rack shelf units

[darktim]

Hi all i was considering using shelves from bunnings for a future rack system, only issue is that there was only one shelf that could fit my planned tank size but bigger shelves then the actual tank. The shelf dimensions for each shelf are 1200cm by 600 and support 200kg per shelf whilst my tanks were planning on being 900cm by 450cm and being about 180L in volume. Should i keep looking for different shelf units? or would i be able to reinforce the shelf to safely support the tank.

If anything does anyone have any experience on making a shelf would greatly appreciate it any tips on possibly making one or if you can make one too order that could easily be a possibility

[torface]

I think JohnH used a rack system from Bunnings and reinforced it...

Have a look here: http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/2875-Need-More-Room-It-s-Rack-Time!

[Squiggle]

Yeah the Rack-it system from Bunnings is ok but as torface mentioned you need to strengthen up the timber shelves :encouragement:

[JohnH]

Yep, what they said. :cool-new:

Oh, and don't forget the 25mm foam underlay.

[KiwiBigD]

Got to say why Bunnings racking? I'm just in the stage of finishing my first descent rack which I purchased from http://www.unirack.com.au/. Good pricing

but more importantly, holds a good weight so you don't need to fret about pushing the limits in terms of weight. Very professional and I'm really happy with

their service. I'll be posting photos shortly for comparison.

[JohnH]

I went with the Bunnings Rack-it system as it was readily available and reasonably cheap (I actually went to Bunnings to buy wood to make my own). Apart from having to reinforce the shelves, it worked out well for me.

I guess you could say availability was the main factor me.

[KiwiBigD]

Cool. Just thought I'd ask, no offense intended. I know what its like though, I'd seen a lot of things I'd like but budget became a limiting factor

but I wanted the strength hence unirack. And delivery included and they delivered exactly when they said they would, just perfect.

[Squiggle]

I'm getting the Dexion style rack for my new rack, the Bunnings rack does the job for my smaller system but for 400kg per shelf the pallet racking is the only way to go, each self can hold 2ton & I know I'm never going to get anywhere near that weight but piece of mind is a good thing. The only thing you have to get for pallet racking is a strong surface material as they come as a bare frame :encouragement:

[torface]

Thanks for the link KiwiBigD, i'll consider them for the future :)

[Squiggle]

Give us a yo when you want yours torface, I'm getting mine at 2100H x 1800W x 600D & it's only going to cost $220 :victorious:

edit: I'm getting three shelves in that system :encouragement:

[torface]

Do they come smaller than that?

Those pallet rack uprights i told you about the other day are Dexion...

[Squiggle]

Nah I dont think they are, I think they are the Bunnings Rack-it system from memory. I don't know if you can get smaller width than 1800 from where I get it from but the depth can go down to 450 & you can always chop the height down :encouragement:

[torface]

But they're freeeeeeeeeeee! lol

1800 seems a long lenth to support with just 2 uprights! I definately dont have enough space for something that long anyway right now :(

[Squiggle]

These pallet racking systems come as long as 4.5m & can support four 1200x1200 pallets that weigh 1 ton per pallet, these beams are plenty strong. Some places will do 1500 & 1200 beams, there's a place at Yatala that will do those sizes :encouragement:

[KiwiBigD]

Dexion style? You mean simply Long Span Shelving, I had a quite from Dexion as opposed to Unirack, lets see. Under $400 vs $1500 for exactly the same, boy I can

see money for value there, NOT!

If you look to Long Span shelving do check around. There are quite a few resellers so you'll find some are cheaper on price, however they ship from interstate and

then the price goes through the roof and potentially up to a months wait for delivery.

Also, do work out the weight beforehand. You may think 200kgs is enough, but considering a single foot of water is 27Kgs the weight disappears pretty quickly. Also

of course substrate can be pretty dense so don't underestimate it, and lastly, the Glass. Glass is heavy, really heavy! 10mm glass weighs 25kg/m2, 6mm glass is

16kg/m2 and 8mm is 20kg/m2, so do your sums! Work out the size of the tank, check the size of the glass required and add it up, you may be in for a shock!

[Squiggle]

Great info dude, the reason I said "Dexion style" is because most people know what you're talking about. Dexion is a brand of pallet racking with tombstone locking system, like Xerox is a brand of photocopier & Glad Wrap is a brand of cling film. I am getting mine for $220 as opposed to another place which quoted me $450 for the exact same sized rack so shopping around is a good idea.

You're on the money too with the weight of a full tank being a lot more than expected, another easy way to calculate it is 1L of fresh water weighs roughly 1kg, saltwater is more as there's salt in it but not much, about 1.02kgs. Plus you've got to add substrate but also account for the water it displaces & as you've stated, the weight of the glass too so a 100L tank could end up weighing about 130kg-160kg depending on the scape, ie rocks, drift wood & decorations. Well pointed out BigD :encouragement:

[torface]

Dexion is a brand of pallet racking with tombstone locking system' date=' like Xerox is a brand of photocopier & Glad Wrap is a brand of cling film. [/quote']

It makes me happy you said "cling film"... most people look at me weird when i use that term! LOL

[darktim]

Thanks guys some useful links and information to consider.

