Would This Work As A Tank Stand?

[somewhatshocked]

These NSF-rated shelving units from Lowes and Home Depot are quite capable of handling huge amounts of weight. They're not your standard wire racks from Target.

"Light Duty" means they can't hold car engines and such.

But as long as you're not meeting or exceeding the weight limits per shelf, you'll be fine. Especially with a tank that weighs less than a couple hundred pounds.

Originally Posted by Nubster

I wouldn't do much more than that though. When a stand has in the description "light-duty" and "super light Post"...that turns me off in a hurry, especially when it comes to holding my fish tanks.

[bradlgt21]

A 4 gallon tank will only weigh 32 lbs of water. I doubt that would rip down a shelf rated at 250lbs.

If it truley was a tank that weighed close to that like a 29 gallon I wouldn't trust it one bit, would even be nervous with a 20. But I tend to go overboard with my stand builds.

[Diana]

I would use something under the tank so it is not sitting directly on the wires. Something as thin as masonite would be enough. (If you use masonite, paint it).
As an example, a clipboard that looks like wood is usually masonite. A plastic clipboard might be another possibility. (Are these the right size?). A small piece of acrylic would work. At most plastic places (Tap Plastics for example) they will cut to order.

You could test what this tank would do to the shelving. Assume 10 pounds per gallon includes the water itself, the tank, substrate... and put 40 pounds worth of bricks or something where you want to put the tank. Then hold something straight under the shelf. If the shelf is bowing from the weight the straight edge will not touch equally all along, and you will have to decide if that is too much bow to risk.
Covering the whole shelf might help in this case by distributing the weight better. A thin piece of acrylic might do the job, yet still have that open feeling of the wire rack.

[samamorgan]

I'm not too familiar with this type of shelf, i can't speak for them structurally. I will suggest that you make sure it has no wobble and is very sturdy laterally without any weight on it before you put a tank on it. Some shelves are only stable when they have weight on them. Probably a good idea to put a fair amont of weight on the bottom shelf to make the rest of the shelf as stable as possible.

If it says it will hold 350 per shelf, i wouldnt doubt them. Manufacturers generally understate what the shelf can actually hold for liability reasons. A gallon of water weights about 8lbs, for your reference.

[somewhatshocked]

This is how we develop Multiple Tank Syndrome.

Because we've always gotta have something heavy on the bottom shelf to stabilize things, right?

Originally Posted by samamorgan

Probably a good idea to put a fair amont of weight on the bottom shelf to make the rest of the shelf as stable as possible.

[samamorgan]

Originally Posted by somewhatshocked

This is how we develop Multiple Tank Syndrome.

Because we've always gotta have something heavy on the bottom shelf to stabilize things, right?

Hell yeah

[Promisedsin]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions. Turns out my mom has a large sheet of masonite that she will let me use. I would love to have another tank on the bottom, but sadly my mother won't let everyone have any more. She thinks they cost hundreds of dollars in electricity every year.

[samamorgan]

Originally Posted by Promisedsin

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions. Turns out my mom has a large sheet of masonite that she will let me use. I would love to have another tank on the bottom, but sadly my mother won't let everyone have any more. She thinks they cost hundreds of dollars in electricity every year.

They can cost hundreds of dollars in electricity yearly without a doubt. I also dont doubt that some cost that monthly.

[Promisedsin]

Originally Posted by samamorgan

They can cost hundreds of dollars in electricity yearly without a doubt. I also dont doubt that some cost that monthly.

Sorry, let me rephrase that. She thinks my 4 gallon is going to make her electricity bill go from 200 a month to 400. I don't think I could put anything on a 4 gallon that would cost $200 in electricity. I could be wrong though.

[samamorgan]

Some of my family have indoor grow rooms and they don't even increase their power bill by $200 a month. Close, but not quite.

[bastage]

Bwahahahaaaa.... I had the same unit with a freaking 20g Tall on it.. And up until today I had a smaller set holding an Fluval Flora & the shelf didnt hardly flex under its 8 gallons..

So yes your 4g finnex nano is perfectly fine.

[lochaber]

Energy consumption is worth considering, but usually it's only an issue for larger tanks (planted, reef, etc.).

If the energy use is a limiting factor, you should be able to do some calculations based on the wattages of everything (usually, this is available on the box, or a sticker or something, but not always). Just remember to effectively 1/2 the lighting wattage (since it would only be on ~12 hours or less) and either make a guess as to the heater, or use one of those calculators that advises heater wattage based on ambient (room/air) temp and desired tank temp, compared to the size of tank.
Once you have the wattages all added up, figure out the kilowatt/hour rates (look online, see if you can check a bill, or something. round up.), and multiply the two numbers (watts x rate) for an estimate of monthly energy use hopefully this will give you a slightly high number, since there is only ~720 hours in a 30-day month, but I would think it would help you if you presented a worst-case scenario, and the actual results fell quite a bit below that.

anyways, good luck

[alfalfa]

I have the same stands from Lowes. I have no tanks on them but I do have a lot of weight on different shelves. They are pretty sturdy but I wouldn't push it. I'd feel ok about a 10 gallon on mine. Mine can also get top heavy so I'd only want one and have it towards the bottom.

Also, inspect every piece thoroughly, especially the welds where the shelf meets the tapered cylinder that slides over the rods. I had a similar rack shelf from a different manufacturer literally come apart at the welds and drop to the floor when it had about 5 pounds on it and I put a 12 fl oz bottle on it. It was only tack welded. Super fast, super cheap, super lazy, super unethical. It is the kind of weld you do to hold something in place before you actually weld it. Just to be clear, I think the Lowes shelves are a lot better, but buyer beware. Things are not always as they seem.