If you have the floor space, it is beneficial to construct the rack in such a
way that it looks rather like a stairway. That is, each tank on progressively
lower levels sticks out from underneath the one above it. This way you can
cluster tanks tightly in the vertical dimension, yet still have easy access from
above. The advantage here is that you can have 3 rows which are nearly viewing
height, whereas with a completely vertical system, you have one row which is too
high and one row which is too low for comfortable viewing.
OTOH, the vertical system allows for easy placement of strip lights, which has
obvious benefits. A combination of the two systems works quite well. You can
stagger the top two tiers, and have the lower tier directly underneath the
middle tier, with a good bit of space above it. The bottom tier can be used for
plant tanks, or where you put the fish you don't really look at that much. The
uppermost tier can be lighted fairly easily too. The middle tier is more
problematic as far as light is concerned (requires ceiling mounted lights, or
tank-top strip lights). Using this system the upper two tiers are at a good
viewing height, and not as much floor space is consumed.
I've worked with many systems both commercially and in my home. All have
advantages, but the hybrid approach is the one I like best.
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