# Advice on aquarium racks:



## dasstheboss

Hello,

I'm planning to create 40G (36x18x16) breeder aquarium racks in my basement. 

Tanks: Will most likely get them from Petco's dollar per gallon sale unless there is a cheaper option. I'll need 12 tanks.
Stand: I found a Muscle Rack that should hold 3 tanks - on on top, and 2 on each of the shelves. 
Lighting: I'm looking for the cheapest option since they will hold only fish and low-light plants for filtration purposes. Any suggestions? If not, I'll be using a Beamswork LED fixture but they will add up at $35 each.
Filter: I want to plumb the aquariums but don't know how to get the lowest tank to feed my sump - it will be too low for gravity overflow and I don't trust pumping water into the sump hoping the overflow up top matches it.

Does anyone here have 40 breeder racks? The most important factor for me is aesthetics - there should be NO visible wires and if needed, I can drill into the drywall behind the tank for equipment.

- Das


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## KayakJimW

Not a fan of those racks... Sure the weight requirements are there, but the shelves are particle board and will disintegrate after getting wet a few times. Also I don't trust that they won't lean over time, or fall if they get bumped hard enough. I'm a huge fan of 2x4 racks and secure them to wall studs and you're set. Better yet, use 4x4s for the vertical posts and notch out where the shelf 2x4s sit, so you're not relying on shear strength of the screws but the wood itself. To improve aesthetics, you can use choice wood on the front and stain it nice. Or use builder grade wood and paint it all black. 

Advantages to this are: 
-STRENGTH!
-can make swing doors above each tank to hide lights and equipment 
-can easily compensate for uneven floors by how long you cut the vertical pieces.
-can look as nice, or as rustic, as you have time for. 
-can drill holes anywhere to conceal/direct cords and tubes 
-higher resale value or material for future projects...

I used to have a basement fish room and ran UGFs with a giant air pump and had some canister filters, so I can't really help on plumbing your sumps up.
That stand though.... I could never trust a $35 stand to hold 3 x 40 gallon tanks without reinforcing the snot out of it anyway

For lighting: If you are putting racks side by side, can go with the 6' Beamsworks over two tanks and cut the number of light cords in half. Or go with cheap, Amazon tape lights and mount under shelves to light the tanks below them. Just some thoughts, Good Luck!

Here's some visuals. These are not mine, just Googled em up:


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## theatermusic87

As for lights, the led shop lights that you can get every where are probably significantly cheaper, the florescent versions are probably pretty inexpensive too.

As for plumbing, if your sump and bottom tank are on the same level you could use a water "bridge" or just plumb them together and the water level will equalize between them effectively acting as one giant sump. You only need an overflow of the tanks are at different levels


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## dasstheboss

I find the wooden racks to be very unattractive. Are there any steel shelves that would look better than the one I linked to?

I've seen people use these shelves online which is why I chose it.


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## dasstheboss

I found these on Amazon - it would be 2x 40G double stand so should be sturdier. It looks better built too:

https://www.amazon.com/MR3618BWG-Bo...F8&qid=1503960870&sr=1-12&keywords=edsal+rack

I'll have to find something to put on top since it will only be half the desired height.


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## KayakJimW

dasstheboss said:


> I find the wooden racks to be very unattractive. Are there any steel shelves that would look better than the one I linked to?
> 
> I've seen people use these shelves online which is why I chose it.


Gotcha, A few things about the metal racks: Make sure its powder coated or at least very well painted as the paint usually chips where you connect it together creating rusty spots over time. Swap out the particle board for real wood either outdoor grade, or coat it yourself with some type of paint or laquer to last longer. Folks use these types pretty often as seen by searching "rack" in the Custom search bar to the right, over the Premium Vendor Showcase window. Also planetcatfish.com and other forums have some sweet rack designs to flip through

I'll admit, I'm just biased towards wood racks. Unless they're square frame welded racks made for tanks, I just see a tank on a garage shelf haha. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Wood painted black:









With Doors:










Links to metal rack builds:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-equipment/200899-steel-rack-stand.html
Inexpensive breeder rack - PlanetCatfish.com
The Planted Tank Forum - Search Results for rack


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## GraphicGr8s

@KayakJimW
How many tanks did you have in that fish room? Looks great all painted black.
My racks are also wood but in many of them I used 2x3 instead of 2x4. A bit less money and given how they are built the extra strength of the 4" isn't needed. I'm in the process now of redoing the fish house and all the racks will get painted.
@dasstheboss
I am using 4' T8 shop lights from lowes. They run about $11-17 and are all black. 
Plant growth is good with them. 

Petco's last sales have not included the 40B nor the 55s. Pet Supplies Plus is running the $1 per gallon now and it does include the 40B. (I need another few 10 gallon tanks myself)
For your plumbing the 40B has a tempered bottom so all your drilling will be on the vertical panels.
I've got a similar setup as what you are looking to do. Similar but not the same. I've got a 22 breeder on the bottom shelf (wood racks) a 40B on the middle and another 22 on top of that. (A 22 breeder is about the same footprint as the 40 with less height.)
The 22s are drilled, the 40 is not. The bottom 22 is a pain in the posterior in all manners. It gets the least amount of care because of that. The 40 is at the right height for about everything. The top 22 is a still a bit too high to get into without a step stool or ladder. And I'm 6'2".
I've got 2 other racks of the 22s and the two middle height tanks are a breeze. The top and bottom have the same problem as the rack with the 40B.

