5 Best Fish Tank Stands: Your Buying Guide (2018)

Having owned fish a few times in the past, I can tell you that having a large tank is a commitment. If this is your first tank, make it easy on yourself and go for a ten gallon, which you can then put on this handsome stand. The little decorative touches help it to stand out from your average all-black fish tank stand, while the angled legs also give it a little more interest.

This will fit a 20 inch by 10 inch “leader” style ten gallon tank, like that available from Aqueon and Marina.

It is a little on the expensive side, so if you want something cheaper, try the Imagitarium Brooklyn Metal 10 Gallon Tank Stand instead.

Of course, the open-style stands won’t keep you from having to stare at the uglier gear that comes along with fish ownership. Your fish food, vacuum and other supplies will need somewhere to live. That’s where these cabinet-style fish tank stands come in handy. This one in particular looks like an attractive, understated cabinet that can hold tanks up to 29 gallons. The fit is a bit tight on the upper end of that scale, so this makes a good choice for those of you with 20 gallon aquariums.

That said, if you want something closer to tailor-made, go for the Imagitarium Newport 20 Gallon Tank Stand, which is far cheaper, but doesn’t give you anywhere to hide the junk away.

Sometimes those minimalist black metal stands are the way to go. If you can live without integrated storage, this makes an excellent, sturdy stand that looks reasonably modern and goes with just about everything. This leaves about half an inch of extra room for a 36 by 18 inch “breeder” style tank.

Alternatively, if you have a just-over-40-gallon bowfront tank, have a look at the Aquatic Fundamentals 46 Gallon Aquarium Stand, which offers generous storage to go with its much higher price tag.

Speaking of generous storage, this shabby chic style aquarium stand offers plenty of it with four doors to hold all your fish accessories. This is a departure from the usual fish tank design and may fit better into a designed space. In fact, you can get other furniture from the line that coordinates with it to help tie your room together. If this gray color doesn’t work for you, it also comes in a faded white shade.

For a more standard look (and to save a bunch of money), you could also consider the Aquarium Fundamentals 55 Gallon Upright Stand, which comes in three shades, or the old standby Imagitarium Brooklyn Metal Tank Stand, which is less than $100.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, when you get to aquariums this large, the choices begin to dwindle. There are options out there, but they’re very poorly reviewed in part because once you get up to this size of fish tank, you’re dealing with about 850 pound or more of weight. Realistically, this is probably the largest fish tank for which you should be bargain hunting for a stand, and beyond this point you should find something either custom built or available locally in case you have any trouble with it.

That said, this is quite a sturdy thing and will ably hold your large tank. Though it’s made of fiberboard, it’s very dense and they’ve powder coated it to prevent random splashes from weakening the boards. It’s held together with metal locking cams, just like similar Ikea furniture which is capable of putting up with a surprising amount of weight. Otherwise, it’s a nicely understated stand that will fit in with most decor.