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I'm currently in the process of designing my first racking system nothing massive just 3-4 tanks over 3 tiers, I had drawn it out with a 12 inch gap between the levels but this looked like it was wasting a bit to much space so my question to people who have racks is what size gap do you find workable ?

With any racking system or limited space above a tank, you have to consider whats the worst thing you'll have to do.....

As an example, i know someone who had a small midas cichlid in a 30" tank which soon became a large midas cichlid. They only had 8" clearance above the tank & moving it to a bigger tank was a real difficult task. Water spashed everywhere, fish got bashed to pieces trying to remove it in the net from the tank.

I suspect a lot of decisions on clearance will be based on the depth/width of the tank & what you intend putting in there. i.e can you effectively gravel vac, plant using tongs, fish out your mobile phone, move 200 guppies or a footlong pacu etc with an 8" clearance or a 12" clearance

We have two levels of tanks in one part of the fish room. The lower level is raised ~3" off the floor, and there's a little over 12" of clearance between the top of those tanks and the rack above. Don't forget ergonomics either! Even if it's possible to work with a small clearance between racks, how comfortable will it be for you? Of course, this depends on (as Richard said) the type of maintenance you'll need to do and what kind of fish/plants you'll have, as well as factors like how tall you are and how comfortable you are with working in tight spaces.

For example, I find a tight gap on our bottom shelf is awkward because I basically have to crawl on the cement floor and reach in to do water changes. That same gap would be less awkward at shoulder height. Unfortunately, the tanks on that lower level are for quarantine and fry grow-out, so they're the tanks that require the most attention! (This is not a good long-term setup, but it's how we have things for now...long story.) If your bottom rack is higher, or you're more flexible than I am, this won't be a problem!

I feel that making things easier for yourself makes everything less of a chore...and if this means more frequent water changes & happier fish, then it's a good trade-off. And if you throw out your back, it's awfully hard to do tank maintenance.

I have about 8-12" between the bottom of one shelf and the top of the tank under that. More is better here, as long as you can get away with the height with regards to "how do you reach the top tanks" and "is there a problem with the ceiling?

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Mats

Thanks for the replies folks, think I'm going to stick with the 12 inch gap between levels, my tiger fish are going to go in to the bottom tank and I don't want to struggle with access to them and I'm a little OCD with stuff like this so the other gaps will need to be the same.

Kif wrote:Thanks for the replies folks, think I'm going to stick with the 12 inch gap between levels, my tiger fish are going to go in to the bottom tank and I don't want to struggle with access to them and I'm a little OCD with stuff like this so the other gaps will need to be the same.

Good planning prevents mishaps in the future. Good to see someone thinking ahead & asking relevant questions

For a vertical stacked tank rack I recommend as a minimum of 8 inches between top of tank and the bottom support beam of the next higher tank.
My bottom row tanks are 6 inches above the floor.
I siphon water out the door where I gain about an added one foot drop to facilitate siphoning.

I have 6" on the lower level, 6" on the medium level and 7" on the highest row (becuase I have to stand on a stool). No problems but it's tight (rarely, but now and then I have to drain a tank to put in or take out large bits of wood). I find the narrower gap is a little problematic at times, but I can see all the tanks without too much issue and that is important when you need to eyeball 30+ tanks once or twice a day.

Jools