Aquarium racks: selection and creation
A rack for aquariums is, perhaps, the only way out when one aquarium is not enough, and the area does not allow placing several artificial reservoirs in a room.
And, of course, pet shops cannot do without such irreplaceable equipment, in which the problem of placing a large number of aquariums with minimal substitutions of the floor area is also acute.
Overview
Having an idea of what aquariums are needed, you can pick up a ready-made rack of industrial production - there are many options.
A huge variety of equipment for pet shops and aquarium farms can be offered by the Russian company "ARG". The company also produces aquariums, and, accordingly, stands for them. The stands are equipped with a lighting system and electrical equipment that allows you to connect any other aquarium electrical appliances.
For the manufacture of load-bearing structures, square-section steel pipes made of ordinary or stainless steel are used, coated with a polymer composition that prevents corrosion.
Rack CA 3/1 (three-tier single-section aquarium rack) can be combined with other similar racks, filling the retail space with aesthetic and comfortable shelving, which can accommodate aquariums with a volume of about 150 liters.
At the request of the customer, aquariums can be equipped with partitions, which doubles the number of reservoirs.
Moscow production company Metallvarim. ru offers aquarium racks for individual orders. The company's specialists will help you design a product for aquariums of any size and shape.The company can produce both all-welded structures and prefabricated ones, if the product cannot be brought into an apartment or a store as a whole.
The company's employees recommend that you first design the rack taking into account the characteristics of the space of the room, and only after installing it, order aquariums of the size and shape corresponding to the interior of the room.
By purchasing a ready-made rack, you can significantly reduce the time spent. If the aquarist is unsure of his ability to create an acceptable home-made design, then the best solution would be to purchase or order a ready-made rack.
How to do it yourself?
Despite the wide selection of ready-made equipment, there are still quite a few aquarists who prefer to make a rack with their own hands. Such a decision may be entirely justified for the home if:
- a design of non-standard sizes is required;
- there are available materials, the use of which will be several times cheaper than purchasing a ready-made rack;
- the aquarist has sufficient material handling skills.
It is better to use a steel corner. Of course, it will be better if it is galvanized, although this is not necessary at all, because you can create a perfectly acceptable rack for aquariums.
According to the ratio of mass and strength, the best corner can be considered a corner with a shelf 50 mm wide.
You need to work with such material outside the apartment, for example, in the garage. You will need a set of tools: a tape measure, a pencil, a grinder with several cutting wheels for metal, a drill or a hammer drill with a set of drills. You also need bolts with a diameter of at least 6 mm (preferably 8 mm).
Before starting work, it is necessary to design the future rack, carefully measure the existing material. You may have to purchase the required amount of material. The bolted connection of the structure is justified if the rack needs to be made large, because in this case it can be assembled right in the apartment. The welded rack, if its dimensions are larger than the entrance doors, cannot be brought into the apartment.
In order to avoid falling, it is better to equip the rack with supports in length that exceed the width of the rack itself. It is also advisable to fix it to the floor and wall during installation using powerful anchors.
Good results are obtained when using an aluminum profile to create an aquarium rack or mini-rack of window waste. The profile was designed taking into account rather heavy loads, while it is quite light and malleable in processing. The plastic sheeting does not require additional efforts to give the structure aesthetic appearance, as is necessary when using a steel corner.
However, the lack of sufficient skill in working with an aluminum profile can lead all efforts to create a truly aesthetic rack to a completely opposite result. It is also worth considering that not everyone is able to satisfactorily process this material with ordinary tools.
Much more often at home, not a rack is made, which is still preferable in a sales area or in an aquarium, but an aquarium cabinet.
Indeed, if the house has one large decorative aquarium, then placing it on a stylish pedestal is quite logical.
The curbstone can be a solid structure hidden by decorative elements from the already mentioned steel corner. A curbstone with an aquarium can become part of the interior of a room, but at the same time it also has a completely utilitarian function: it hides part of the aquarium equipment.
In the drawers behind the doors, you can place the devices necessary for the care of the pond, which cannot be hidden if there are racks.
For a budget aquarium with your own hands, see below.
