TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Hey fellow nerms. I'm thinking of getting a medium size rack for my tanks. I'm looking for it to hold 2 10 gallons and one 20 tall tank. It will sit in my dinning room on laminate/hardwood floors. Trying to stick with the closest size rack I can to the biggest tank the 20 and would like it to be no more than 5ft tall. Just want to get everything in one rack instead of 3 separate stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 You may have more luck building it. You could easily build a stand a bit wider to hold all 3 aquariums. Are you equipped to do so? If not, Home Depot and Lowes sell racks, but they are much larger and much more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 7:17 PM, Mynameisnobody said: You may have more luck building it. You could easily build a stand a bit wider to hold all 3 aquariums. Are you equipped to do so? If not, Home Depot and Lowes sell racks, but they are much larger and much more expensive. Yes I'm pretty handy at building but do t have the tools to do so like I used to. So buying one is really my only option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I tend to prefer / lean towards these: Single Dual A lot of them should be steel, don't get aluminum. Not strong enough. But the main difference between these two is the torsion force strength. You have a lot better rigid strength with the "dual" side of things because it's just thicker steel. Yeah, it's slightly more expensive, but if you ever want to get a 40B or 75G or something bigger, I trust that weight for the thicker steel compared to the cheaper versions. Yes, you can totally get the "more affordable" racks to work and Cory has that video from way back when and shows the dual 40B setup. It's beautiful. I just would want to have something slightly bigger and not have that weight on such a narrrow beam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 8:04 PM, nabokovfan87 said: I tend to prefer / lean towards these: Single Dual A lot of them should be steel, don't get aluminum. Not strong enough. But the main difference between these two is the torsion force strength. You have a lot better rigid strength with the "dual" side of things because it's just thicker steel. Yeah, it's slightly more expensive, but if you ever want to get a 40B or 75G or something bigger, I trust that weight for the thicker steel compared to the cheaper versions. Yes, you can totally get the "more affordable" racks to work and Cory has that video from way back when and shows the dual 40B setup. It's beautiful. I just would want to have something slightly bigger and not have that weight on such a narrrow beam. No I only plan to buy one. I would pay a little more upfront to get something stronger and more ridged to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misa Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I would highly suggest the dual if you're willing to spend the extra. I have the single. The center shelf holds the top and bottom racks together so you can't adjust it. I also replaced the pressboard shelves with 3/4 plywood painted black gloss for waterproofing and support. I wouldn't trust a tank sitting on untreated pressboard with no undershelf bracing for an extended timeframe but I'm paranoid so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 8:37 PM, Misa said: I would highly suggest the dual if you're willing to spend the extra. I have the single. The center shelf holds the top and bottom racks together so you can't adjust it. I also replaced the pressboard shelves with 3/4 plywood painted black gloss for waterproofing and support. I wouldn't trust a tank sitting on untreated pressboard with no undershelf bracing for an extended timeframe but I'm paranoid so... Right I planned on getting good treated plywood for the shelves. I was thinking 1/4 would be good but if 3/4x would be better I can go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) Thinking this could be a good choice for my needs and the shelves are suppost to be able to hold 1500 lbs each. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Kobalt-24-in-D-x-48-in-W-x-47-in-H-Heavy-Duty-3-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/1003094274 Edited January 19, 2023 by TeeJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 5:50 PM, TeeJay said: Right I planned on getting good treated plywood for the shelves. I was thinking 1/4 would be good but if 3/4x would be better I can go that route. both videos I saw, they both used 3/4". Cory has mentioned of NOT getting anything specially treated so those chemicals don't drip into the tank. I believe that's on his cinder block build video. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 9:00 PM, TeeJay said: Thinking this could be a good choice for my needs and the shelves are suppost to be able to hold 1500 lbs each. