# Aquarium stands?



## Pandapop

I need multiple aquarium stands at cheap prices for my current project. Currently the boyfriend and I are in an apartment that lacks the necessary space for a bunch of fish tanks, unless I can 'stack' them. 

I've been looking around Home Depot and Wal-Mart for metal shelving units that may hold anywhere between 10 - 15 gallon tanks... and, if I'm lucky, maybe one that could hold a 20 and a 10 below. 

This one here seems almost like a steal:
Click

But would it actually hold three 10 gallon tanks? No gravel or heavy decoration -- just the tanks themselves, the water, the fish, filtration, and small, light hiding places. These tanks would be used to house fry, not adult fish.

Neither myself or the boyfriend are handy at building, so making stands from scratch is entirely out of the question (we don't even know anyone that has the time to help). 

Does anyone else use cheap shelving units for their tanks? I prefer metal as it's less likely to collapse or wear from spilled water, like most particle-board aquarium stands do (bought a stand for a 75g and it's made completely out of particle board... $200 bucks, it's a piece of crap!).

Any tips? Maybe point me in the right direction of what I should be looking at?


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## lohachata

here are a few pics of stands that i designed and built..they can be modified in a number of ways to accommodate different tanks....
this first rack is 18' long but can be shortened to needs..28" front to back..each lower section will easily fit a 40 or 50 gallon breeder..










each upright stays together...teardown and setup are easy and fast..









opposite wall with tanks..


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## AquariumTech

They sell a lot of cheap metal stands that stack tanks at big stores that do that. Although the down side is you never get a great look at the bottom ones.

THe ones above though are nice, if you can build ones like that, its your nicest bet.


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## emc7

1st question. NO. " capacity 250 lbs per shelf evenly distributed" 3 tanks * 10 gallons / tank * 8.33 lbs / gallon = 249.9 lbs of water only. No lid, no glass, no substrate. Look for something with more than a little wiggle room. Like a 36" x 24", 500 lb / shelf rack.

There are Home Depot or Sears racks that will do the job. Most are powder-coated steel with plywood or particle board shelves. If you use these, you should water-proof the wooden part or when they get wet, and they will, they could warp and weaken. 

There used to be a $25 2-tank iron stand from Wal-mart, but it was annoying because you had to put the bottom tank in before you put the top on the stand. I still have one disassembled in the basement. I'd use it, but I can't find the bolts.

Cheapest stand uprights are concrete blocks, but they take a lot of space. 

I've seen nice a nice homemade stand for 3 10s stacked vertically. Similar to loha's in constructions, but not tiered. Plus a black-painted plywood skin on the sides and front with picture frame molding around the tank-hole. Open in the back for access. 

The hard part of building any stand is getting it all square and level. Deck screws that are coated for weather-resistance and easy-entry into wood with a star-drive speed up the job.


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## funlad3

each upright stays together...teardown and setup are easy and fast..









opposite wall with tanks..











Wow Loha. Something tells me I've been way over-thinking my stand idea. Back to the drawing board!


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## zog

Usually the simplest are the easiest and best ones!


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## AquariumTech

That really is a nice setup lohachata did you make that your self? That really is a good way to "stack tanks". Was it an easy build? How long have you been using it?


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## lohachata

not hard to build..i designed this system about 35 years ago..it is pretty versatile because it can be modified to accommodate different tanks...and in different ways...
plus ; it is extremely strong..i built a set to handle all 55 gallon tanks...


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## AquariumTech

See thats what I was worried about, its strength and how easy it was to build. I know it kind of looks easy, but I know when building stands, its never as easy as it looks.


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## lohachata

look at the uprights....simple construction...they stay together..look at first pic and the bottom pieces between the uprights.they also stay together..(if you have to tear down)
the spacer boards (front , middle and back) on these racks are 39 inches..so you can easily fit a 40 or 50 breeder or 3 20 longs (endwise)....
note that there are 2 kinds of uprights..ends and line..lines have a board on each side..ends only on one side..(make sure ends have the front to back board on the inside)
build the uprights...then the lower spacers...set uprights in place...then put spacers in and screw them down...
for the shelf boards i use 12' 2x4's....you can use whatever length you find to be most economical...
on bottom shelf you can put another shelf board farther in and put 3 10 gallon tanks in endwise..

any other questions feel free to ask...


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## Fishy Freak

I'd be worried about not having any support along the bottom of the tank with those stands though and would put boards under the tanks. I had an old 50gal (guess the glass was brittle) that cracked along the entire lengh in the middle of the bottom, now I put a sheet of board under all my tanks.


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## lohachata

i have been using this type of rack for 35 years..for tanks from 2 1/2 gallons to 150 gallons.....i have never had a single tank crack...i keep 40 gallon breeders on the bottom of these racks...
another rack that i designed and built...this one is for the center of a room..










top...3 40 breeders and 7 10's..lower shelves...6 20 longs...bottom..4 110 gallon tubs and 2 40 longs...


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## Fishy Freak

The tank I had crack was as I mentioned very old, and had some years empty in the sun too, I would guess that had alot to do with it, but still wont risk a large tank without a board underneath for support anymore!


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## DrMiller357

I just got that exact stand for my 2 10gallon tanks, a 10 gallon is around 80-100 pounds and each shelf can hold 250 pounds, you will be fine, there wont be room for more than one tank on a shelf, and you will only be able to fit 2 10gallon tanks on it if you want to be able to get into them but you can move the shelfs around how you want, i will probly move the bottom one up more. Btw i got mine from home depot for 18.99 or somthing like that.


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