Tank Stand In-Progress

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#1
Well Im going to give you a life story here....pull up a chair and listen well....(or skip down a ways)

I wanted fish and I got one and they died. I got more independant and finally turned 17. I called a lady in the paper about a 35 gallon aqarium and wanted to get it for housing two blackfinned sharks. It was 60 for the tank, or 50 I cant remember. But I looked at it with my GF, and she said if I wanted any others she had some. I ended up walking away with a 55 gallon with a missing horizontall support, light fixture for it that didnt work and drove it the 15 miles back into town a happy camper.

I filled the tank up and did the worst cleaning job on it EVER in the worst order and basically took the longest way ever to do it. But I got it set up, and put it in my room and filled it up(it was bowing like crazy and freaked my mom) so I made a wood slip on support for it to prevent leaking or sudden wetness in my room.

I wanted a male betta, so I put him in my original 1 gallon tank. I got another and put him in a 10 gallon I bought. I wanted to get a oscar so I bought another tank and put him in there(10 g and he needs upgrading soon which sucks). I got another 10 gallon tank from my friend to put two tiny betta females in which one turned out to be a beautiful crowntail. I picked up another one for a spawn tank for the crowntail bettas(didnt work, male lost interest and at day 5 he layed pathetically at the bottom after chasing the female trying to eat her which started after day 3 and he let the bubblenest go. I was so dissapointed).

So I ended up with 4 ten gallon tanks, 2 one gallon tanks which are both empty, and a 55 gallon. I have a grand total of 12 fish between all 97 gallons of water.


I wanted the tank for the enjoyment of myself when my GF wouldnt be able to hang out with me, as she was a CCD instructor, in Ballet, and swimming with swim team and being at meets almost every weekend, I got into fish tanks and they actually psychologically help me with anxiety which is actually really really bad with me that prevents me frmo traveling with my parents or not having control of somthing.

Anyone, as my room went frmo a matress in the corner and a shelf with a Tv to a 55 gallon and stand in one corner, another 10 gallon underneath my TV on the lowest shelf. My breed tank above that. A dressed to hold my oscar and feeder tank. Then Another one to put my two female bettas in.


----To Skip the BLAH start here----


I have a thing with clutter so I looked at industrial shelving costing from 100 to 300 dollars, I decided to use some studs and started mapping out my own. I could make mine to fit two tanks on 3 separate shelves and allow a space at the bottum to fit supplies and whatever else I could use.

Well I got them all cut and made the shelves for it. I have the shelves assembled and it cost me 24 dollars for 3, 96 inch 2x4s and a giant peice of particle board.

I got thme all drilled and screwed together using some old screws from putting our deck together. I primed them with 10 year old primer. Went out to the dump and grabbed a can of amazing quality white paint. Added 3 smaller containers of metalic blue saphire from the crafts section of walmart, bought a 2 dollar brush and went to town on the vertical supports and the shelves creating and beautiful light blue(to mimic water according to my mom).

Grand Total so far:
7 hours planning(i slept for 6)
3 hours picking up wood, cutting, and assembling and primering
2 hours gathering paints and applying first coat(included driving to dump to grab a can. Great system of pick-up/drop-off because you cant really throw paint away. They just stack em all up along some shelving in the side and you can go through whatever and take whatever and drop off whater. Free paint, what a concept ;)
.5 Hour second coat

Time invested: 6.5 hours
Left to do: put shelves and verticals together(made painting easier seperate). Maybe an hour left for total assembly.


Money invested
25$ for wood(I had almost all of it already, maybe 60-75 without any)
4.50 $ for 3 ounces of saphire metalic blue
FREE half gallon of white paint
FREE primer laying around
5$ box of Screws
3$ for two bits

Grant Total: $37.50 (87.50 without wood)

PICTURE TIME
(I will get them added within 24 hours of painting process and assembly)

Left to do:
Add LED strip lights(I find that live plants look awesome, but too diffcult to take care of at this time). I may use one shelf for live plants possibly. Or i will probably use the cheapest lights that produce enough light to see my fish at night. That one is the most probable.

Wire up system for Lights based on shelves for simple on/off

Move all my tanks!!!

I'm SO EXCITED!!!
 

ryanoh

Large Fish
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#2
This sounds pretty cool, and I may have read it wrong, but be careful putting a 55 gallon fish tank on a shelf. I think if the shelfs are sturdy and are in studs and not just in the drywall they should be fine, but you for sure need a real stand for the 55. And yes, pictures, because this sounds pretty cool.
 

Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#3
WOW! Holy MTS Batman! (Multi Tank Syndrome) Good for you, a young man who knows what he wants and does it. Now we need pictures please....You said you were using particle board, that has no structural strength and if it gets wet it will disintegrate.
 

