Fish Room Racking

[MojoDex]

im thinking since i have a spare bedroom at my place and i live on my own and i naturally have MTS rather badly i was thinking i might rack out one entire side of the room for loads of tank

innitially im thinking small tanks like 24x12x12 but im not sure yet and this leads me into my question those of you with fish rooms i know there are many on here what do you use for fish tank racking?

i could make racking at work but it would cost me an absolute fortune to do so! even steel at trade price isnt cheap

the wall measures 2590mm just shy of 2.6 metres or 102 inches if you prefere 2.3 metres to the ceiling or 90½ inches either way

so basically what are my options ive never tried racking on this scale with this amount of weight before so i await expert advice

 

[CFC]

Never under-estimate the strength of timber and good screws, i build all my racks from 4x2" pressure treated timber and 3/4" plyboard including the ones that hold the 200 and 180 gallon tanks.

 

[MojoDex]

i work with steel for a living and im afraid that means i can never trust wood with anything heavy

 

[CFC]

I'm the oppisit, i am a fencer/horder so do most of my work with timber and its always the steel gates that give us the most problems with warping and sagging on their hinges.

To be honest i dont think there is much difference cost wise in timber and steel so if you are more comfortable with it some 2" angle and 2" box section would be just as good.

 

[The-Wolf]

hmm
steel + water = ferric oxide
wood + water = expanded wood
however using treated wood negates this problem
but then so does painting the steel.

personally I'd use the wood as it is nicer to look at

 

[MojoDex]

im really looking for somthing to buy already finished cuz steel cost has trippled in the last 2 years i could do it myself but the thing is i wouldnt get the thing through the door

would heavy duty racking be ok do u think? id sooner pay for it and it come with a garantee.

as for the gates steel gates need steel posts they dont sag then or if there made properly us northern steel workers must be better than out southern counterparts it seems

hmm
steel + water = ferric oxide
wood + water = expanded wood
however using treated wood negates this problem
but then so does painting the steel.

personally I'd use the wood as it is nicer to look at

powder coat the steel problem solved or paint it that works 2

wood being nicer to look at is a matter of opinion i feel

 

[Tolak]

Never under-estimate the strength of timber and good screws, i build all my racks from 4x2" pressure treated timber and 3/4" plyboard including the ones that hold the 200 and 180 gallon tanks.

This is how my racks are made. I have one of bolt together angle iron, I got it dirt cheap. Since redoing the fishroom is seemingly a yearly event for me, it's easier to unbolt & unscrew rather than break out a cutting torch.