P.s. use 3/4 inch hardwood plywood, its surprisingly attractive as a shelf
Greymires on
The supports are usually robust but I’d be afraid of the weight of the filled tank being concentrated on the relatively thin wires of the grate, even if the weight is spread across multiple wires.
You’re not going to be able to see the grate from the sides or the top after you put in the substrate anyway, so if you prefer the no wood look, you could simply paint the plywood panel black. This would somewhat preserve the no wood look.
The_RealAnim8me2 on
For those framed tanks the weight is being borne by the frame. However over time that grid is going to flex.
Goldghost01 on
Use the wood. You may be ok without it. But why risk it?
granolaraisin on
I would add a piece of wood. You never know if the grates have any small pin sized high spots that could effectively shatter the glass when there’s enough pressure on it.
10 Comments
Curious if you think it will be fine with just the grates or if I need to cut some wood to lay underneath. I would prefer the no wood look.
Probably fine. But you will feel better with wood.
I had very similar shelves in my garage, the shelves bow especially towards the middle. I would add wood to help distribute the load personally.
If it’s all secure, I don’t see why it wouldn’t hold the tank without the wood
I’d use a thin rectangular of acrylic or even 18ga painted steel, just to spread out the weight a tiny bit. It would still be woodless that way.
Dont listen to the others, you NEED the wood. It evenly distributes the weight to all wires and allows for full contact of the aquarium corners.
Source: I also have a rack setup
https://preview.redd.it/mllngd4c0m4g1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a6c68c67f83ee677852176d43ee489ba566028d
P.s. use 3/4 inch hardwood plywood, its surprisingly attractive as a shelf
The supports are usually robust but I’d be afraid of the weight of the filled tank being concentrated on the relatively thin wires of the grate, even if the weight is spread across multiple wires.
You’re not going to be able to see the grate from the sides or the top after you put in the substrate anyway, so if you prefer the no wood look, you could simply paint the plywood panel black. This would somewhat preserve the no wood look.
For those framed tanks the weight is being borne by the frame. However over time that grid is going to flex.
Use the wood. You may be ok without it. But why risk it?
I would add a piece of wood. You never know if the grates have any small pin sized high spots that could effectively shatter the glass when there’s enough pressure on it.