Hello MFK! Today I unveil one of my big hobby milestones, a DIY wooden aquarium rack. This was in planning for some time and after 2 weeks of on and off work, it is complete. Each rack is 30"x12" and there are 3 levels that can take a 15-gallon tank each.
It was mainly constructed out of 69mm x 22mm Pine planks with reclaimed shelves for the shelf-tops and varnished all over with a mahogany coating. Each shelf was constructed of a rectangular pine frame with 4 reclaimed planks on top, 3 of these were bolted to pine frames on either side. Once all were assembled and tightened I fixed aluminium strips on the bottom two shelves in an X shape to make cross bracing. Sturdy as a rock! Lastly, once in my bedroom, the rack was bolted to my wall for ultimate stability and strength.
The plan is to eventually have 2x 15-gallon endler breeding tanks and my 8-gallon shrimp breeding tank. However, with the current drought in Cape town, it's just the shrimp and a plant holding tank. In future when water is sorted I'll add endlers and another 15-gallon tank. The last other addition I need is power solutions and lighting fixtures. But for current purposes it's magnificent!
Now without further ado, here's the step by step build
1 - All materials for the individual racks collected
2 - All 3 racks constructed and ready
3 - Side frames built and sanded
4 - Trial assembly
5 - Taken outside to varnish
6 - First coat:
7 - Final finish
8 - Cross braced and bolted to the wall
9 - Tanks on
10 - Enjoy!
That's all! Even though he won't see this, I want to thank my dad so much for helping and teaching me through the duration of this build. I couldn't have done it without him!
Any questions or critique, please fire away
It was mainly constructed out of 69mm x 22mm Pine planks with reclaimed shelves for the shelf-tops and varnished all over with a mahogany coating. Each shelf was constructed of a rectangular pine frame with 4 reclaimed planks on top, 3 of these were bolted to pine frames on either side. Once all were assembled and tightened I fixed aluminium strips on the bottom two shelves in an X shape to make cross bracing. Sturdy as a rock! Lastly, once in my bedroom, the rack was bolted to my wall for ultimate stability and strength.
The plan is to eventually have 2x 15-gallon endler breeding tanks and my 8-gallon shrimp breeding tank. However, with the current drought in Cape town, it's just the shrimp and a plant holding tank. In future when water is sorted I'll add endlers and another 15-gallon tank. The last other addition I need is power solutions and lighting fixtures. But for current purposes it's magnificent!
Now without further ado, here's the step by step build
1 - All materials for the individual racks collected
2 - All 3 racks constructed and ready
3 - Side frames built and sanded
4 - Trial assembly
5 - Taken outside to varnish
6 - First coat:
7 - Final finish
8 - Cross braced and bolted to the wall
9 - Tanks on
10 - Enjoy!
That's all! Even though he won't see this, I want to thank my dad so much for helping and teaching me through the duration of this build. I couldn't have done it without him!
Any questions or critique, please fire away
