When it comes to smaller tanks, you can minimize the space that they take up by simply stacking them on top of each other. Now in the past i have actually have shown how to build aquarium stands and multiple level aquarium racks in the past, Now this racks that I'm about to show you is intended for aquariums 30 gallons or less. With that said we will be using half the materials we usually do to make rack. For this build i used seven 2x4's and about 120 wood screws that were #8's and 2. 5" long. Using wood glue for this build is optional, but if you do intend to use it, it will make the stand a lot stronger.
The total cost for this entire project was under $25. The plans for this are so simple that you can adjust how you want to put it together. I first start out with the platforms that the tanks will sit on. I Makes these about1/2"-1" larger than the bottom of the tank to allow for a bit of wiggle room. Screwing the front and back on the outside of this formation. I repeat this for as many tanks as i need. In this case, i needed 3. Next, i sit the tank supports up, and screw in the side supports. I use at least 4 screws for each contact point. Now this is where you can use wood glue if you want to. These side supports will depict how tall the stand will be. The spacing of the tank supports needs to account for not only the tanks height but also how much working room you will need. I suggest at least 4 inches allowing for ample room for you to work on the tanks when the time comes. You will want to make sure the tank supports are level and square. So insure you use both when building the stand. Now obviously as is, we have a make shift stand. However, all the weight of the tanks will now be on the screws. So we will want to alleviate that a bit. A 2x4 cut to the width of the stand and placed under each tank support will provide a lot of extra support. Again, 4 screws into each contact point. Now we still have the tank weight on the screws, but we have more than enough support from them to worry about it. A wood screw, on average has a shearing strength of about 100-150 pounds. Meaning, how much weight they can take before snapping. Each tank is supported by 32 screws. The tanks that I'm using are 30 gallon aquarium and if you do the math this rack is 10 times stronger than i need. The is a tall stand and it is evident that this might tip over. . One of the best things you can do is actually is to secure the top of the rack to a wall. That will not be possible for everyone, so what i do is add in a couple of supports to the bottom of the rack. The supports at the bottom should be the width of the stand and secured to each leg with more screws. The supports should come out and extra 6" from the stand. This will prevent it from tipping. The benefit to this type of rack is that it is cheap and easy to do. It also takes up less space in width than my typical stands do. On that same note, this style rack is only for tank 30 gallons or less, so it does have its limits.
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