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#4
I probably wasnt very clear. I was just in my garage painting the shelves and came back in to give everyone the down low and the paint was probably making me all silly

I do NOT intend to use them for my larger tank. I only plan on using it for my 10 gallon tanks. I will also be getting a 10 gallon from my girlfriend. Who got one when I got some of mine, turns out her mom refuses to let her have it still and thinks its terrible and horrible and all this other stuff.

But with the way I made the shelving, which was pretty heavy duty, I wont have a problem with the particle board I hope. I have 2x4s on each side and its 3/8" or 1/2" board. I have it primed and two coats of paint applied. I plan on doing another one during my lunch period. But this is the first time I've done this so any other advice is awesome.


<as for the pictures the image hosting site had a broken link and I couldnt. If I can find a micro SD card reader I will do it before I get off school otherwise it will be after 7>
 

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#8
The paint is a outdoor paint for houses that I would assume be waterproof. I could also do a clear enamel over the top of it all jkust to be safe. If I added another layer to the board, it wouldnt give me enoughroom to do all my maintenence, which already was a lot less than I planned on having. Drawing dont include boards taking up space in the real world..... :)

Im about to go put another coat on. I will try to get pictures posted by 3(only of the paint process. I didnt think of doing a DIY as its just a simple shelf...but nevertheless)
 

Last edited:

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#10
I have two, 2x4s on each side and then another 2 running the long way.

If you are looking at it, there is the particle board, and a two by four on her side. On her left and right, there are two more standing up. And in the back there is one standing up running between the two running deep. If it doesnt look sturdy enough, I can screw it into a couple studs. And I have enough wood to add another vertical in front dividing the shelf.

I keep trying to get these pictures up, but today its blocked on my school laptop for advertising <.< Its difficult to explain...


Its 44" or 46" long, and only 16" deep by 54" high


-Edit- I just applied my third coat to all the shelf tops and finished painting the verticle supports.
 

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#11
Well by some miracle, I couldnt find ANYTHIGN and editing my previous posts....so I had to make a new one, this one is important, it contains the PICTURES!!!!(SORRY ABOUT THE QUALITY. I was using my cell cause my dad was hogging my D40)

Painting Process:

That was with the painting and everything laying out in my garage

That was the first shelf that was put on

That was most of the shelf except a few verticals

That was a little of what I was working with before, I had two other tanks similarly placed on the opposite side of my room.

That is what I ended up with(the one empty tank on the bottom may be the beginings of a goldy...) And there is another tank that is in the middle shelf, kiddy corner to the empty one with a crowntail. I didnt get a picture of it with everything because I fell asleep. I was beat. I assembled and moved it all in about 3 hours.

She feels pretty stable. I had to shim one leg but she is hugging the wall now. I am on my way out to pick up some form of strip lighting to apply to the back of the shelf to light my wonderful fish up for me. And im thinking about taking that goldy tank and making it a saltwater coral tank....but im not for sure if I have enough money or time to invest. For now it remains an opportunity
 

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#13
I place them flat like that because it allows me a couple more inches of space to get things to and out of the aquarium. And if you looked closer, I have the other 3 "on-edge"

and I am not putting a 55 gallon aqarium on top, or on this shelf period. It has its own stand that came with the tank and is quite happy. I was simply making this for 10 gallon tanks as previously posted and further explained.

But I appreciate your concern ;)
 

skjl47

Large Fish
Nov 13, 2010
712
0
0
Northeastern Tennessee.
#14
Hello; Just a thought. To test the strength of the stand, instead of breakable aquariums you could place heavy objects on it that will weigh somewhat more than all the tanks you plan to use. This way you will not lose any tanks or fish if it does fail. My understanding of deck screws is that they are strong but brittle. They hold fine up to their limit and then fail suddenly. Something about being hardened on the outside. A person nearby apparently used deck screws to fasten boards to a fence around her backyard. As the boards swelled and warped the heads of the screws popped off making a noise that could be heard by neighbors for some distance. I have had them snap suddenly. As a general rule I figure at least 10 pounds per gallon of aquarium capacity. Water is around 8 pd/gal, but the tank , gravel and other stuff will add on. Bigger tanks have thicker glass. I am sure someone on this site can improve on my estimate. Maybe allow 20 % more weight that the max for the setups you hope to use. I have done some homemade stuff over the years and have had some failures. Hope it goes well.
 

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#15
Thanks for the advice, and so far everything in holding great. The boards are even showing the slightest give after about 2 days now. I plan on getting more pictures of the lighting system I am going to try to put it, but I need to order the lights first. Silyl me forgot :S