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Hanging a 5G off the wall?

1K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  Craigthor 
#1 ·
I'm gonna be downgrading :icon_cry: from a 55G to a 5G in the not too distant future due to size constraints. I barely will have room for the 5G so I was wondering if anyone has every hung a 5G from the wall? Basically I guess you'd have to build some sort of shelf that strong enough to support the 50 to 75 lbs of weight and stick the tank on it. I'm hoping to avoid making the whole thing from scratch so I'm wondering if anyone has any ready made or simple to make ideas on how to accomplish this.

Thanks,
Harry
 
#3 ·
Agreed, most home improvement stores will have a large selection of brackets. jsut get some with the right width off the wall and that will support a bit more weight than you plan for safety.

Lag bolts or long screws directly into the studs will support the weight, I prefer lags as tehy have a higher sheer strength than screws.

Get a nice piece of wood and paint or stain it for your tank to sit on.

Craig
 
#7 ·
I know you can get moly bolts that are rated for 100 pounds, but I wouldn't even think of suspending a glass container of 5 gallons of water on a shelf supported that way. I don't mind when books fall off, but when an aquarium falls, that might annoy me.

Then, don't you also need a second shelf to hold the filter and other supplies? Maybe a two shelf unit, like a box, basically, attached to the wall with deck screws to the studs would be safest and look the best.
 
#9 ·
It shouldn't been too hard to get supplies. You could do the adjustable "track" shelving if you need more than one.

If it were me, I may try to find a speaker stand. I quality one should be able to hold the weight and be very stable. It would still be fairly small in terms of space but have more astetic apeal to me personally. Obviously check the weight rating but many speakers now have internal amps and are quite heavy
 
#11 ·
Using appropriately rated drywall anchors is more than safe. Say you use 100 lb anchors. You aren't using just ONE achor, but likely 4 or more. You are actually rating to 400 lbs. Your drywall will be the limiting factor, and so long as your house isn't 75 years old, it'll be more than adequate. Lag bolts are not necessary at all. Screwing to a stud is great, but I doubt you will be wanting a 16 inch wide shelf so you can't possible secure to a stud on both sides.
 
#15 ·
Actually most 5g tanks are 16" wide, atleast any of hte standards AGA, All Glass, Aqueon, Perfecto. ADA is the only one that is narrower and it is at 14" So a 16" shelf would be perfect, as would a 17-18" shelf to have a bit of shelf exrta.

Craig
 
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