Shelving Unit Question

[Slough Shark]

Hello people,

I am looking at this shelving unit...

http://www.rona.ca/product/industrial-stre...-houseware_shop

to be used as a stand for 3 tanks in total. When it says "1,500 lb (681.8 kg)/shelf capacity" does that mean each individual shelf can hold 1,500 lbs or that that weaight is divided between the number of shelves.

Another question lies with how I organize the tanks on the stand. I would like to lay out the shelves with one at the floor, one at the very top, and two in between. On the bottom shelf, I want my stereo and 10 gallon, next I would like my 30 gallon, and then my 50 Gallon on the last shelf (excluding the very top). Could this be done, or will it become top heavy and collapse/buckle?

Thanks for any input,

Taylor

[Vallisneria]

I have a similar shelving unit and I use it as a tank stand. http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_...fromSearch=true

Mine is made of 2 sections that stack onto eachother but I use them seperately.. Each section is 3' tall x 18 wide x 36"long. I use a shelf about 8" off the ground and one on the very top. I laquered the particle board shelves to make them water proof and look nicer.

My setups are like this. 10g and 20g on top, and a 20g and 5g on the bottom. My other one holds a 60g that I use for my turtle(no water, just dirt so its not too heavy) and a 15g on the bottom.

Even though the stands state they can hold more I dont' think I'd want to put more then say 40g on each shelf. Also when I was setting mine up having both sections stacked onto eachother gave less room then having the sections side by side. Remember, you need to leave enough space above the tank to make maintnance easy. Also, jsut having the shelving unit 3 feet tall it is a bit shaky(not as stable as my wooden stands) I'd imagine a 6 foot+ shelf would be easily tipped over.

Edited April 29, 2008 by degrassi

[jvision]

It states 1500lbs PER SHELF. So, you should be able to go 1/2 that easily. the largest tank I've had on those shelves is a 33 gal. No problems what so ever.

[patrick]

I have looked at both the Rona one and the Canadian Tire one up close. The one at Rona is considerably sturdier but I still would not put three tanks on it, unless you bolt it to the wall. Even though it measures 36"x18" you can't really put a 36"x18" tank on it unless you lift the tank in from above, put the next shelf on and lift the next tank in and so on. Tanks measuring 36"x12" should work great though.

[Boom]

Hey guys, I actually build cabinets and furniture in my spare time, so I have some knowledge of the structural capacity of such things.

Although I doubt that shelf unit would actually hold anywhere near 1500 lbs per shelf, it does look very strong. Without having a look at it in person, I would say you would be o.k with the setup you are looking at doing.

To make sure it doesn't topple over, secure it to 2 studs in the wall near the top. Should be a-o.k then!

Or to be extra safe, maybe put the 50 gallon on the center shelf and the 30 above it.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Just thought I'd mention that Gorilla Racks from Costco are not only bigger (48" long) but cheaper as well. I believe I paid about $65 for mine.

[Qattarra]

I have a "Gorilla" shelf. I set up mine as two stands. One with 65 gal on top 25 gal on bottom. The other has 77gal on top (with 2x4s across the top frame), 25 gal on bottom. I felt their particle board shelves were too thin for my liking so I doubled them up . I also bought sturdy thick plastic shower curtains and covered the boards so any leaking or spilling doesn't ever touch the boards. One tank's filter plugged up and ran over, spilling more than 10 gallons before I noticed, I was really glad I covered those boards, they would have sunken in , bowing with the water and my tank would have fallen over.

Edited April 29, 2008 by Qattarra

[Slough Shark]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

It looks like the best plan is to merge some of these ideas. Could I use the Gorilla rack, bolt it to some studs in some fasion and have the original layout of tanks (or I can switch the 50 and 30 if a must)? Can the structure actually hold this much weight, or do I need to brace it somehow?

The whole idea is not final until I get the 50 gallon, but I'm pretty sure it's going to happen.

Gorilla rack (Product Model # GRZ 8460-5): http://www.gorillarack.com/products/storage/Storage.htm

Tank measurements:

30 gallon- 36" x 12" x 14"

50 gallon- 36" x 18" x 17"

Thanks again people,

Taylor

[thegrandpoohbah]

One thing to keep in mind with the Gorilla Rack is that the middle shelf HAS to be placed as shown in that picture. It actually holds the upper and lower halves together. I've opted to use mine as two 3' high racks instead.

[Slough Shark]

Can you give me the measurement of the space between the shelves?

[Qattarra]

I placed top shelf as high as I could and bottom as low. I have plenty of room to clean filters and tanks between them.As for measurements I'm not sure but a good 11 or more inches though.

[Boom]

I would opt for your original shelf from Rona. The gorilla shelf is 48" wide, and your tanks are only 36, meaning that (if centered) you would have 6" open space beside each tank. That means that all that weight (roughly 500 lbs for a 50 gallon tank) is sitting in the middle of the shelf, with no support for 6" on either side. The shelves do look sturdy, but I would be worried about flex and the eventual stress this is putting on the shelf parts.

The Rona shelf is 36" wide, so the support would be right under the tank ends, which would be ideal IMO.

I agree with being concerned about the particleboard shelves as well. A couple of options: do like Qattarra said and put some plastic over them (maybe not very attractive looking?), paint the shelves with waterproof paint, or swap the particleboard out with some 3/4" marine grade plywood (MUCH more sturdy). If particleboard gets wet, it quickly loses its structural stability. MDF is even worse.

[Slough Shark]

Thanks guys,

I have to do some thinking on this new information, I will post a reply when I have my thoughts sorted out.

[Drydock]

While my wife hates the aesthetics, 2x4's and 3 inch deck screws can hold up anything... well, not ANYTHING.

You don't have to worry as much about if you spill on them and if you want, you can attach skirting around the edges to make it look 'pretty'.

[Slough Shark]

Thanks for the added option!

We are looking at using cinder blocks with that marine grade plywood, or laquered 2x4s. Does that sound ok?