How strong is the unit? To have it blend in with my living room I was thinking of putting a 12-gallon fish tank on it. Filled the tank weighs 136lbs
383642
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the overall unit an 8 for sturdiness. HOWEVER, having grown up with a father who has a fondness for fish, I'd worry more about the height/depth of the unit. I don't have a fish tank handy, but in my mind, a 12G tank is deeper than the unit is. Also, the total height with the fish tank might be too much without bolting the unit to the wall. Lastly, the support for the top of the unit is all on the right and left edges. There is a middle plank, but that acts more like a partition for the top two shelves rather than a central support beam. If you have a tank with a evenly dispersed base, it might work...but I think it's still a 50/50 endeavor either way. Hope this helps.
383643
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the overall unit an 8 for sturdiness. HOWEVER, having grown up with a father who has a fondness for fish, I'd worry more about the height/depth of the unit. I don't have a fish tank handy, but in my mind, a 12G tank is deeper than the unit is. Also, the total height with the fish tank might be too much without bolting the unit to the wall. Lastly, the support for the top of the unit is all on the right and left edges. There is a middle plank, but that acts more like a partition for the top two shelves rather than a central support beam. If you have a tank with a evenly dispersed base, it might work...but I think it's still a 50/50 endeavor either way.Hope this helps. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the overall unit an 8 for sturdiness. HOWEVER, having grown up with a father who has a fondness for fish, I'd worry more about the height/depth of the unit. I don't have a fish tank handy, but in my mind, a 12G tank is deeper than the unit is. Also, the total height with the fish tank might be too much without bolting the unit to the wall. Lastly, the support for the top of the unit is all on the right and left edges. There is a middle plank, but that acts more like a partition for the top two shelves rather than a central support beam. If you have a tank... » Read More On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the overall unit an 8 for sturdiness. HOWEVER, having grown up with a father who has a fondness for fish, I'd worry more about the height/depth of the unit. I don't have a fish tank handy, but in my mind, a 12G tank is deeper than the unit is. Also, the total height with the fish tank might be too much without bolting the unit to the wall. Lastly, the support for the top of the unit is all on the right and left edges. There is a middle plank, but that acts more like a partition for the top two shelves rather than a central support beam. If you have a tank with a evenly dispersed base, it might work...but I think it's still a 50/50 endeavor either way.Hope this helps. « Show Less
627586
I have this model and weigh 212lbs. I feel confident it will support your weight. Very pleased with this unit and it's stability.
1826739
Yes, I think it would be sturdy enough to hold a 20 gallon tank as long as the chest is put together well. It does take a long time to assemble but once it's set it is a very strong piece of furniture. I have been very pleased with it.
1632206
I love these storage and showcase pieces, they would be great for baskets w/DVD's they seem to be strong enough. I just don't know they would be strong enough for a 10 gallon fish tank, they seem to be strong enough, they are very sturdy, well constructed and made of wood. I hope this helps, I love them for my displayed knick knacks and personal statues and stuff on top. I also put them together myself, love them, Diane
910971
Assuming you're talking about the larger stand, I would say it shouldn't be a problem. I had a 10gal tank for the smaller stand. Since the stand is heavy wrought iron, I was never concerned about it tipping over. I put plexiglass in the shelves, but that was more for aesthetics. It is quite sturdy. I you match the tank with the appropriate stand, you should have no worries.
900746
It is a sturdy unit but I definitely wouldn't go over 30 lbs. probably 20 to 25 lbs. would be a safe max. limit.
994797
Absolutely not! This is a particle board unit with a cardboard back. It is not designed to hold that sort of weight. Even if this was made of hardwood, the boards are too thin to individually offer the sort of strength you would need. It would be stronger if placed on the floor with the openings facing up, but still not strong enough to hold an aquarium. Heavy steel metal stands are typically used to hold fish tanks and when wood is used, i have seen 2 inch thick boards used (2 x 4's). This would collapse (most likely sideways) at some point under the weight.