I started out using a sump with the drilled 22 breeders. Wound up hating it and went on to HOB filters. After I started breeding however I wound up with an AP100 (I've got a lot of tanks) and scrapping the HOBS and the sumps. Just works better for actual breeding in my experience.

The thing I am looking at now is an auto drain/fill system. Water changes are still a pain. The advantage to doing the manual changes though are you look at each tank a bit closer.


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## KayakJimW

GraphicGr8s said:


> [MENTION=290233]How many tanks did you have in that fish room? Looks great all painted black.
> My racks are also wood but in many of them I used 2x3 instead of 2x4...


Only about 20 at its peak. Twelve in the rack, the rest loose around the floor... The rack held 4 x 20Ls along the top, 4 x 20Ls in the middle, and 4 x 29g along the bottom. I used it to keep and breed Tanganyikan cichlids mostly. Had loose tanks on stands ranging from 40 to 125g along the walls and floor that I would sell as turnkey, ready to go, full setups. Fish Room (basement) had a big mud sink, and a drain on the floor, it was perfect, I miss that house tremendously

Those pics aren't my setups, just ideas for OP, sorry to mislead.
There's probably physical pics in a box somewhere, but that was back before I had a phone with a camera, back in the 1900s so I used some Google images

I'm planning a 10g shrimp and moss rack now for a winter project. Will closely resemble the last pic. Going in one of the front rooms so it has to look nice


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## dasstheboss

Thank you for all the advice; after considering the height aspect, I definitely think having 3 40 gallon tanks is out of the question. I'm also not going to drill because with all the holes I'll need, it's likely to have at least one crack.

My follow-up questions:

1. I've seen many tanks use only a sponge filter. Is this feasible? Also, are there any truly silent air pumps that can be used for this? I hate that soft hum that air pumps put out.
2. Option 2 is to have Aquaclear 30's on each tank. This creates water movement but is more expensive.
3. How do you heat your tanks? I assume all the tanks are one separate systems so you'll need a heater for each one; yet the pictures I saw don't have any heaters in the tanks.


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## KayakJimW

dasstheboss said:


> Thank you for all the advice; after considering the height aspect, I definitely think having 3 40 gallon tanks is out of the question. I'm also not going to drill because with all the holes I'll need, it's likely to have at least one crack.
> 
> My follow-up questions:
> 
> 1. I've seen many tanks use only a sponge filter. Is this feasible? Also, are there any truly silent air pumps that can be used for this? I hate that soft hum that air pumps put out.
> 2. Option 2 is to have Aquaclear 30's on each tank. This creates water movement but is more expensive.
> 3. How do you heat your tanks? I assume all the tanks are one separate systems so you'll need a heater for each one; yet the pictures I saw don't have any heaters in the tanks.


1. Sure! sponge filters are great. Even discus breeders who insist on the cleanest water use them. For silent air pumps, I'm out of the loop on what's currently available. Its been almost 20 years since I bought my stuff. My experience though, is that the hum of the filter is nothing compared to all the bubbling sound. When I opened my basement door, it sounded like the Olympic bong team was down there training hard.
2. May not be a bad option if quiet is a goal
3. Heater in each tank unless its on a plumbed system, then larger heater(s) in the sump. May not be necessary with certain species in certain room temps.


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## GraphicGr8s

dasstheboss said:


> Thank you for all the advice; after considering the height aspect, I definitely think having 3 40 gallon tanks is out of the question. I'm also not going to drill because with all the holes I'll need, it's likely to have at least one crack.
> 
> My follow-up questions:
> 
> 1. I've seen many tanks use only a sponge filter. Is this feasible? Also, are there any truly silent air pumps that can be used for this? I hate that soft hum that air pumps put out.
> 2. Option 2 is to have Aquaclear 30's on each tank. This creates water movement but is more expensive.
> 3. How do you heat your tanks? I assume all the tanks are one separate systems so you'll need a heater for each one; yet the pictures I saw don't have any heaters in the tanks.


Sponge filters are fine. I got all of mine from taking down RC Bows fish room after his stroke. Before that I had bought 25 or so of the Lees Economy Box filters. Nice thing about the box filters you can vary the media. Like if you need carbon etc.

I've got some Whispers running on my tanks. Most however are running off an AP100. 

I am in Florida so it's more how do I cool the room. I have a window shaker in the fish house and during the brief chill we get I run one of the oil filled space heaters and a tank heater in certain tanks only. Mostly the big tanks near the windows.
Here's a link to the thread I started on the fish house. I have changed many of the tanks around and am currently trying to shut down the ones in the small room so I can clean and paint. And a redesign of the layout. After that is done the main room will get the same treatment. All the racks will also get a few coats of paint.


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/787753-some-pictures-fish-house.html


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