Aquarium Shelving.

jmf

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2017
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Well, let's see. I need to do some math....

You have 59 gallons worth of tanks, so that's around 265-270 kg. If you have 2 pairs of beams, and place the tanks weight roughly evenly, then each beam would only need to support 66-68 kg. (e.g., the 29 on one level, and the 15,10 and 5 on the other.)

That's well under 110 kg.


I'm not sure I understand your question about "a top for both levels." Do you mean the part that will sit under the tanks?

Plywood and 2x4's should work, but what is the width of the span (front to back, not side to side)? The 2x4's should be perpendicular to the front to back, so how long to they need to be to bridge that space?

Looks like 75 cm, but it's a guess.
Sorry yeah I meant the part that sits under the tank. The font to back measurement is 84cm from the outer most part of the beam or 79cm if using the groove made for a MDF top.
 

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
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Oct 21, 2012
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Ahhh nice.

How wide are the "ledges" in those grooves? (Does that make sense? The grooves form an L- shape so one could slide in a tightly cut piece of wood or metal as a table bottom.)

If the L-shape is 2.5 cm, for example, you could easily have 79 cm 2x4's cut to fit snugly so they can't slide out. That would be ideal compared to going across the 84 cm width and worrying about them sliding about.

Is that what you're thinking?

So let me do more math.

Let's say you have a 29 on one shelf going lengthwise to the stand.

That's 30 inches long. If you have 2x4's underneath, going perpendicular to the tank, (and to the stand) you'll have ~nine 2x4's under 290 pounds of weight. That's ~32 pounds per 2x4. That's really not a problem, even if the tank is dead center over the 2x4's, which it probably wouldn't be anyway.

The other tanks have different dimensions, but importantly are not nearly as tall as a 29, so the load per 2x4 is smaller still.
 
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jmf

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2017
208
47
46
43
Ahhh nice.

How wide are the "ledges" in those grooves? (Does that make sense? The grooves form an L- shape so one could slide in a tightly cut piece of wood or metal as a table bottom.)

If the L-shape is 2.5 cm, for example, you could easily have 79 cm 2x4's cut to fit snugly so they can't slide out. That would be ideal compared to going across the 84 cm width and worrying about them sliding about.

Is that what you're thinking?
Yeah it's roughly 2.5cm. I'm just a little worried about the 30g tank. I'm thinking it would have to be side on so both beams support the weight but it would over hang by a bit.
 

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,693
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Side on side it shouldn't overlap. Tank should be 76.2 cm versus 79 cm. Unless, you have a 30 gallon (91 cm), not a 29 gallon (76 cm.)

But I see and share your concern lengthwise. It's important to be comfortable with it. I suggest asking around with more people on the precise way to support the tank lengthwise.

2x4's placed vertically would hold a tremendous amount of weight over a span of 79 cm.

Even horizontally, (under 1/2" plywood), but I can't find the metric for exactly how much of a dead load it would support. No need to try it unless you have certainty it's no issue.
 

jmf

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2017
208
47
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Side on side it shouldn't overlap. Tank should be 76.2 cm versus 79 cm. Unless, you have a 30 gallon (91 cm), not a 29 gallon (76 cm.)

But I see and share your concern lengthwise. It's important to be comfortable with it. I suggest asking around with more people on the precise way to support the tank lengthwise.

2x4's placed vertically would hold a tremendous amount of weight over a span of 79 cm.

Even horizontally, (under 1/2" plywood), but I can't find the metric for exactly how much of a dead load it would support. No need to try it unless you have certainty it's no issue.
Sorry, yeah it must be 30g because it's 91cms long.
 
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