New Stacked Rack Build

[FishBeast]

Hello folks! FishBeast here. Getting back into the hobby again now that summer’s over and I have more time.

I recently built a new stacked rack stand to house 30” wide tanks (2 x 29 gal and 1 x 20 long). King of DIY design, painted black and placed in a spare corner of the fish “area” in the garage (can’t call it a room haha). The only thing I hate about cheap dimensional 2x4s is how they continue to move and twist no matter how you build stuff.

I leveled and shimmed it in place but still there is some heavy gap action on the top level! So annoying.

 

[DMD123]

Looks good!

All this building makes me want to start on my project... I want to do a breeder rack to hold my two 65B and two 40B's on the bottom

 

[clownie]

Looks great! I can hardly see the gaps. There is a whole lotta construction going on in the forum lately. It is great to see.

 

[FishBeast]

Looks good!

All this building makes me want to start on my project... I want to do a breeder rack to hold my two 65B and two 40B's on the bottom

That would be sweet! Petco has the tank sale right now too so you can snag the 40s cheap!

Looks great! I can hardly see the gaps. There is a whole lotta construction going on in the forum lately. It is great to see.

Thanks! Fall is fish season it seems hehe

 

[clownie]

Your garage is sooooo organized!!! I'm jealous.

 

[FishBeast]

Your garage is sooooo organized!!! I'm jealous.

Haha thanks! I have to stay on top of clutter since it's really cramped with the fish tanks in it.

 

[DMD123]

That would be sweet! Petco has the tank sale right now too so you can snag the 40s cheap!

I know, that has been a big motivation to getting the rack done. I could add more tanks!

 

[fishguy1978]

Looks good. I figured out the issue with why two tanks won’t fit. One cross member is 1/2in short.

 

[FishBeast]

All done! The gaps settled once I filled the tanks with water. I put each tank on enameled OSB on top of foam stripping on the edges to absorb imperfections. I kept the red, sealed edge of each OSB board to the outside to enhance the appearance a bit. Overall I am happy with this build.

 

[fishguy1978]

That looks awesome.

 

[Bob]

this is like the same rack you sold me =D

 

[FishBeast]

this is like the same rack you sold me =D

Haha you're right dude! one and the same

 

[DMD123]

@FishBeast, Bringing this one back to life. Wanting thoughts on this now that it is up and running.

Do you wish you would have done anything differently? Are you happy with the bottom tank? Is it hard to gravel vac being so low?

Im about to build or buy something to hold my 2 65B and realistically two 40B's . If done the way I want it would also hold 2 20L on the top but will see.

 

[FishBeast]

@FishBeast, Bringing this one back to life. Wanting thoughts on this now that it is up and running.

Do you wish you would have done anything differently? Are you happy with the bottom tank? Is it hard to gravel vac being so low?

Im about to build or buy something to hold my 2 65B and realistically two 40B's . If done the way I want it would also hold 2 20L on the top but will see.

Hey @DMD123! Still pretty happy with the design. Gravel vac and water change are pretty easy but the only thing is that the siphon flow rate is slower as it is so close to the floor. I drain the hose out the door on the left which opens to outside yard area so it's no big deal. The top tank's height required me getting up on a stool to view the inhabitants so I don't recommend putting fish in there that you like looking at a lot. I kept a breeding pair of bristlenose plecs up there, so pretty low maintenance until fry gathering time.

 

[DMD123]

Thanks @FishBeast, I think my preference would be to have the bottom tank higher to get better suction for gravel vac. So I think in the end Im looking at a two level arrangement in stead of three.

 

[Betty]

Could you use a small powerhead to speed up the flow rate on the bottom tank?

 

[DMD123]

Could you use a small powerhead to speed up the flow rate on the bottom tank?

Good idea. I will still need some assistance since most times it will drain into a utility sink.

 

[DMD123]

So I have got an idea for my stacked tank rack but need to know what you guys think. The space above the lower tank to access filter and gravel vac... how large should this be? I was thinking 10" but then my bottom tank is barely off the floor and the top tank will be very high. Problem with the situation is that I am working with 2 65B's that are 25" tall tanks. The max my stand can be to be comfortable to still clean the 65's would be 40", which would place the tank height at 65".

So how much space do I need between the top of the bottom tank and bottom of the top tank?

 

[fishguy1978]

6in would be a bear. 10in would work but I think 12 would be amazing. Because you are dealing with bigger fish I would recommend at least 8in. I only have 3in above the 55g and it is a royal pain.

 

[DMD123]

6in would be a bear. 10in would work but I think 12 would be amazing. Because you are dealing with bigger fish I would recommend at least 8in. I only have 3in above the 55g and it is a royal pain.

Thank you for that! Thats what I was looking for. My 20L under the 65B has about 10 1/2” of space which is great but its only like 5” off the ground so cleaning it is a pain. I was hoping to get at least 12” off the ground with the breeder stack. The 65B’s are a total pain in this configuration, the 25” height is presenting some height challenges right now.