I was looking at the both unirack and dixion they both seem to offer longspan shelfing, but uniracks just from their price list seem to be cheaper and support more weight per shelf

I was wondering as well how safe would it be to put a 450mm deep tank on a 600mm deep shelf? With both companies they offer metal shelf sheeting and partical board it seems, which woudl be the better choice? (i would consider the metal since the partical board might deform/ warp from the moister evaporating from the tanks) if its not that safe i might need to consider getting a slightly smaller tank or upsizing it even more to fit 600 deep but then i would have to deal with the tank being even more heavy

I was wondering KiwiBigD what model and size shelf did you end up getting and if not too rude but how much did it set you back?

Also squiggle are you using pallet shelving for your racks? how do your tanks sit on the shelves?

weight wise ive kinda worked out how much each tank will end up being roughly as well the tank i dont know if ive done the maths right tho a 3ftx1.5x1.5 with 10mm glass weighs 50kg if i were to make the tank 4ftx60cm x 45cm (so basicly to fit a shelf from unirack)the glass itself would weight 75kg and the rest is pretty straight foward to work out

[Squiggle]

I'm getting the pallet racking, it's a bit more heavy duty. I'm also going to get 600 shelves & a 450 tank, I'm probably going to use 16mm ply & you can get support braces for under the shelves to help strengthen the shelf material & then you just put foam under the tank :encouragement:

[darktim]

lols alright then i was wondering since your doing it as well how are you planning on placing the tank on the rack would it be best to centre it or place it closes to the front/back i guess same would apply if the tank was shorter then the length of the shelf

[Squiggle]

Yeah I'll be placing them at the back of one end to make it easier for the plumbing & some storage for foods etc, I will be getting the braces for between the beams & I'll be putting them directly under the tank :encouragement: I'll be posting how I do it on my new rack thread so keep an eye on it, I'll be hopefully picking up the rack on Saturday :victorious:

[KiwiBigD]

Thanks guys some useful links and information to consider.

I was looking at the both unirack and dixion they both seem to offer longspan shelfing' date=' but uniracks just from their price list seem to be cheaper and support more weight per shelf

I was wondering as well how safe would it be to put a 450mm deep tank on a 600mm deep shelf? With both companies they offer metal shelf sheeting and partical board it seems, which woudl be the better choice? (i would consider the metal since the partical board might deform/ warp from the moister evaporating from the tanks) if its not that safe i might need to consider getting a slightly smaller tank or upsizing it even more to fit 600 deep but then i would have to deal with the tank being even more heavy

I was wondering KiwiBigD what model and size shelf did you end up getting and if not too rude but how much did it set you back?

Also squiggle are you using pallet shelving for your racks? how do your tanks sit on the shelves?

weight wise ive kinda worked out how much each tank will end up being roughly as well the tank i dont know if ive done the maths right tho a 3ftx1.5x1.5 with 10mm glass weighs 50kg if i were to make the tank 4ftx60cm x 45cm (so basicly to fit a shelf from unirack)the glass itself would weight 75kg and the rest is pretty straight foward to work out[/quote']

Only too happy to answer any questions.

I've spoken to both Unirack and Dexion and was quite disappointed with Dexion customer service. They see themselves as the best out from a brand

perspective however their pricing sucks! The Unirack staff I found were great but more importantly the quality of the rack I think is brilliant. I did do

a lot of research before choosing Unirack, it wasn't just the price but the general all round feel.

If you're looking at the 600mm deep shelf but only a 450mm tank then I would replace the particle board. Its strong, don't get me wrong but I would

go with a good hardwood instead. The metal shelving provides good strong support for the particle board however if the particle board bends then I'd

be concerned. I can quite comforably state with my setup and I'm not dependent upon the board, if it fell away it would be bad but the tank should

support itself on the polysterene but my tank is 600mm deep so the weight evenly distributed across the entire shelf.

I went for the rack that is 2500mm tall, 1200mm inside and 600mm front to back. I could have used only the 2100mm tall but wasn't sure and the

price difference between 2100 and 2500mm was neglible. I paid $345 for it including delivery with 4 shelves. I got the extra shelf for storage and I'll be

throwing up some pictures soon. It does mean though my tank is 1193mm long as opposed to the usual 1200 or 1210mm and its tight, but I was happy

with that, just meant a bit of a touchup with the paint afterwards.

Unirack does the size in 400mm, 600mm and 800mm, thought about the 800mm but it was heavy enough being 600mm the tanks as the advice was to

use 10mm glass. Just ask Doron ;-)

[Heavyd]

Having seen the rack in the flesh earlier this week, I can say that I'm now considering one for myself later this year instead of building it out of timber.

It looks nice and solid and is fairly cheap considering the appearance of quality. I guess KiwiBigD is the guinea pig for durability and longevity. Definitely an good option for me, instead of having to build my one. The only consideration is aesthetics. If mine were to be in the main living area, then maybe I would consider something a bit prettier versus purely functional.

[KiwiBigD]

Having seen the rack in the flesh earlier this week' date=' I can say that I'm now considering one for myself later this year instead of building it out of timber.

It looks nice and solid and is fairly cheap considering the appearance of quality. I guess KiwiBigD is the guinea pig for durability and longevity. Definitely an good option for me, instead of having to build my one. The only consideration is aesthetics. If mine were to be in the main living area, then maybe I would consider something a bit prettier versus purely functional.[/quote']

I'm just like my Rack, I'm functional, I ain't pretty! And yeah I'm pretty happy with it so far, I'll have pictures up by the end of today.

[CNgo2006]

I'm just like my Rack' date=' I'm functional, I ain't pretty! And yeah I'm pretty happy with it so far, I'll have pictures up by the end of today.[/quote']

Kiwi are the racks customisable to size? Can they make it to size required? Or does it come in standard sizes?