Shelving for tanks

[Mustang Boy]

ok i am strongly considering rearranging my room to get some tanks off my dresser(the moisture is messing up the finish on it) and to better organize my tanks and i found these edsal shelves that say they are good for up to 1000lbs per shelf. i would get them and only use 4 of the shelves,bottom shelf would be for bigger equipment and sump(s), middle 2 shelves for tanks and top shelf for small equipment/food/random spare filters and stuff. the tanks would be a combination of FW tanks and SW tanks. ill for sure have my 29g and 10g fw on one of the shelving units and my AP24 and BC8 on the other and will probably put another salt tank up and a sump on the bottom of the sw shelving unit.

if water on the shelves is a problem i have visqueen(i dont know how to spell it but we have a bunch of it) i could wrap around the boards to seal them off.

i was wondering what everybody thought of these

 

[screamincamaro]

The shelves look to be made of MDF and will not tolerate any water or dampness. Definitely would have have do something about that because they would swell and become brittle.

 

[killerbee181]

ya i would defiantly swap out the shelves with some thick plywood and seal it up really well with some epoxy paint. Or something as good. Then make sure there are no scratches in any of the metal because they will rust! Maybe put an extra coat of paint on them just in case. Other then that it looks like a great deal and a good idea.
Terry

 

[Mustang Boy]

i was thinking of covering the wood with visqueen(its the water protective plastic stuff that goes under wood flooring) its very think and very durable. i could cover the entire piece of wood in it so that no water can get into it. the plywood idea would be my backup plan if i think the MDF and visqueen wont cut it though. i also didnt think about putting another layer of paint on the metal that that is a really good idea actually i will be sure to do that thanks

 

[BlueCoast]

the MDF will also bow over time, especially for large loads in the center of the shelf. MDF / particle board is glue and sawdust. You can always use 1 plywood shelf for the heaviest and run with the mdf for the others.

I would sum it up as, good plan if it is short term, less than 3 years or so. Otherwise I'd look into something more durable.

 

[killerbee181]

ya i would still be worried about the mdf. That stuff will swell just from the moisture in the air. And having that many tanks on there your almost guaranteed some moisture and I think wrapping the wood in plastic might just make the problem worse. I think it will trap in more moisture then it will keep out. Just my opinion.
Terry

 

[cabezon2469]

Look for an all steel one. Easier to find in restaurant equipment.

 

[Mustang Boy]

i think ill have a hard time finding an all metal one of that size in the $50 range. although i might do the plywood thing and replace the MDF with 1"+ thick plywood and then seal it. then ill paint all the metal with another coat of paint and then set everything up

 

[killerbee181]

i think ill have a hard time finding an all metal one of that size in the $50 range. although i might do the plywood thing and replace the MDF with 1"+ thick plywood and then seal it. then ill paint all the metal with another coat of paint and then set everything up

now that sounds like a stand you can park a car on :thumbsup:

 

[lbheyman]

Although it is expensive, you could replace the shelves with some marine board. Then you would not ever have to worry about the moisture. The website is just a reference. You can buy it locally.

http://www.interstateplastics.com/plastic-sheets-details.php?sku=HDPWEM&thickness=0.500&dim2=24&dim3=24&utm_source=froogle&utm_campaign=froogle&utm_medium=na&utm_content=sheet-HDPWEM

 

[Mustang Boy]

yea that Marine board is nice stuff but not for the $757.98 it would cost to replace only 6 of the shelves(leaving the top 2 MDF since there will only be light stuff on em) for that price i could build some kick *** stands for each of my tanks or buy the car parts ive been wanting lol

 

[installman]

See if you can find that unit set up in a Lowe's and check it out, try to twist the beams/ uprights with your hands and see if you still want to put fish tanks on it. Typically when those shelves are loaded the beams have a bow in them which is fine for storing boxes, but not so good for supporting fish tanks. I built a stand that holds 6 29s and 4 10s out of 2x4s and plwood for less than $50

 

[xmadcowx]

Looks like people have already said it, but I will chime in as well. Do NOT get this shelving unit if you plan on putting any weight on it. Yes, it is mdf, but that is not the only problem. I ripped all new shelves with 5/8" plywood, it made a difference, but the bracing itself is a bit flexible, and with weight, the shelf falls.
We bought some Gorilla shelf for the server room at work to store old equipment...I don't know where they got it from, or what they paid, but this thing is serious. If I was putting any decent weight and/or tanks on a shelf, it would be one of these for sure.

 

[Barfly]

That shelving unit is Not engineered to hold fish tanks. Don't do it. As stated in a previous post, building your own is a good option and would be relatively cheap.

 

[Mustang Boy]

looks like im not gonna get these. ill look into building something or just sticking with my current setup

 

[cabezon2469]

go to Home depot and look in the cull bin for cut 2X4s. otherwise go find the straightest ones you can get and build something.

 

[Mustang Boy]

thats what i think ill do. ill probably end up building some kind of rack out of 2x4s and 3/4" plywood. with a couple doors on the bottom to hide the sumps. im thinking 8x2x6ft would be pretty good. this wont be anytime soon though ive got too much goin on right now to build something from scratch.

 

[Barfly]

go to Home depot and look in the cull bin for cut 2X4s. otherwise go find the straightest ones you can get and build something.

You will find much better lumber at Lowes. Trust me on this one.

 

[cabezon2469]

You will find much better lumber at Lowes. Trust me on this one.

I will put my lumber choices in your hands from now on.

 

[Barfly]

I will put my lumber choices in your hands from now on.

LOL, I was just remembering how much time I spent in HD looking for good lumber without finding a straight piece. It was honestly at least 2-3 hours. Also if you look closely, their lumber has rounded edges. The lowes lumber has straight edges which is much better for building tank stands.