Reinforced Petco MDF Stand

[Azarus]

I have a love/hate relationship with off-the-shelf aquarium stands.

Having settled on a nice-looking MDF stand from a big-box store, I then couldn't sleep at night wondering how it would hold the weight of a 55g-80g tank.

I went to the hardware store and bought several 1"x1" deck balusters and cut them snug to slide in as reinforcement.

Figured I'd share in case there were others in the same boat as me.

 

[Hammerheadz]

MDF tank stands always make me a little nervous. MDF and water do not mix well. It gets used because it's cheap and easy to work with. If you have an opportunity before getting water in the tank I would put a couple extra layers of a Polycrylic clear coat on every angle of it especially the bottom ends no one ever see's but most often traps moisture to give it a longer and stronger life.

Good call on throwing in some extra bracing. Reminds me of putting similar supports in cheap kitchen cabinetry in order to properly support heavy countertops like granite.