Wire racks from amazon for aquariums

[Kieflow]

Hello all, has anyone ever used the 5 shelf wire racks from amazon for fish tanks? It says they are rated up to 350lbs per shelf, and a 20 gallon long fits very nicely onto the shelf. I’ve heard 20 longs are 225lbs with water so I have some wiggle room. Substrate will be a thin layer of sand with clay potted plants I plan on putting a piece of plywood across the wire shelving so the tank has a flat surface to sit on. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Kieflow

[knee]

On 2/9/2023 at 11:59 AM, Kieflow said:

Hello all, has anyone ever used the 5 shelf wire racks from amazon for fish tanks? It says they are rated up to 350lbs per shelf, and a 20 gallon long fits very nicely onto the shelf. I’ve heard 20 longs are 225lbs with water so I have some wiggle room. Substrate will be a thin layer of sand with clay potted plants I plan on putting a piece of plywood across the wire shelving so the tank has a flat surface to sit on. 

I'm planning to do the same but I'm getting the Gladiator shelves from Home Depot. As long as you support each level and don't go over the weight limit it should be fine. I would also secure it to the wall just to avoid some wobbling.

These are popular (not the amazon ones specifically but similar looking shelves) in another forum that I'm in that focuses mostly on planted tanks, nano fish and shrimp.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

We use tons of wire racking in the restaurant world and the way I’ve personally seen them bow and bend kept me away from them. Gladiator racking is better in my opinion. I just can’t take the chance with the wire racking 

[TOtrees]

I've used that style of rack for smaller tanks, and they do the job but I'd be reluctant to put anything larger than a 10 gallon on any one shelf, or more than 2 tanks on the unit (lowest shelves only). I find there is too much bend in the wire the shelves are made of, and too much wiggle/wobble of the entire structure. A decent test that most folks can do is try sitting on it. Take a piece of plywood or particle board that fits the shelf (like in the pic above), remove the empty tank, and climb on. Carefully. How stable is it?

After you've done that, imagine a full tank is on it, and the tank or shelf gets jostled or bumped. If the unit is solid, the water might slosh a bit, but it'll settle quickly. But if the shelf unit wobbles, you can get a rhythm or frequency issue that amplifies the sloshing, instead of damping it. I wouldn't think you'd be likely to lose the tank, but my gut still says eek.

So I recommend going with a smaller tank, or a better shelf. But that's just my 2c. 

[mynameisnobody]

I would go with the gladiator racks. You’re going to want more than a little wiggle room when it comes to this sort of thing. I had a wire rack that became a spot to keep all my aquarium supplies, it works perfectly for that sort of thing. I wouldn’t trust it with true weight though. 

[anewbie]

I don't know anything about them but if they don't keep the bottom flat the tank can break - you can put a board under them i guess but it still needs to stay relatively flat.

[jwcarlson]

I think they'd make a great storage rack for food, equipment not currently installed, and other dry goods/hardscape items.  

I wouldn't put a fish tank on those if you paid me.  There's much better racks available, but I'm not sure about the cost difference.  

[Sleepy]

On 2/10/2023 at 2:30 PM, jwcarlson said:

I think they'd make a great storage rack for food, equipment not currently installed, and other dry goods/hardscape items.  

I wouldn't put a fish tank on those if you paid me.  There's much better racks available, but I'm not sure about the cost difference.  

This. I had the same or similar I used them just for this purpose It would have to be less than a 5 gallon for me to even think about putting a tank on one MAYBE!

[Kieflow]

Thanks for the responses! Seems like the general consensus is a 20 is too much for the wire racks. The gladiator racks are alittle out of my price range. Does anyone have the blueprints for a double stacked 20 long rack from 2x4s?