Tank overhanging stand

[troyclark]

Hello all,

I just bought a new house and am going to make a basement bedroom into a new fishroom for my freshwater tanks (and hopefully in the near future get some discus again) and put an in-wall saltwater reef tank to be able to view it from the living room.

I am thinking of getting some heavy duty shelving units from Menards for my 2 125 gallon tanks (since they are easier to transport and assemble) and my 180 gallon tank. The problem is they only come in 17 inch wide and 24 in wide. The 125 gallons are 18.5 inches wide outside of trim to outside of trim. If I put a 3/4 inch piece of plywood on the shelf and then set my tank on it, will the plywood be strong enough to hold the approx 3/4-1 inch overhang the tank has from the actual shelving brackets or should I put 2 layers of 3/4 plywood?

Any help or insight is appreciated.

Thanks,

Troy

[danotaylor]

I would think that narrower shelving would actually be better for the 125’s because then the weight of the tank is gonna be over the bracing. If you put an 18” wide tank on a piece of ply on a 24” wide span the weight of the tank is going to be predominantly carried by the ply and not the bracing. This would be especially so if there is no cross brace support on the shelving your are talking about.
Disclaimer; I am not an engineer and am not responsible for the decision you make LOL

[CliffsDiscus]

Check out those Gorilla Racks.

[jpm995]

That small an overhang shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure you stain or paint it to protect from water leaks. Butcher block might be an option for you.

[jeep]

I wonder if you could drill through the frame and bolt a 2x4 so as to extend the shelf? Better safe than sorry...