What's a good way to fit more tanks into less space? It has to look nice...
I BUILT THIS TWO-TIER TANK STAND for my office. I made it to hold (A) a 20H tank on top, and a (B) 25G on the bottom -- they have the same footprint. I sometimes wish I'd made it for two 20H tanks, as it's a strain to pour water from a 5 gallon bucket into the top tank -- and I'm 6 foot 5! But a 20H is only 5 inches shorter than a 25G, so if you're not tall, you'd do better with a step stool to tend the top tank in any case, or use smaller buckets. You need 8 inches below the lower tank so you can siphon water out, and 8 inches above to allow for netting and cleaning chores.
The tank frame (on the right) is 2 by 4's, straight and knot free. Make three rectangles perfectly square and flat, a one inch larger than the tank footprint. Tack on a top of 3/16" Luan plywood with small finishing nails, and assemble with glue and screws. I used large lag bolts (C) to fix these to the four uprights. Cut a large holes in the lower storage space, and behind the lower tank, for air hose, and heater and light wiring. Note that there's an extra 2 by 4 at the back of the top frame. It's actually attached to the wall first with recessed bolts; then the frame will be lagged to the 2 by 4 on the wall.
I covered the sides and back with 3/16" plywood for extra rigidity. I filled screw holes and rough spots with wood putty, and applied two coats of enamel to match the room's woodwork. I put (D) carpet (scraps from the floor carpet) on each shelf and the inside of the bottom.
Note (E) the shallow electrical outlet box, mounted at the bottom right, for the (F) cheap two-cycle timer (about $5)... I set it for two hours in the morning and evening. But I mounted it on the outside where I can easily turn it on when doing cleaning chores.
I have a (G) simple under-counter fluorescent light mounted over the lower tank. These cost about $6 rather than $20 or so for the typical aquarium tank hood. The bottom space houses the (H) air pump, valves, wires, and cords.
