.

And thanks for the reminder--goldies ARE rather hog-like--lots of eating & rooting around, lots of waste--exactly why I went with the additional bio-filtration of a biowheel after reading good opinions of them here.

P.S. This tank has a narrow slab of glass sealed into place at the top, in the middle, perpendicular to the long-axis, immediately underneath the filter/biowheel box. Is that thing for extra support of the tank itself? It isn't necessary for the box, as that is built into the hood itself. It's rather inconvenient & I'm getting a ridiculous urge to remove it. *SLAP* **SLLAAAPPP*!!!!
(not to worry, ruining one tank is my limit--it just seems superfluous & gets in the way of gravel-vacuuming)

Water always seeks its own level. The importance of closer to true level is the pressure is directed at one side more than the other. The bottom should take brunt of the load of the water, thats where the frame is and its stregnth. The problem comes in larger, longer tanks when more weight is pushing to one side. The seal is weekend quicker and it could cause leaks. Also, It sucks when one side is an inch low and the other is overflowing. but thats it.

Oh man, I sure hope you get that tank off the dresser soon! I had a little 10-gallon on a really stout dresser- worked for a while, but eventually the woode's going to sag, because they siply aren't meant to handle that kind of a load on top and one day you're going to come home to an empty tank except for your dead fish and saturated dresser contents- believe me, it will happen! My 10-gallon routinely sprang a leak on holidays (didn't learn very quickly, I'm sad to report), and the time between leaks got less and less as the dresser got less and less stable. I speak from experience.

Re: MDF please DO NOT use this product for aquarium applications. I work in a cabinet shop and have used MDF frequently. When exposed to water, it will swell and fall apart in minutes. Yes, it can be painted, and it is even used (stupidly) in the construction industry for window sills...but leave your window open during a windy rain storm and it is completely ruined. Even leaving a drink on it in a glass without a coaster will leave a noticeably raised ring where the wood has swelled. Instead of MDF, I would suggest a high quality plywood instead, preferrably exterior or marine grade...yes it will be much more expensive initially, but much safer and maybe much cheaper in the long run.