Best material for...

[Darren179]

for a rack that will be used to hold glass tanks on the bottom and rubbermaids on the top and also will work well with heat tape. I am not concerned much about looks at the moment. thanks

[C.m.pyrrhus]

You can use a variety of woods, just go by price if thats not problem. Glass tanks are a lot heavier than the plastic tubs, so you may want a stronger 'set-up' by using brackets to strengthen the rack. Many folks use Melamine, some use plywood and some use particle board. Plywood is a good choice yet not that pretty. Melamine is basically plastic coated particle board.

For my racks, I use plywood (usually construction scraps if they are to be had) and pegboard as the backing for added circulation. I try not to use anything thicker than 5/8" as it gets heavier the thicker the wood is. Heat tape will not get any woods to hot IMO to burn. The shelves are 5/8" plywood, backing is pegboard and the sides are usually ¼" plywood ( I basically use anything strong enough and as thin as possible for my sides). I would recommend adding the brackets on the shelves that are holding the weight of the tanks.