Hi guys. I've recently ordered a Fluval Roma 200 for my first tank. I have done alot of research and am feeling confident in giving it a try. One question on my mind is if my home made table strong enough to hold the weight of a 200 litre tank. I know the tank will weight over 200kg with just water so when you add the landscape it'll be over 250kg. As you can see, it's a metal frame underneath a 40mm thick solid oak worktop. It has 4 legs that are secured to the wall and work top as well as having the 3 lengths of steel angle again fixed to the wall and worktop. the weight will be distributed between the four legs and be pushing down on the to the top of the skirting boards. I think it will be strong enough but wanted to ask for a second opinion. let me know what you guys think. I'll add a picture so you can see what I mean

Its not possible to tell the structural integrity of something by looking at a picture of it, I can only suggest you and a friend sit on it at the same time.

If anyone was wondering, I was not being sarcastic when I suggested that the OP and a friend sit on it. As we know the tank will weigh 200Kg the only way to test the shelf is to put a weight of 200Kg or more on the shelf and if the shelf does not move all will be well, but where are you going to get 200Kg from? You could put weight lifting weights on it, I don't know about you, but I don't have any weight lifting weights, so next best thing is to sit on it, but as (I presume) most of us don't weight anything like 200Kg two people should sit on it.

I'm never convinced by that idea. Obviously, if two people were to sit on it and it was unable to withstand their weight, then it certainly wouldn't withstand the weight of a tank. However, I would have thought an isolated episode of or weight on a surface for a finite period of time .v. constantly would be quite different, the latter potentially weakening it until it eventually collapses? Surely a more accurate way to test it would be to have a heavy weight as a long-term presence on the surface (albeit probably not realistic under the circumstances)?

Of some consolation is that the 6-8 week process of cycling the tank should give an opportunity to see how it bears up, before adding the fish (etc).

But they don't have any weights, and they have never been back since asking the question to find the answer.