# best design for rack?



## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

well, as the question says, im looking for the best, most economical design to hold multiple tanks, this needn't be pretty, only functional. i'm not fully sure what size tanks i'll be keeping but i already have a 4 foot tank and a 2 foot tank, i'm pretty sure the largest tank ill be keeping is 5x 2 x 2' if even that big, i will be using either DIY canister filters or air sponge filters, if using sponge filters what air pump would be best? any designs or helpful hints and tips are greatly, greatly appreciated as this is my first build of this type.
this is the type of set-up i had in mind but has anyone any improvements or alternative designs?









Thanks, Paul


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

If I were doing this sort of stand I'd modify it so the 4x4's were along the long edges of the aquariums rather than in the middle as you've shown. I don't know that i'd feel comfortable supporting my aquarium even by the 2 long sides, but i'm pretty sure i've seen other folks do it that way with concrete block stands, and i don't remember anyone reporting that their aquariums cracked.

Make sure you leave enough room above the bottom aquariums so that you can get in there and do maintenance (and make sure you account for whatever space your lighting solution will take up!)

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

I would ditch the 4x4's and use (2)-2x4's plied together with a piece of 1/2" osb glued and sandwiched in the middle. It will be stronger and have less of a tendency to warp, bow, and twist.

The cinder blocks will work well and they are pretty cheap :thumb: on that selection. However, I think that it may work better if you stacked them so that the support boards run through the holes. Use tap-con's to hold the beams in place.

And...x2 on moving the support beams to the outside edge of the tanks. Since you don't know the exact size the tanks will be, it could be difficult to gauge where to place the beams. If it were me, I would space them so that you could put a 55g on each shelf. Then figure the next largest tank that you would put on( say a 75g) it and put a beam there. Then decide if you are going to go even bigger.

As I think about it, it makes sense to space the beams @ 13", 18", and 24" as those widths are pretty common. If you did that you would have the option of putting 2-55's on each shelf making it an octo-rack. lol Probably not the best option for seeing the fish, but not a bad idea for breeding purposes. I would put the beams that are spaced 6" apart to the front of the rack. This way you could atack a bunch of 10g's in front of the 55's if need be.

The options are endless and only limited by the amount of money and space you can throw at it. I find that it is often worth it to consider future scenarios and try to make what you can do now be beneficial to future endeavors.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Agree! Ditch the 4 by 4's. Often they have been treated and that means they are unsafe to use indoors where they can harm pets and houseplants. For most spans, you can use a 2 by 4 on edge and just double it where it rests on the cinder blocks. Or make a frame with 2 by 4's. The connectors can be just inside the cinder block legs.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

I was kinda thinking of doing this for my next project. I was planning on doing two 40br on the bottom and a 125 on top.

anyone have any pics of this kind of stand?


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Sulfurhead said:


> I was kinda thinking of doing this for my next project. I was planning on doing two 40br on the bottom and a 125 on top.
> 
> anyone have any pics of this kind of stand?


 I had this years ago. No pics that I know of. One thing the drawing does not impact you with, is how much space is taken up with blocks. You lose two feet of wall space just with three of these cinder block legs.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

so if i put 2x4's IN the cavities (which would be in two rows to accomodate larger tanks) and place them at the front, middle and back of where the tanks will be i can the have room for a 75 or 2 55's as i please, a 55 would go on the front and middle beams, a 75 or bowfront 55 on all 3. this is going in a shed so i may do an octo-rack down the shed middle if a want. would i need to glue 2 2x4's together or can i just place one on top of the other or is this necessary. also, could i put a 2" piece of polystyrene under each tank to even out the weight and for extra insulation?

thanks, Paul


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

If you are doing a shed, the stand shelves can be incorporated in (tied to) the shed walls, no need to take up room with cinder blocks. Two inch thick foam is too much for support. The foam will end up pushing against the tank bottoms.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

here is a sketch of my suggestion. Everything is to scale so you can see how it all looks together. Take a look and let me know what you think.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

Stickzula said:


> here is a sketch of my suggestion. Everything is to scale so you can see how it all looks together. Take a look and let me know what you think.


thats just perfect! i think i will do that. the diagram says the glue is optional, the thing is, i'd rather not have to use the plywood, would "normal" wood glue suffice to bind the two 2x4's or would it produce too many toxins?

Thanks, Paul


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

I think I would go with the plywood glued in even over the osb glued in as a 3.5 inch piece of say 3/4 ply on edge would be very very strong, due to the way the layers of they plywood are arranged with cross grains to provide the strength.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

The plywood is optional. It will make it MUCH stronger, but it is probably not really necessary. Regular wood glue is fine, but I would use the "outdoor" kind because it is water resistant. Gorilla glue is good as well.

If you aren't going to use plywood then the glue will probably not be of much beneifit. Just attach the 2x4's together with 2" #8 deck screws. I would use a staggered pattern @ 6" O.C., but that may be overkill. The basic idea is to make the individual boards work as a single board.

