Optimal heights for stacked 75 gallon tanks?

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I'm looking for opinions here.  I am about to build a stand to stack two of my 75 gallon tanks.  I hate that my current setup puts one of them like 2" off the ground.  It's hard to clean under there, and they fish hide at the site of legs (I find some do this more than others, but in my experience fish seem to hate being too low - don't know why).  So, let me know what the center point height of the two tanks would be, in an idea world, in your opinion! 

I realize that there are a number of factors that go into this decision, but I'm purposefully not going into the construction right now because I'd like to hear optimal heights in folks' opinions.  I will say, the tanks are 21" tall and I am 6' if that helps.  I'll talk about construction once I get some thoughts, and I'll let you know what I go with in the end.  Thanks in advance for all the input!

[FLFishChik]

I may not be fully understanding the issue here, BUT… I’m not sure how you would raise the bottom tank up without having to also raise the top tank so high that it’s above a reasonable height to clean/maintain? Could you not build/add skirting around the bottom of the stand to prevent dust and debris from getting underneath?

[Tanked]

My 75 tops out at 60".  At that height I can do most maintenance without a step ladder.  Detailed work involving the hardscape/substrate requires a short step ladder/stool.

That height allows for comfortable viewing seated or standing.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 10/2/2023 at 12:07 PM, Tanked said:

My 75 tops out at 60".  At that height I can do most maintenance without a step ladder.  Detailed work involving the hardscape/substrate requires a short step ladder/stool.

That height allows for comfortable viewing seated or standing.

Thanks!  I took that into account when building the rack.  Mine will top out a little higher, but the bottom tank is still very low.  Oh well.  No way to get around it without making maintenance on the top one a real pain in the keester, I suppose.

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/2/2023 at 7:48 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I'm looking for opinions here.  I am about to build a stand to stack two of my 75 gallon tanks.  I hate that my current setup puts one of them like 2" off the ground.  It's hard to clean under there, and they fish hide at the site of legs (I find some do this more than others, but in my experience fish seem to hate being too low - don't know why).  So, let me know what the center point height of the two tanks would be, in an idea world, in your opinion! 

Depends on the stool you have and the actual tools you have, but based on my experience with mine I would highly recommend that you make sure you get the siphon for deep tanks, long net handles and all of that. Lifting the lid for me and having room to work is anywhere from 9-12" above the rim. Something like.... if you had a HoB, being able to lift those parts up you're at minimum talking a good 12-16" depending on which one you're using.

Let's say it's light mounted on the "ceiling" of the lower tank so it's out of the way. Somewhere in the range of ~10-16" of room to work with is best. The larger value is better.

From the floor itself, if the tank is too low then it's just a pain to drain the tank without using pumps and that sort of thing. I would say minimum 12" off the ground. Preferably 16-18" if you can. High enough where you can sit with a decent stool (like a mechanics one) and enjoy the tank.

That gives you an idea of the height/room needed above each tank, from the floor is set, as well as the tank dimensions themselves.

That being said, if you're not finding enough space, you can always try a 75G on the bottom and a 60B on top.

 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by nabokovfan87
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