Kilman805
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2024
- Messages
- 152
- Reaction score
- 140
- Location
- Santa Barbara, California
- What state or country do you live in
- California
I'm just getting started building a saltwater tank after many years of freshwater tanks. I decided on a Fluval Flex 32.5 gallon tank and originally planned on using the matching Fluval stand too. But after two shipping mishaps with the Fluval stand, I had to find another option. The Fluval stand is packaged very poorly and is easily damaged in shipping. Frankly, its overall quality is pretty poor too. It's all vinyl covered particle board that you assemble with those screw-in pegs and twist-to-lock fasteners, like Ikea furniture.
As I looked for alternatives, the Ultum Nature Systems stands caught my eye. But I found it difficult to find much detailed information or photos despite positive overall comments. I live about 3 hours from the nearest dealer, so I took a chance and drove down to check it out and ended up buying it. I'm really happy with the build quality and appearance of the stand. It's a night and day difference from the Fluval one. It's not solid wood, but it's not particle board either. It appears to be all solid core cabinet grade plywood faced with thick wood veneer. The top, sides, and doors are all roughly 3/4" thick and the bottom inside floor is 1/2". Everything is very neatly built and the finish is very nice. My only minor complaint is that I wish it had leveling feet instead of the ones pictured.
This specific model is the 90P in "natural" finish. The top is a few inches larger than the Fluval Flex tank in both width and depth. The quality doesn't come cheap. It was $650 versus the $300 Fluval stand, but for me, having an attractive stand and peace of mind that it won't collapse is worth it.
I'll start a proper build thread soon, but I hope this helps someone.
As I looked for alternatives, the Ultum Nature Systems stands caught my eye. But I found it difficult to find much detailed information or photos despite positive overall comments. I live about 3 hours from the nearest dealer, so I took a chance and drove down to check it out and ended up buying it. I'm really happy with the build quality and appearance of the stand. It's a night and day difference from the Fluval one. It's not solid wood, but it's not particle board either. It appears to be all solid core cabinet grade plywood faced with thick wood veneer. The top, sides, and doors are all roughly 3/4" thick and the bottom inside floor is 1/2". Everything is very neatly built and the finish is very nice. My only minor complaint is that I wish it had leveling feet instead of the ones pictured.
This specific model is the 90P in "natural" finish. The top is a few inches larger than the Fluval Flex tank in both width and depth. The quality doesn't come cheap. It was $650 versus the $300 Fluval stand, but for me, having an attractive stand and peace of mind that it won't collapse is worth it.
I'll start a proper build thread soon, but I hope this helps someone.
