building a racking system

[justanotherdj]

Hello,

I'm planning to build a racking system for my aquariums

I currently have a 425 Litre tank and a 260 Litre tanks and am going to be adding 4 smaller 3ish Litre tanks.

I think there would be 3 level of shelving.

I was looking at doing cinder blocks and 2 x 10 lumber, however engineering has never been my strong point and I'm thinking it won't be strong enough to hold the larger tanks.

Anyone had any joy with this or able to suggest a better solution?

Cheers

 

[Backfromthedead]

2x6 beams will be quite sufficient for your rack. I believe you mentioned to me it was a 5' 425L. You should be able to span 5' if using 2x6s. I have built a couple racked setups like this. Most recently put together this one for a 150 and a 75 gallon.

You were talking about filtration on your other thread...what i do for the bottom tank is sneak in HOBs on the side where theyre not visible. I may run a can, a matten, or an overhead sump on the top im not sure yet.

One thing i will advise is leave at least 6" of space between the top of the bottom tank and support beam. You will need at least that much to work with the tank.

 

[justanotherdj]

Great thanks.

I’ve got a 450 litre tank also, if I built a stand for it using the same method would it hold the weight?

 

[Yulli]

Great thanks.

I’ve got a 450 litre tank also, if I built a stand for it using the same method would it hold the weight?

Your tank with water only will weight roughly 940 pounds, 450/3.78 ~ 119G * 8lb/G, Aquariums are live weight though and so you need to include a saftey factor most often 4 ie targeting a total weight of 4000LBS. 2x4's will support ~800lbs on a vertical meaning that you need 5 vertical legs, however, 2x6's will support ~1200lbs per, meaning 4 up legs. The screws will supply further support giving you a bit over the estimated weight. Personally, I would use 5 2x4 legs as they are not only much more available but also easier to work with.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Great thanks.

I’ve got a 450 litre tank also, if I built a stand for it using the same method would it hold the weight?

I would say yes. a couple 2x6s can span a pretty big tank as long as they're well supported on the ends and you install sufficient lateral support. I use 3" deck screws to hold everything together.

Heres another stand i put together a while back for a 225 gallon that i never ended up getting. It was rather overbuilt and i have since cut back on using so much unnecessary lumber in my builds.



KansasSunfish has a stacked 125 build ongoing right now that im pretty envious of. Much more professional looking than my stuff if you want to get some ideas from him.