The IKEA KALLAX is a type of shelf that is offered by the international furniture giant, IKEA. Many people consider them to be high quality, which is part of the reason why they’re so famous. In addition to that, they also come in plenty of sizes and colors, making them suitable for those who want to DIY their setup.
That said, is a Kallax fish tank possible? Actually, the answer is: it depends. Kallax comes in a wide variety of sizes, and aquarium tanks come in various sizes, too. Obviously, a small aquarium tank on a large Kallax unit should be fine, but a large and heavy tank on a smaller unit is not recommended.
In this article, we’ll talk about Kallax fish tank and other details about the IKEA Kallax to help you decide whether you should use it to hold your aquarium.
Table of Contents
Can IKEA kallax support a fish tank?
There are many reasons why you may want to use Kallax to hold your fish tank.
For one, these shelves are very easy to customize. They can even be stacked together and modified. Some people also mount them to their walls for added security, even though by itself, a Kallax unit is already known for being quite durable. Like many other furniture from IKEA, they’re known to be pretty reliable and solid enough to hold even heavy items for a relatively long time.
However, fish tanks are a different thing altogether. It may not seem like it, but a fish tank can be deceivingly very heavy. What may seem like a small aquarium actually weighs gallons and gallons of water, which can be dangerous on weak shelves.
If you’re interested in using IKEA Kallax to hold your fish tank, it’s actually possible, though it still depends on your tank. For instance, a 2×2 Kallax unit is strong enough to hold a 20-gallon tank at most. If your tank is only 5-gallons or 10-gallons, it would be much better, though.
Additionally, it’s recommended to add some reinforcements in place if you’re going to use IKEA Kallax for your aquarium setup.
How strong is IKEA kallax?
As mentioned above, IKEA Kallax is known to be reasonably strong. However, fish tanks can be quite heavy, plus their weight is just focused on one spot for a long time.
If you really want to use IKEA Kallax to hold your fish tank, it’s best to have some reinforcements, like L-brackets, vertical supports, diagonal supports, and other similar measures. Furniture straps are also a good idea. With the aquarium placed on the shelf, it will now become top-heavy, which means you need to strengthen it.
This is actually quite easy to do, especially if you’re just about to assemble the unit. During assembly, you should already create a plan on how to make it a fish tank shelf. For instance, you can add plywood at the back for additional support. Some people have even transformed their Kallax units into beds, benches, and tables, so this is entirely possible.
How much weight can a kallax unit hold?
Each cube of IKEA Kallax can apparently hold roughly 29 lbs of weight, or 13 kilos. The smallest option is 4 cubes, while the biggest one is 25 cubes. You can always stack more together, however.
The bigger your stacks are, the longer and heavier the aquarium you can theoretically place on them. Of course, keep in mind that you should distribute the weight as equally as possible for best results.
Is Kallax made of MDF?
IKEA Kallax is not made of MDF, or Medium-density fiberboard. Instead, it’s made of corrugated fiberboard, also known as corrugated cardboard. Inside is recycled paper that is structured into a honeycomb design for maximum durability.
It’s important to keep in mind that if there’s too much weight on a Kallax unit for a long period of time, it may show signs of sagging. This is very common among cheaper boards, such as the one that Kallax is made of.
That said, you can easily avoid this by adding reinforcements to strengthen the unit’s structure and by distributing the weight evenly.
Should I use an IKEA bookshelf to hold a fish tank?
Whether or not you should use an IKEA bookshelf to hold a fish tank depends on your budget and available resources, to be honest.
There’s nothing wrong with using an IKEA bookshelf to hold your aquarium, although, of course, it’s not the most optimum choice. Over time, IKEA furniture made of fiberboards like this is known to become wobbly and weaker since they’re not actually made of wood.
If you have the resources to get a stronger shelf, it’s certainly much better. They may not be as cheap as the IKEA Kallax, but you can be sure that they won’t sag someday.
For more aquarium articles, visit our blog!