Help :)

[flybyferns]

Hello,

I need ideas !

Does anyone have any ideas how I could build pull out/ roll out..... shelves on an existing rack shelf?
I am picturing them being like those inside kitchen cabinets.
However, there is no way to side mount anything.

The shelf I would build these on is low.
I want to pull the tanks past the end of the shelf... 'slide them out' ....to access the tanks better--- for feeding, maintenance etc.

These 'slides'...of which may be 3.
Would have to support the weight of a 10 gallon tank w/ gravel substrate 3" deep , soil ...and frogs .

The rack is extremely sturdy ,so weight is not an issue.
The 'shelving ' this RIG would sit on is ....steel grid.

It's little hard to describe this ...sorry

Thanks

a photo of the tank ( empty ) and the steel shelf. ( steel grid)

[DigitalPunk]

Lynn, I'm at work but have been looking for a solution to this very same thing. I'll post what I've come up with later tonight or tomorrow.

[DigitalPunk]

Lynn,

Still at work, but here is a couple post it note drawings of how I was considering doing this. I was going to sandwich the the frame of the shelf (not just the wire rack) between 2 pieces of wood. Bolt the wood together and then attach the drawer slides to the wood. Was planning on doing 2 of these a shelf. Would have a couple or more tanks per shelf on it but they make drawer slides that can hold 500 or more pounds.

I am not sold this is the only way. Still looking for other options.

[DigitalPunk]

You could probably drill holes in the main beams that the wire rack sits on and bold a piece of wood to them for the drawer rails to sit on... I think either way you are going to have to fashion something to the rack to raise the rails up off the wire rack a bit in order for this to work.

You and I have the same type of racks for our tanks. If you find something that works before I do please share it

[Mentat]

I would search for "replacement tool cabinet sliding tracks" since they have higher load ratings than those for regular cabinet drawers. A bottom single track attached to your rack frame would be great; but the weight and tank stability is an issue unless you could find one with a large attachment point that remains stable with around a 100 pound load.

Paul's idea might be only solution and could work with either hardwood (1x2 or 2x2s) or a similar piece of angular aluminum providing an attachment point for the horizontal sliders .

[DigitalPunk]

Carlos,

Yeah that is what I am referring to. I was looking at Drawer rails that can support 100lbs + Found some that could do 500lbs which might be over kill but with the weight of a couple tanks plus a over weight lazy herpper leaning on it accidentally it might be worth it to oversize the rail some.

The more I think about it the mor convinced I am that the solution will be bolting something, wood or metal, to the shelf to mount the sliding tray onto.

[deranged chipmunk]

Is this just to hold one 10 gallon tank? Or the entire shelf? Finding drawer slides isn't really a big issue if it is just the 10 gallon tank. Even filled with water and gravel and accoutrements, a 10g is only just over 100 lbs, so just soil and substrate would be much lighter.

What you need is someone who can frabricate something out of steel that you can simply bolt to the frame of the shelving. Now who do you know that's an excellent metal fabricator? Hmmmm......if only we had someone like that one the forum........


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[flybyferns]

Great ideas ! Thanks

I looked into to several kitchen cabinet type places.
I realized as well .......creating side rails ( for mounting ) is really the only option.

However, cost and practicality is an issue. It may be less costly to simply buy exo- terras on sale with front opening doors
Drill them/ remove the screen / replace with glass ---- done ! So simple.

Plus I drill my tanks. Sliding the tubing/ that is attached to the tanks is a fly in the ointment

I can always put these top opening grow-outs ( aquariums) on the top shelves ! That's where keep the 2 1/2 gallon temps for the really young tads. Being just 5"2 -- I need a bench to reach them ! That's no fun either. The little tanks are light enough to take down.

Don't know.

Let's keep thinking.

[DigitalPunk]

Wood is cheap, Bolts are cheap and so far the rails for the cabinets are $15 - $30 for 2. If you got rails that could support 200ish lbs than you could make 2 shelves that span 1/2 the length of the main shelf and put 2 - 3 10g tanks per roll out. Hopefully in the next month or 2 I get my new shelf. That is the shelf I will be setting up for some 10G grow out tanks and tad stuff. I will try some things on that and see what works.

[jarteta97]

Or would it be cheaper to buy a shelf with removable/adjustable shelves? That way you could put the shelf above a lot higher to give you more room.

[DigitalPunk]

These racks are adjustable, the thing we are trying to work around is that we have full size exo terra tanks on the middle shelf and are looking for ways to add our tadpole tanks down below.

[Gomugomuking]

are you a metal fabricator like me?

Is this just to hold one 10 gallon tank? Or the entire shelf? Finding drawer slides isn't really a big issue if it is just the 10 gallon tank. Even filled with water and gravel and accoutrements, a 10g is only just over 100 lbs, so just soil and substrate would be much lighter.

What you need is someone who can frabricate something out of steel that you can simply bolt to the frame of the shelving. Now who do you know that's an excellent metal fabricator? Hmmmm......if only we had someone like that one the forum........


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[deranged chipmunk]

are you a metal fabricator like me?

Mechanic, but have been "dabbling" in metal for about 20 years


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Gomugomuking]

Mechanic, but have been "dabbling" in metal for about 20 years


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Ahh nice. I'm just the opposite. Only for like ten years.

[DigitalPunk]

I dabbled in metal work for a bit. I was asked to not do it any more and find something else to try and be good at :P

In all seriousness I know enough about metal fabrication to be extremely dangerous with it so I stick to wood and let the professionals handle metal

[Gomugomuking]

I dabbled in metal work for a bit. I was asked to not do it any more and find something else to try and be good at :P

In all seriousness I know enough about metal fabrication to be extremely dangerous with it so I stick to wood and let the professionals handle metal

Lol fair enough. If I could understand what was trying to be accomplished here I could offer a metal solution, but I don't quite "get it".

[flybyferns]

Here is an image of a pre fabricated - " pull out shelf "