Engineered Wood Aquarium Stands???

[howdy]

Hi! I've heard a lot of people say that they do not like engineered wood stands made out of particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF). Why is that?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

Howdy

 

[Anonymous]

The logic is that they don't like water very much, more so than real wood.

 

[ChrisRD]

One of the things that comes to mind - if you're handy, it's easy to make a stand for the same or lower cost that is much stronger, more rigid and nicer looking.

Of course the other benefit in making your own stand is that you can have exactly what you want - custom dimensions, trim, etc.

One instance where it probably pays to buy the tank manufacturer's stand is with Oceanic. Oceanic is only required to honor their "no leak" guarantee if the tank is on their stand. If it's on a custom stand and it leaks I think you might be SOL...

 

[ChrisRD]

BTW howdy - Welcome to Reefs.Org.

 

[sstephen]

Even when dry, particle board and/or fiber board is particularly weak. Ditto on what was already said regarding what happens when it gets wet. Remember that wood expands when it absorbs water. Solid wood will warp and split. You can just imagine how quickly particle board would fall apart with all of those tiny pieces expanding in every direction. Plywood, on the other hand, is both very strong and more resistant to warping or splitting when exposed to water. The different layers of wood are laid down with the grain running perpendicular to each other. You can also get very high quality wood on one or both sides. The only drawback is that it's often pretty heavy. Many of the aquarium stand designs I've seen called for 2x4 frames (usually pine) surrounded by plywood exteriors.

 

[Anonymous]

Here is why I don't like particleboard or MDF

Because you can not get a stand that looks like this!

Hondorous Mahogany outside, Douglas Fir frame, Marine AA Fir Ply for top, bottom, and sides.

Plus, I can get it wet, and it doesn't expand to 3 times its original size.

Bryan