Cheap Aquarium Stands

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With every aquarium set up there is normally an impressive cabinet to match. Style and looks do not come cheap and this aspect can put off many potential buyers when it comes to purchasing a full set up with everything thrown in. In many cases the aquarium cabinet can work out dearer than the price of the actual tank so shopping around can certainly pay dividends.

There are other options when it comes to buying your cabinet, some of them will be explained here, but at the end of the day there are some rules that cannot be ignored just to save a few pennies.

• When buying a cabinet separately from the tank, measure the tank size and then measure again, your tank must sit on the cabinet flush. If any of the tank is overhanging the cabinet it will cause excessive stress to the tank glass, the final result can only be a lot of tears as the tank will crack and then shatter.
• Always make sure that the cabinet is capable of supporting the weight of the filled tank-water is heavy, do not underestimate it!
• I always look at tank stands or cabinets as a nice piece of furniture as well as being functional, buying a tacky looking stand or cabinet can spoil the look of your tank. If you have spent a lot of time getting the tank to look really nice then make sure the cabinet complements it as well.
• Many potential buyers of aquariums will look in the pet stores and see a nice tank and cabinet for sale that is beyond their budget, this does not have to be the case if you look elsewhere for what you are after.

Buying Second Hand

If you look around there are other outlets for giving your tank something nice to sit on. Get the local newspaper and check out the second hand section, there will always be someone who wants to sell off an aquarium with a nice stand. Buy the paper early in the day, that way you will be near the front of the line if you spot what you need.

Go to local second hand furniture stores, there may be a piece of furniture in there that would be ideal for your needs, even if it is designed for being a sideboard or similar, it still may have the right look about it for sitting your tank on top of it. If you are doing this remember the golden rules- make sure it will be strong enough to support the filled aquarium.

Even traveling to local boot or garage sales could turn up the stand or cabinet you are looking for, keep your eyes open for them. Keep your ears open for anyone who is moving abroad, in their house there may be the perfect stand just waiting to be sold to you.

Nowadays I think everyone must have visited the auction sites on the internet, I went through the stage of being an EBay addict for a few months, but in that time I managed to set up tank, stand and all the fittings to go with them for a fraction of the cost of a brand new set up.

DIY stands

I have written a separate article on this subject for this website (DIY Aquarium Cabinets). Making your own stand or cabinet is not as difficult as a lot of people may think. I am no DIY expert but a visit to the local hardware stores provided me with all of the necessary wood and fittings that I required. Even if you have to get the help of a friend to do the more tricky areas, the money that can be saved makes it well worth the effort.

Wholesale sellers

There are now many furniture sellers or even in the aquarium trade itself that are prepared to do good deals on stands and cabinets, some will even add them for free if you are buying a tank of them. Shopping around with different sellers will always provide a bargain somewhere. Top prices for stands or cabinets can be anywhere up to 300 pounds (600 dollars) and with the larger set ups you can pay up to 600 pounds (1200 dollars) just for the stand.

Purely by accident when I was searching for something else on the internet I came across this website (I was actually looking for bedroom furniture): onewayfurniture.com. They are selling a range of aquarium stands, even though they are classed more for house furniture, at very good prices. For example a stand that holds a 55 gallon tank I would expect to pay at least 200 pounds (400 dollars) but they are selling them for 135 pounds (270 dollars), quite a saving you must agree. They do a full range for most size tanks, well worth checking out the website.

In the English market a great website is rocketaquatics.co.uk.

They too have a very good range of cabinets and stands for very good prices. This website also does great prices on all hardware that is required for the fish keeping hobby so it is well worth a visit even if you are not just looking for a stand or cabinet. Obviously these two sites are just a couple of examples, there must be many more out there if you have a look around.

Another option, if you have one of the smaller aquariums, is to look around the room at the furniture you already have. Placing your tank on an existing sideboard could still give you the desired effect without having to spend anything extra at all.

The main purpose of this article is to give the readers various options of getting into the fish keeping hobby and not be put off by initial costs that they may find when they first start looking at what is available. I have never paid full price for any tanks or stands so if I can do it then anyone can - happy bargain hunting.
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Cheap Aquarium Stands

has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.