Build or not to build

[Squirelad]

Hello fishfam, I want to spruce up the are with the fish I'm keeping with this metal shelving rack I found on Amazon (linked below), It has the right dimensions to house my 45 gallon tank with 2 baby Senegal Bichir's, a !0 gallon with a small assortment of fish and then there's my 2 gallon, 2-5 gallon, and 25ish gallon tanks that I have yet to decide what I want to keep/breed. My question is this should I get water proof mats for the shelving unit because the particle boards could soak up enough water over time to warp and become brittle ?    

Muscle Rack UR361872PB5PAZ-SV Silver Vein Steel Storage Rack, 5 Adjustable Shelves, 4000 lb. Capacity, 72" Height x 36" Width x 18" Depth

Edited October 8, 2020 by Squirelad

[Mridul Singh]

Yes. There are many things you can use, such as plastic mats, rubber mats, or other waterproof material.

[MickS77]

I would replace the shelves with 3/4 plywood (not OSB)

[Andy's Fish Den]

3 hours ago, MickS77 said:

I would replace the shelves with 3/4 plywood (not OSB)

I would also either use a good quality outdoor paint or if you want natural wood look some outdoor rated polyurethane or varnish to protect the wood from any spills or leaks.

[MickS77]

3 minutes ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I would also either use a good quality outdoor paint or if you want natural wood look some outdoor rated polyurethane or varnish to protect the wood from any spills or leaks.

Good point, I like using Rust-Oleum Black Enamel paint for a hard durable finish. Just stinks, best to paint it outside.

[Squirelad]

Thank you all for your recommendations, I'm trying to find a 36l x 24w x 72h rack to but will spray paint the particle boards with good waterproof sealant on either rack i get.

 

[Squirelad]

After several attempts I was unable to build the rack the bars would not stay tapped in while attaching the others. I am checking in to other designs to see how they are built. No bad feeling to the company that makes this type for now can anyone recommend a brand that you have bought and built with little to no issues. I cannot D.Y.I. a rack do to living situation. Also I thought I would try out a clear waterproof liner I can glue to the shelf's instead of using the paint and wanted to know has anyone else tried the liner option and how did it go. 

[Urbanaquatics]

Ive used a rubber liner (home depot sells rolls of it) over the shelves before, but I wouldnt recommend it. You will be better off getting some plywood to replace them with, Home Depot will cut it to size for you, thats what I did. The material the shelves come with are terrible and if they get wet they will lose strength quickly, you could get away with it, but I found myself always worrying about it so I replaced them. Do it right from the start and you will save a ton of headache later on trying to move set up tanks an replace it down the road.

 

The shelves just take a little time to get right, use a rubber mallet and tap the bars in the center first then work your way around until they are all seated. The weight of the tanks will keep them in place as well, so if they dont want to stay seated they will when the tank is on it. Make sure your rack is level when assembling to make it easier to seat them.

[Squirelad]

I tried for over an hour to keep the frame from coming apart and decided to pack it back up and return it for a different stand as for the liner roll I will return that too. My back up plan is to check out other types of stands for my 5, 10, and 45 gallon tanks while utilizing the space well enough so on to the next phase.

 

[Daniel]

@MickS77had a post on this earlier:

 

[Squirelad]

New topic I have an old aqueon quiet flow 10 internal power filter and cannot take it apart there are no videos on this and wanted to know was it made to be taken apart say if you need to replace the impeller. Has anyone had this issue with this filter before ?