If you are not going to use mortor between the cinder blocks, I would glue them together with either silicone or outdoor construction adhesive(liquid nails). Doing so will make each stack more stable. since you aren't alternating the patterm of the blocks they won't interlock on its own. A few bucks and a little effort could save you headaches and a mess later on. The downside to doing it is that the stack will be very heavy and hard to move and you will need to make the adhesive a uniform thickness so that the stack stays level and square.

Oh, and your question about using styrofoam under the tanks. You can use it, it won't hurt anything, but it probably won't help much either. The main benefit of using it is to make the beam surface even. It would be better to use 3/4" plywood with the styro on top. If you are going to use substrate, then the insulation affect will not be noticable. Since 5 sides of the cube will be exposed, I don't think that it will do anything insulation wise.

Have you thought about lighting for this setup? I was looking at it and it seems like the perfect candidate for a DIY CFL setup. Do a search for "My DIY light with a "twist"" to see more about what I am talking about. I would attach the socket fixture to the side of the beams inbetween where that tanks sit. When I get a chance I'll sketch it up.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

> If you are doing a shed, the stand shelves can be incorporated in (tied to) the shed walls, no need to take up room with cinder blocks. Two inch thick foam is too much for support. The foam will end up pushing against the tank bottoms.


this is a wooden shed which i will be insulating so i wouldn't feel safe reting that many tanks on the walls :thumb: so if i use 1" foam will that be better, and is the ply under the foam neccesary? (kinda a dumb question)

*Stickzula* i dont think i can put the ply between the 2x4's so i will just have to screw them together and see how it turns out. i want to use the styro for insulation AND to even out any area's which may not be 100% level as the tanks i will be using are re-seals, patched cracked tanks and diy tanks from glass given to me. i will also put some styro around the tank sides for extra insulation and maximum energy effeciency. i looked at that thread and i'm very interested, could you please sketch it for my stand though if it isn't to much trouble, thanks

thanks, paul


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Stickzula said:


> The plywood is optional. It will make it MUCH stronger, but it is probably not really necessary. Regular wood glue is fine, but I would use the "outdoor" kind because it is water resistant. Gorilla glue is good as well.
> 
> If you aren't going to use plywood then the glue will probably not be of much beneifit. Just attach the 2x4's together with 2" #8 deck screws. I would use a staggered pattern @ 6" O.C., but that may be overkill. The basic idea is to make the individual boards work as a single board.
> 
> ...


The plywood core is not optional. The half inch plywood core makes the beam about as strong as three 2 by 4's glued together. But more valuable for this project, it keeps the boards straighter, less likely to twist or bend, and reduces sagging which is important if you use any tanks that don't have all their corners directly supported on top of the cinder block legs.

Glue is also important. To be fish safe you can use a glue like Gorilla glue or Ultimate glue, or a dock adhesive like PL4000 which is designed to be used in building a dock over water and is fish safe.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

looks like ill have to source some more plywood then so    i'll try and get gorilla glue and if i cant i will post it up here to see if its suitable


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

well i picked up 4 panes of 20 x 20" glass today and was going to get another pane to create an all-glass tank but then thought about building 4 tanks out of plywood with one viewing window in each. now i could just fit these tanks onto the cavity block stands or i could do a kind of extention of the shed wall which could incorporate 6 tanks, kinda like they have in petshops. a couple of large sheets of plywood that would be joined to the roof and floor of the shed respectively. I would cut 6 18+1/2" square holes in the "wall" for the viewing windows with a jig-saw. the bottom two tanks would have two supports in their back two corners, the middle tanks' supports are going to be resting on the top of the bottom tanks directly over the bottom one's supports and the same for the top tanks. there will be a 12" gap that's on hinges so i can access the tanks. the supports will be 2x2's. so, what do you guys think? could this work and i save the cavity block racks for any all-glass tanks i may get.

p.s the plywood tanks would be 1/4 covered with plywood to hold the supports

Thanks, Paul


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

2x2's lol a tad on the light side to be sure.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

haha meant to ask which size i should use, 2x2, 4x4 or 6x6 if i can find them haha, i think im starting to type to fast for my own good :lol:

Thanks, Paul

Edit: these are rough estimates and by all means give advice and opinions. All constructive criticism is taken on board


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

is this the lighting link?
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=150361&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

do these fittings seem good?
http://cgi.ebay.ie/New-Lamp-Holder-...=240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50#ebayphotohosting

Thanks, Paul


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

@ the sockets, i could get a few, wire them to one plug and put it on a timer

Thamks, Paul


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Yep that's the correct light thread. Those sockets will work, but I would remove the pull chain switch. It may be difficult to mount them, because they do not have a base with screw holes in it. I have mounted that type using the small holes in the bottom of the socket, but there is not much room in there for a fastener. Something like this may work better. http://cgi.ebay.ie/1-bag-of-2-Lamph...66:2|39:1|72:1301|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

i can get those from a local hardware store cheaper, but i will get them. 
@ the plywood tanks i will just make them and put them on the stand rather than deviating from the original plan, i went silicone shoping today, i found:

Evo-stik roof and gutter proofer, it doesn't say anything about anti-mildue or the sorts but does say it's 100% waterproof

RDPro 100% silicone sealant, but it does say not for marine use.

which of the above should i get, if any

Thanks, Paul


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

If you can't find GE Silicone 1, then anything that is 100% silicone with no mold or fungicides should be good. I don't know anything about the brands you listed, but IME roof sealer is usually largely tar, I would steer clear of it unless you can verify specifically that it is safe and or reccomended for aquarium use.