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Kobalt-24-in-D-x-48-in-W-x-47-in-H-Heavy-Duty-3-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/1003094274 I would trust this one over the one you texted me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misa Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 5:50 PM, TeeJay said: Right I planned on getting good treated plywood for the shelves. I was thinking 1/4 would be good but if 3/4x would be better I can go that route. I had 3/4 ply already so that's what I went with. Just keep in mind how you are going to position your tanks when choosing plywood. If you're putting a 20 high in the center of a 36x18 shelf, all the weight is going to be supported by the plywood with no bracing. If you have a 36" tank the ends, and therefore the weight, would be sitting over the structure of the rack. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 12:13 AM, Misa said: I had 3/4 ply already so that's what I went with. Just keep in mind how you are going to position your tanks when choosing plywood. If you're putting a 20 high in the center of a 36x18 shelf, all the weight is going to be supported by the plywood with no bracing. If you have a 36" tank the ends, and therefore the weight, would be sitting over the structure of the rack. Yes from any of the racks I have looked at. None would fit the dimensions of the 20 tall to get the width of the tank to rest on the steel frame and not just the shelf itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) I just want to throw this out there. I use these on all my tanks. Hubby cuts a 10$ board for the bottom (hardware stores make cuts also when hubby is working and I’m impatient). I can then put tanks on the bottom. It’s only 2 per stand vs 3 but that keeps all three of your tanks eye level for Hannah and Nevaehe. They can sit side by side and not take up much more room if any than the shelf racks. Look very nice for a living area. And allow an extra spot on the bottom for a 4th tank 😉 The cost of these two plus boards is less than the racks you are looking at. Petco delivers and I can assemble these (I’m NOT handy 🤣) in 15 minutes and have peace of mind they will hold up under the weight instead of that little worry in the back of my mind. Also eye level tanks are deceiving. I have had them. It’s only a step stool to climb to maintain but hauling water and having things in your hands IT GET OLD QUICK and if you are clumsy you forever step wrong coming down. Edited January 19, 2023 by Guppysnail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 7:11 AM, Guppysnail said: I just want to throw this out there. I use these on all my tanks. Hubby cuts a 10$ board for the bottom (hardware stores make cuts also when hubby is working and I’m impatient). I can then put tanks on the bottom. It’s only 2 per stand vs 3 but that keeps all three of your tanks eye level for Hannah and Nevaehe. They can sit side by side and not take up much more room if any than the shelf racks. Look very nice for a living area. And allow an extra spot on the bottom for a 4th tank 😉 The cost of these two plus boards is less than the racks you are looking at. Petco delivers and I can assemble these (I’m NOT handy 🤣) in 15 minutes and have peace of mind they will hold up under the weight instead of that little worry in the back of my mind. Also eye level tanks are deceiving. I have had them. It’s only a step stool to climb to maintain but hauling water and having things in your hands IT GET OLD QUICK and if you are clumsy you forever step wrong coming down. I think this is the best way to go for me. Just get 3 of them. 2 10 gal and 1 20 gallon so they all match and be done with it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 7:24 AM, TeeJay said: I think this is the best way to go for me. Just get 3 of them. 2 10 gal and 1 20 gallon so they all match and be done with it That’s what I did when I redid my fish room. I’m happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flumpweesel Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 12:11 PM, Guppysnail said: I just want to throw this out there. I use these on all my tanks. Hubby cuts a 10$ board for the bottom (hardware stores make cuts also when hubby is working and I’m impatient). I can then put tanks on the bottom. It’s only 2 per stand vs 3 but that keeps all three of your tanks eye level for Hannah and Nevaehe. They can sit side by side and not take up much more room if any than the shelf racks. Look very nice for a living area. And allow an extra spot on the bottom for a 4th tank 😉 The cost of these two plus boards is less than the racks you are looking at. Petco delivers and I can assemble these (I’m NOT handy 🤣) in 15 minutes and have peace of mind they will hold up under the weight instead of that little worry in the back of my mind. Also eye level tanks are deceiving. I have had them. It’s only a step stool to climb to maintain but hauling water and having things in your hands IT GET OLD QUICK and if you are clumsy you forever step wrong coming down. They are nice looking and look very well priced, there is definitely a gap in the market stand wise over here. I also agree on the height of tanks I go for eye level when seated 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJenna Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Hi TeeJay, someone in my local club posted what he uses for his rack system. He commented that he puts plywood down vs the wire frame. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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