Building stands for multiple tanks???

[Hybridfish7]

This will likely only be done over the winter, but I'm planning on building what would ideally be a 12' rack for 3 60Bs, 4 40Bs, and whatever small tanks I have down below. How would I go about doing this? I was thinking of taking some inspiration from Rusty Wessel's fishroom for reference, but I am not exactly familiar with building racks/stands for tanks side by side.

 

[anitstuk123]

That's a good idea

 

[Hybridfish7]

That's a good idea

thank you, but this does not help.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Here's a quick sketch of something like I would do. A bit less than 12' at 140" but you could lengthen it if you wanted more space between tanks. This could be done with just 2x4s and deck screws. A durable paint or other finish couldnt hurt though.

I'm assuming the tanks are 48x18x16 and 36x18x16 breeder tanks, so the 24" shelf height gives you 7-8" of clearance. If you don't mind going taller you could add more shelf height.


Stick figure model is around 5'9"

 

[Hybridfish7]

Here's a quick sketch of something like I would do. A bit less than 12' at 140" but you could lengthen it if you wanted more space between tanks. This could be done with just 2x4s and deck screws. A durable paint or other finish couldnt hurt though.

I'm assuming the tanks are 48x18x16 and 36x18x16 breeder tanks, so the 24" shelf height gives you 7-8" of clearance. If you don't mind going taller you could add more shelf height.
View attachment 1500816

Stick figure model is around 5'9"

Thanks for the input. However, I was thinking more along the lines of not having any space between the tanks, at the cost of length in the stand. I've scrapped together a rough blueprint:

Everything measured to scale by use of a ruler made of squares on google slides. The bottom row is 20 longs and sideways 10 gallons. These are not permanent structures, and while I do like the idea of 2 20s and 6 10s, I may or may not go more or less on each, and the quantities shown are just there to demonstrate the capability of what those bottom shelves can fit. As for the design itself, I thought of doing something like what Rusty had, in regards to having the tops of the middle row tanks flush with the top tanks, and having the stand itself look something like a really upscaled staircase, but then I realized the side view would have to end up looking something like this:

(Ignore the fact that I designed it wrong and forgot to put some of the vertical supports)
So at that point I realized the empty space left by the "flush top two rows" idea would be kind of a redundancy, and would cost a lot of extra wood that I frankly cannot afford right now. So, the front view became something like this:

Now, while it's a bit taller- the whole thing standing at a total of 5'6, it is now a lot more laterally compressed front to back, as seen here.

I don't intend on having anything under the tanks, so I went ahead and designed the bottom shelf to basically just sit on the floor. I looked at the king of DIY's design for a multiple/side by side tank rack, and think I have the general idea of how to build the thing, in the sense that I basically just need a bunch of braces to compensate for tensile strength lengthwise across the beams. I guess now my question is, with bracing, how much can I trust the 2x4s/screws to hold 3 60Bs and 4 40Bs on each shelf respectively?

 

[Backfromthedead]

Your second design, the thin long stand, is pretty much what I have in mind...I don't know how you're going to fit all 4x 40b's in 12' on the second shelf unless you have no vertical columns in the middle of the shelf, which I don't think would be a good idea holding up the 3 60b top tanks over 12' span. You could use some bulkier lumber on the top frame but it would eat up more space.

I'd have no problem building this thing with 2x4s, you would just need some kind of support in the middle span, thats why I had a pillar every 3-4'.

I would consider securing this thing to a wall, some sturdy wall studs or something else stationary and immovable, as well. It will be quite top heavy no matter how sturdy it is.

5'6" height seems a bit too short for me...you're gonna want more clearance above tanks imo.

 

[twentyleagues]

This will likely only be done over the winter, but I'm planning on building what would ideally be a 12' rack for 3 60Bs, 4 40Bs, and whatever small tanks I have down below. How would I go about doing this? I was thinking of taking some inspiration from Rusty Wessel's fishroom for reference, but I am not exactly familiar with building racks/stands for tanks side by side.

It's basically the same as building a stand for say a 6' tank. I'd run some up right support between the tanks if I was doing it.

Something like that but obviously longer with more support between the horizontal parts. I'd use 2x6s like I did above for the horizontal pieces. Also plan on it being a bit longer then originally designed to fit everything you want with proper bracing.

 

[Hybridfish7]

Your second design, the thin long stand, is pretty much what I have in mind...I don't know how you're going to fit all 4x 40b's in 12' on the second shelf unless you have no vertical columns in the middle of the shelf, which I don't think would be a good idea holding up the 3 60b top tanks over 12' span. You could use some bulkier lumber on the top frame but it would eat up more space.

I'd have no problem building this thing with 2x4s, you would just need some kind of support in the middle span, thats why I had a pillar every 3-4'.

I would consider securing this thing to a wall, some sturdy wall studs or something else stationary and immovable, as well. It will be quite top heavy no matter how sturdy it is.

5'6" height seems a bit too short for me...you're gonna want more clearance above tanks imo.

If my math is right it should be 5'6, might give an extra inch or two between shelves to get decor in and out, but it should be 5" of clearance. On a side note, I'm going to need an entire tree's worth of branches and dry leaves for all these tanks.

 

[Hybridfish7]

It's basically the same as building a stand for say a 6' tank. I'd run some up right support between the tanks if I was doing it.
View attachment 1500793View attachment 1500794
Something like that but obviously longer with more support between the horizontal parts. I'd use 2x6s like I did above for the horizontal pieces. Also plan on it being a bit longer then originally designed to fit everything you want with proper bracing.

I have a bad history of cutting things too short, for something as expensive as this is probably going to be, and that has as little room for error as this will, I will definitely be adding an extra inch or two of wiggle room to make sure everything fits. I will likely be taking precise measurements of the individual tanks themselves before building shelves to fit them. I've built stands for standard 10 gallons only to find that the ones I have are not standard, and are an inch shorter/wider than standard.

 

[Hybridfish7]

I would consider securing this thing to a wall, some sturdy wall studs or something else stationary and immovable, as well. It will be quite top heavy no matter how sturdy it is.

I could make the bottom tanks stick out a bit more, if that would help it not fall forward. Other than that I am not exactly permitted to drill anything into the wall.