I am assuming that you are planning on using the silicone to adhere the glass to the plywood tank. If that is the case, you should be good to go.

If you are planning on using it to seal/join the sides together, I would do some more research. I have read several threads where people used silicone over the epoxy resin to seal the corners/edges only to have it leak. In the end, most people that I know of ended up going back and sealing the corners with fiberglass mat and epoxy resin.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Depending on cost, why not just make the tanks out of cinder blocks coated in dryloc? You would have to grout and stagger them, but they could be huge. They would also be well insulated. The main problem would be stacking them, but there are some clever solutions to that. I would consider making a huge pond type tank rather than individual tanks. You could use dividers to make separate compartments if needed.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

i was going to use some uni-bond no more nails, liquid nail and screws every 4 or 5" to hold the sides and then just epoxy the sides with a few coats, would this even work? can you reccomend a brand of epoxy?

i would rather have the tanks built and filtered individually as i want to breed some SA cichlids but also livebearers and africans, so i need different water params.

Thanks, Paul


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

ok i dont want to start ANOTHER thread on the tanks, i just want to have it right before i start building them, my intention is to bond the 3/4" plywood panels together using no more nails, then when that is dry i will run a bed of silicone over all the joins, when THATS dry i'll coat it all in approx. 3 coats of epoxy, how does all this sound? what adjustments should i make?

Thanks, Paul


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

am putting this project on hold as i've been given the go-ahead to put 3-4 more tanks inside the house, thanks for your help

Thanks, Paul


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

I bought a knock down steel stand from Home Depot for $125.
With a few 2 X 2's and some 1/2 inch ply wood I was able to widen the shelves aout 3/4 inches so it would hold 2, 40 gal breeder tanks per row, 3 shelves. The inside length just barely allows for the 36-1/4 inch length of the 40 gal tanks.
This is a very strong and space saving set up.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

unfortunatly money is short and i already have the blocks and 2x4's, i'm trying to set-up this fishroom on a low budget

Cheers, Paul


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

Been there and done that. In fact both my show tanks are on 18 X 20 inch chimney blocks and 4 X 4's. Easy to work with and movable. But for very efficient use of space and if its in the budget, that steel stand is the cat's meow for 40 gal breeder tanks. If I could keep more aquariums than I already do and had the space, I would love to have 5 or 6 of the steel stands and a lot more 40 gal breeders. The 40 gal breeders are my favorite sized tanks. They hold plenty of water and have great surface area so they can hold many small fish or even 6 adult Discus.
I have made them and 20 longs my standard sized tanks. I did build 2 separate 2 X 2 wood frame with 3 plywood shelves to hold 2 20 longs each and a 29H on the top.. The wood 2 x 2 frames are very light weight and space efficient yet plenty strong. I only have 15 tanks including 1 75 gal and 1 125 gal.


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## KC (Apr 28, 2008)

An alternative rack would be to make your own from square tube steel and a sheet of 1/2" plywood. Size and gauge of steel depends on what size tank(s) you wish to support.

The weekend after next I am going to be making a rack to hold 2 40gal tanks. I made a rough blueprint and worked out that for this I will be using 12 gauge, 1x1 square tube steel. Flex across spans will be less than .05" and that is without tanking into account 1/2" playwood and shrinkage along verticals is nil. Powder coat the steel (much the same way as toolboxes) and it will be attractive and hold up well.

Project will need:
around 37' of steel. I have already purchased 40' for a little over $15.

1 sheet of 1/2" plywood (only will use 1/4 of a the sheet). Haven't picked this up yet, from experience price varies alot. So around $15 and will still have 3/4 of that left over.

I have a friend who will powder coat it for me when I am done but I imagine that there are spray on paints from Home Depot/Lowes/etc that will work just fine.

I will take some pictures and document it.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

apistomaster, i may look into this then so, thanks :thumb:

KC could you doc. this? you've got me interested

Thanks, Paul


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## Dkarc (Dec 30, 2005)

The block and 4x4 design works great. Here is a link to our greenhouse with 2 of our newest systems using this design.

http://gs92.photobucket.com/groups/l32/HNBCKER402/

-Ryan


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

thank you for the link :thumb: i dont know what size all my tanks will be so i have to retro-fit that design


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