Ways to economize space

[Andie]

Grrr. I am in a less than pretty mood at the moment, having just learned that the brand new residence in which I was promised a room will not, in fact, be ready for human habitation until January. JANUARY!!

Because of this, I've been told I'll have to live in the smaller rooms in the other dorm until Christmas break, meaning that space for my tanks has become about ten times as rare as than snow in the Everglades, and I am having some serious problems trying to figure it all out.

When moving into residence I will be bringing a 2.5 Minibow, a 10g female sorority and a 20g convict tank. I'm already prepared to shift the convict tank into my closet and just open the doors to let light in, but the 2.5 cannot go where it did my first year, on top of my VCR, since my new VCR isn't as deep as the old one and the 2.5 would be tippy. What's more, the 10 gal presents another problem altogether, especially what with being even bigger and heavier than the 2.5

Does anyone have any creative suggestions on maximising space? Any cheap (super-narrow) shelving units I could find to make a sort of fish wall in my closet? Suggestions, reassurances and tips are all welcome and appreciated, since I'm fresh out of all three!

 

[Alix]

wallmart(fish hell) sells 10gal stands for about 20$ an maybe you could like make a shelf for the 2.5

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Maybe try looking in the Do it Yourself section?? They've got some pretty nifty ideas if you are somewhat handy..which BTW I am not!

 

[Andie]

Sadly, I am the very farthest thing from mechanically inclined it's possible to be I can sew well enough, and knit, but that's where it ends, and I can hardly knit a tank-cozy for a tank that has nowhere to sit I appreciate the DIY suggestion, though . . . maybe I could rope a friend into doing it for me

 

[Soaup]

The do it yourself has some great ideas or you can search the internet for other options, i have a basement in which i keep my breeding tanks and i have my main tank in the living room. I hope all works well, good luck

 

[MAM]

Well depending on you closet width, and how much of it you need, you could wander over to your local hardware superstore (Home Depot, Lowe's type place, even Sam's Club or Costco if you have them there), pick up a sturdy industrial shelving unit that splits in two, use the bottom half, put the 20 gal on teh bottom, the 10 gal and 2.5 gal on teh top somehow....... (leaving a little room to hang clothes maybe..). Just check that the shelves can hold the weight.

 

[Andie]

Yeah, it's the weight I'm most worried about myself. It's why I'm considering either getting some sort of industrial-strength divider, if I can find one small enough, or maybe getting a friend to build me something . . . water weight is like 8.5lbs to the gallon, isn't it? That plus the weight of glass means that's a pretty heavy bunch of tanks!

 

[Alix]

jus remeber a 10gal could weigh up to 100lbs full of water an some other stuff so make sure you weight test anything you do your self or have a friend do for you

 

[Andie]

Actually, at 8.5lb/gal a 10gal won't weight quite a hundred pounds, but yeah, it comes close enough That's why there are only a very few specific friends I would trust to undertake this project.

 

[Alix]

hey you can never be to safe when it comes to having a 10g+ setting around. remember it is your fishes home

 

[fishykisses]

Is there an IKEA where you live...they have great shelving units of all shapes and sizes ranging from super cheap to fairly expensive...also if there is one near you -go to the "As Is" section first. I always seem to get lucky in there.

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Tank cozy! I love it!

 

[Synirr]

Those 10 gallon stands at Walmart have an area at the bottom you could easily put the 2.5 gallon on if you just put a board across it

 

[Andie]

I'll definitely look at the stands in WalMart, then, since I think the nearest Ikea is in Ontario or something. Then I could possibly put the cichlid tank on the shelf over top of my computer where my printer would go, and store my printer under the bed until it was needed . . . again, though, the only issue is the weight. I'm not entirely sure that shelf could stand that much pressure. Hmmm