Aquarium on a shelf?

[fermentedhiker]

I'm setting up a new 125 RR tank. It'll be a mixed softy and lps tank. I'm toying with the idea of a header fuge(above the DT). Since I'm breaking down two 29 gallon reef tanks that I have to spend more time maintaining than my 90 gallon cube, and some of the stuff in them is too small to go in the new DT with the fish I plan on getting it would be nice to have a place for them to thrive.

What I'm thinking is a shelf mounted 12" above the DT. It would be a 16" shelf 72" long. The tank that would go on it would be 72x12x12". Water would be pumped from the sump using a separate return pump and the header tank would drain back into the DT. It works out to roughly 45 gallons which is 360# of water weight. The tank would obviously weigh more when you account for sand and rock. The shelf brackets from HD are rated for 600lbs. The wall is framed with 2x4's that I'm assuming are 16 on center. which works out to about 16 studs that I could attach to. I'm thinking that 6 brackets would leave about 12" between brackets would be more than enough. Four brackets would stretch it to 18" which still should be OK I think. Especially if I cleated the ends of the shelves(there are side walls at each end).

Was thinking of making the shelf out of a single 3/4" board and gluing a piece of 1/2" plywood underneath it.

Sound reasonable or am I way off ?

 

[Breadman03]

I wouldn't trust it, though I don't have the structural experience to be an authority. I don't know that the shelf brackets would be stable enough to prevent twisting. If I was to do something similar, I would look at essentially building a stand at the desired height. Those side walls could be built to support the load without twisting, and a properly sized header to support the shelf would look nice. You could probably use some trim so that the stand would be easily removable if you should sell the house at some point.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I have my 20 gal long on the same thing. although I think my brackets are 1000LB. You will need to shim to make level. I did and I am happy I did it. Although it took a while for me to get comfortable with the idea. It will more than hold the weight. I would pick up some GRK Structural screws or GRK cabinet screws Make sure they are rated for the weight. I put the three brackets directly on the wall into the studs. I used 2 levels and shimmed to make everything level. Leveling is the important part.

 

[mrpizzaface]

I agree I think you will probably be okay. With that being said, I would want to investigate further. I would probably remove the drywall sheathing in the area you intend to place the tank. I would Examine the attachment of the joists to the top and bottom plate and add nails if necessary. I would look for any notching of the studs and reinforce if needed. And then since the wall is already open I would add horizontal blocking the full width of the refugium. Install new sheetrock, tape, paint, install brackets, shelf and refugium. No worries. You could also install brackets before you install new sheetrock and create a super clean floating look.

 

[fermentedhiker]

The quote for the tank came in and at 2K+ it's more than I wanted to spend on a adjunct to the DT. Looking at other options instead of custom.

 

[fermentedhiker]

A 33 long is the longest tank that fits(sort of) in a standard glass option. This would leave it a foot short on each end compared to the DT. That might be OK visually, just not positive.