1632207
The DVD's would be OK. The fish tank is a maybe. the top surface might suffer from spills. Perhaps a coat of waterproof paint would be advised. There is a weight limit on the middle shelf but the unit as a whole should hold an ordinary 10 gal tank(put some heavy items in bottom shelf to offset the top weight?). The unit might be a bit tipsy if your tank is one of the tall/narrow ones - could be a danger for small children. The pet store sells flimsier units to hold tanks so it should be OK for ordinary use.
122176
I would worry about the stability of the unit after several moves. The unit is heavy when you think of how much dirt goes into it. If I were to do this, I would make sure there is additional support for the legs.
882203
Thanks! I just set it up last night. It is big, but fits on my counter ok after some rearranging--and the benefit of having 2 big tanks outweighs the inconvenience of having to move my stuff around. Hopefully it does the job...
1448317
yes, its very sturdy. I have a 29 gallon aquarium which is about three times the weight of your two 5 gallon aquariums. The top is 2" thick hardwood lumber. It should be more than sturdy enough for your use.
1865650
I have a 32" flatscreen on the top, the middle holds a 5+/- lb av receiver and a middle surround speaker. I just tried sitting on the top shelf with the tv still on it and it did not seem like it would break. I am just under 200lbs. I did not put all my weight on it but enough to know it can hold about 50 lbs without worry. Id even go as far to say it holds 100lbs on the top shelf alone but you shouldn't put anything that heavy on it either way; no tv weighs that much that you wouldn't just mount to the wall. It is really unbelievably sturdy for the material and assembly. slight wobble but not fall apart wobble. you would have to try to break it in order to.
653469
I wouldn't go much larger than a twenty gallon tank. The shelves themselves are very sturdy since when you lay it o it's side what would now be the top is supported by the two shorter original top and bottom pieces instead of the wooden pegs. Just remember a ten gallon tank with water weights ~111ibs while a twenty gallon weighs about 225ibs. I use it for records but I have a 47" lcd tv and large reciever sitting on top of it and don't notice any bowing. I imagine you would be fine with a larger tank but I wouldn't personally risk it since it's not made of hardwood and the thinner shelf pieces could start splitting when supporting vertical weight if side/new top starts bowing. I wouldn't go much larger than a twenty gallon tank. The shelves themselves are very sturdy since when you lay it o it's side what would now be the top is supported by the two shorter original top and bottom pieces instead of the wooden pegs. Just remember a ten gallon tank with water weights ~111ibs while a twenty gallon weighs about 225ibs. I use it for records but I have a 47" lcd tv and large reciever sitting on top of it and don't notice any bowing. I imagine you would be fine with a larger tank but I wouldn't personally risk it since it's not made of hardwood and the thinner... » Read More I wouldn't go much larger than a twenty gallon tank. The shelves themselves are very sturdy since when you lay it o it's side what would now be the top is supported by the two shorter original top and bottom pieces instead of the wooden pegs. Just remember a ten gallon tank with water weights ~111ibs while a twenty gallon weighs about 225ibs. I use it for records but I have a 47" lcd tv and large reciever sitting on top of it and don't notice any bowing. I imagine you would be fine with a larger tank but I wouldn't personally risk it since it's not made of hardwood and the thinner shelf pieces could start splitting when supporting vertical weight if side/new top starts bowing. « Show Less
2270532
I put a 39" on top of this guy... worked well. It is a very strong unit. Be careful when assembling to insure you put the pieces right side up, going the right way, etc. I missed a couple of things and had to undo/redo... otherwise, excellent unit.
554228
It would have to be a pretty huge aquarium. There are probably cheaper alternatives more suited for aquariums. This is a whole house unit. Installing it would probably take avery experienced aquarium tech and/ or a plumber
1826737
This would be sturdy enough to hold a 20 gallon fish tank. If you have read the reviews you notice that it is a pain to put together. We are happy with it but the quaility is not the best. It will last maybe 5 years.
2118033
This is a very sturdy unit. Although I don't have a TV on top of mine I believe it would hold 50 lbs. easily. Solid wood no press board/MDF.