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Metal shelving vs. DIY wood shelving

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
I'm trying to plan out my fishroom and determine what type/size racks to use. I had planned on building racks using 2x4's and plywood, but this would take some cooperation because I don't have the needed tools.

Are there advantages to wood shelving with plywood over metal shelves with particle board? I'm considering buying a metal rack from Home Depot that measures 48"Wx24"Dx72"H with 5 shelves. They're rated at 800 lbs per shelf, so it gives me plenty of options for different sizes of tanks.

Anyone know what the approximate cost of building a similar rack from wood would cost? The above referenced rack is only $80, and I'm wondering how much cost savings is compared to the build time. The metal rack would only take a few minutes to put together, I'm sure a wooden rack would take longer.

I'll probably start with one metal rack so I have something to start organizing stuff, and decide later if I want to build wooden racks o r just buy more metal racks. They're easy to break down and can be configured horizontally if I ever wanted to go a different direction.

Would the particle board shelves provide some insulation? Trying to figure out if I should add foam insulation, or if the shelves are sufficient.

Any other comments or concerns are appreciated.
 

verbal

CCA Members
If you know exactly how you want your room designed, I think wood would probably be the way to go. It is cheaper and if you stain/paint it, it will look better. Also it would give you the ability to do things like stagger the racks if you want to.

If you are still figuring out the arrangement you want, I would start off with one of the metal racks. You may want the foam to protect from water on the particle board as much as any other reason.
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
Good call on the foam as a water barrier, I know particle board and water don't mix well. I may consider replacing the shelves at some point.

I probably will go with wood in the future for customization purposes, as you mentioned. The metal is good for standard sizes, but I'm sure I'll need some odd lengths on a few of the walls.

I'll need to consult with people in terms of build design, its not something I've dealt with much. I'll probably start with something small when Hannibal builds his, then figure out how I want to build the rest of the room.
 

JLW

CCA Members
I've used the metal racks. One thing to keep in mind is that the particle board will NOT support the tanks if it gets wet, at all. And, while the rack can hold 800 pounds, the particle board often cannot. This means that if the rack is say, 24" wide, and you put a row of 20" wide tanks on it (Like a bunch of 10-gallons lengthwise), they're probably going to go through the wood sooner or later. My estimate is about 9 days. Don't ask how I know that.

One GOOD option is to replace the particle board with melamine board. It's coated white board used for shelving and stuff. You can get scratch and dent pieces, when you're lucky, for cheap. Otherwise, you're running about $30 a sheet, if I remember correctly. You can get cheaper boards that only have the top coating, but you're just asking for them to swell over time (they're like $10 bucks).

The metal beams, however, can support a lot of weight. I used one of these as a stand for my custom 80-gallon, and it sat directly on the metal beams. No problem. I've also sat tanks on them that are 24", with the front and back trim sitting directly on the beams and not had any problem, including having 2 x 55-gallons on one (which doesn't QUITE fit, but ...).

One really nice thing about them is that they're easy and quick to assemble, without tools.

That said, what tools do you not have that you think you need? You can put the whole rack together with a drill and a handsaw. None of my lumber was cut with electric saws because I suck with them. I tend to make wild, crazy, jagged cuts that include my knee. You can get an okay electric drill for $20, and as long as you're within distance of an outlet, you're set. (As an aside, none of my power tools are battery powered because I *Hate-with-a-capital-H* charging batteries). A handsaw will cost you $15 or so. These are cheaper tools, and they may not survive too long, but they'll get the job done.

Plus, if you ask on the forums, I bet someone would let you borrow a drill, or a saw.
 

mab

Members
I just finished a 13' rack with 39 tanks all made of 2"x4"s. Tanks are stepped 20 longs, 15g and 10g. Over the years I've build many stands and even conducted a workshop on stand building. We built a stand for one of the participants.

My experience is that there is no need for plywood or anything else for shelving. I do place braces under the frames of tanks and then foam under all tanks - hence the recent posting asking for sources.
 

clearsky5

CCA Members
I would definately stay away from particle board!
it does not like water and will swell and break down pretty quickly.

I think I know of the shelves you are speaking, and unless you are putting only small tanks on the shelves, I wouldn't test it's shelf limit in weight.

I just purchased two 6'x6'x2'wide steel shelving units from Lowes..
(they were on sale for $159 each) That's 12' length of tank space!!!
They are a bit larger, and heavier, but they support 2000 lbs per shelf.

also, I will use construction grade (maybe salt treated) plywood for the shelf, and add a layer of the 1/8" foam (think it is 1/8)under the tanks.

My thing is I don't want to have to replace them anytime soon..

the difference of this vs wood (2x4 construction) is it goes up in minutes, , but.....
if you want to custom your setup, then 2x4 is the way to go.

I have both systems so for me the metal was an easier way to go.
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
Thanks for the input guys, some good points to consider. Since the metal rack is 24" wide, I'll just stick with using 24" tanks to not risk anything falling through, thanks for the heads up (though I really am curious about your 9 day issue Josh).

I think I'll just use one as a starter until I can build some wooden racks, and eventually get away from the metal unless the specs are on point and the load rating is much higher than needed. I may end up replacing the shelves anyway, but for now I only have a few tanks to put on the rack, I just wanted some room to expand so I wasn't putting tanks on the floor or buying individual stands.

As far as tools go, my selection is very limited, I've never really needed much in the past. I'm sure I could borrow some as needed, I know people outside of the club that have stuff too. I just need to talk to people who've built them in the past to learn what not to do. Maybe I'll host a rack building workshop like Mike mentioned, and use it as a way to learn and get some stuff done. First I need to figure out exactly what I want.
 
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