Remodeling my fish room

[turbosaurus]

There goes the easy slow days of retirement.... traded in for humpin' hoses and the sound of running water.
For micro rasbora galaxy, I'd do it too.

[thatguy]

Is this all running on your standard house branch circuit or did you add another circuit for the fish room?

With all the lights and draw, a new 20 amp gfci or 2 for the outlets and lights would be good.

[DiabloCanine]

Originally Posted by thatguy

Is this all running on your standard house branch circuit or did you add another circuit for the fish room?

With all the lights and draw, a new 20 amp gfci or 2 for the outlets and lights would be good.

I added an outlet for this rack, it is connected to an existing branch that includes the garage......DC

[DiabloCanine]

Originally Posted by turbosaurus

There goes the easy slow days of retirement.... traded in for humpin' hoses and the sound of running water.
For micro rasbora galaxy, I'd do it too.

Yea, I wish I could be retired........DC

[vidiots]

Originally Posted by DiabloCanine

That is the current challenge, trying to shoehorn all the equipment in there and still be able to service the tank. I'm gonna pick the brains of some locals for ideas. I was thinking of making a light enclosure that rides on closet tracks but do not know if it will give enough clearance. May need to design a lifting lid system or something like that. I am thinking the back 4 - 6 inches of each tank will be equipment, i.e., sponge filters, heater, powerhead, CO2 diffuser, etc. I know I will have two 1" pvc manifolds, one for CO2 and one for air to drive sponge filters that run the length of the stand. Also need to consider power distribution. I have plenty of time to think it out and listen to ideas, really need to get my 46 drilled so I can get the rest of my Discus outta RMCs hair.....DC

Don't know what ya have for space in that room, but you also might be able to pull your stand out away from the wall just far enough for you to be able to squeeze in behind them to reach the stuff at the back. Just thinking that if you can reach the middle bottom of the tank from the front and the back you can reach everything without having to lean your upper body over the tank and reducing the amount of clearance you need above it.

[vidiots]

Originally Posted by thatguy

Is this all running on your standard house branch circuit or did you add another circuit for the fish room?
With all the lights and draw, a new 20 amp gfci or 2 for the outlets and lights would be good.

You can never have too many outlets near your aquarium. Who ever said electricity and water dont mix, obviously didn't have any fish...

[crazy loaches]

Yeah I worry about oveloading the circuit with the tank I am putting together in my family room, since I have a large oil filled electric heater that runs down there. The tank is probably going to have 1000W of heaters in it along with 500-800 watts of lighting during the days peak, along with all the other stuff. I cant run a new line to the tank, so I may have to figure out if there is two circuits in the room and divy up the load or not use the electric space heater at all.

[DiabloCanine]

Toyed around all week with light mounting. Leaving them on top of the tank was heating the water up too much and a good spread of light was not getting into the tank. Decided I would somehow mount the lights above the tank, keeping them mobile allowing access into the tanks. After much thought and playing around with ideas all week I decided to KISS and mount the lights onto the existing cross braces.





Each light rotates up and out of the way allowing access to the tank.





I used pipe straps to hold the lights to the cross braces.



I just completed the air/CO2 manifold.



Each tank has a needle valve/bubble counter and 2 air valves for sponge filters.



The CO2 comes in on the bottom manifold at the right side.



The air comes in on the top manifold left side.



Top of the rack.





Next I will connect the CO2 and get sliding glass tops cut/installed.....DC

[Aquamanx]

Great job on the fish room! I like the lights you used... I may end up using them on a few of my 20 Gal. tanks.

I have a Q about using the Air powered sponge filters, & CO2... Wouldn't you lose some of the CO2 you are trying to supply to your tanks by running air to them? How do you keep the out gassing of CO2 to a Minimum? Couldn't you just use powerheads to run the sponge filters, this way you won't lose any CO2 from running air & CO2? (I know you already said you have powerheads on these tanks too.)

I had thought about building something similar. Although I was thinking of using some Heavy Duty draw slides. This way I would be able to access all of the tank just by pulling out the tank on the "Draw". They make them strong enough to hold up to 500 pounds! I'm sure they aren't that cheap though... But, I work in a machine shop where I have Access to "Old Cabinets" that these slides are in. They throw away these "old cabinets" once in a while, I just have to let them know I want them & I would have them for FREE! Which I know isn't an option with some people... But, if you were looking into getting something like them, I think they go for around $30.00 or so... Not sure, seeing I can get them for FREE, I didn't waste my time looking to buy them...

[DiabloCanine]

Originally Posted by Aquamanx

Great job on the fish room! I like the lights you used... I may end up using them on a few of my 20 Gal. tanks.

I have a Q about using the Air powered sponge filters, & CO2... Wouldn't you lose some of the CO2 you are trying to supply to your tanks by running air to them? How do you keep the out gassing of CO2 to a Minimum? Couldn't you just use powerheads to run the sponge filters, this way you won't lose any CO2 from running air & CO2? (I know you already said you have powerheads on these tanks too.)

I had thought about building something similar. Although I was thinking of using some Heavy Duty draw slides. This way I would be able to access all of the tank just by pulling out the tank on the "Draw". They make them strong enough to hold up to 500 pounds! I'm sure they aren't that cheap though... But, I work in a machine shop where I have Access to "Old Cabinets" that these slides are in. They throw away these "old cabinets" once in a while, I just have to let them know I want them & I would have them for FREE! Which I know isn't an option with some people... But, if you were looking into getting something like them, I think they go for around $30.00 or so... Not sure, seeing I can get them for FREE, I didn't waste my time looking to buy them...

I'm sure the CO2 will outgas, how much is unknown right now. CO2 is cheap and I really want the air being injected into the water to prevent "gasping" since these tanks are also breeders, would really be a bummer if too much CO2 killed fish/shrimp (have already killed hundreds of shrimp and scores of fish). I was able to get the welding supply company I use for CO2 to price match new cylinders with the beverage factory so I got a couple of 10 pounders from them. I have the CO2 connected to 3 tanks, need a couple of more diffusers for the other 2. I put some plants in 2 of the tanks.

Apistogramma agassizii harem



Apistogramma cacatuoides Triple Red harem



I plan on using drawer slides at each end of rack 2 due to access doorways in the room. I'm only putting 5 gallon hex tanks on them though. That would be neat to have bigger tanks on drawer slides, definitely would make access easier, would need an elaborate anchor to prevent tipping of big tanks I would think.......DC

[Aquamanx]

What I have thought of doing was in a basement at my current appartment. Seeing I live on the bottom floor which is basicaly the basement. I would anchor the same type of "Racks" into the concrete floor. Then I would have the draw slides mounted to the "legs" of the rack. In my case it wouldn't be too costly, but, for someone without access to the drawslides for free, it would get costly real quick! I'm waiting to do anything else to my tanks till I move. I hope to buy a house before the end of this year... Gives me almost a whole year to look for something I really want & can afford!... LOL!

As I said before, Great Job! It's coming out Awesome! I like how you are keeping everything pretty neat & organized.

Steve X.

[yoink]

Man that is clean looking, I can't wait to see it in person. I have an extra aquaticmagic nano diffusor if you want it.

[DiabloCanine]

Originally Posted by yoink

Man that is clean looking, I can't wait to see it in person. I have an extra aquaticmagic nano diffusor if you want it.

Kewl, can you bring it by Sunday? Thanks....DC

[turbosaurus]

I love your CO2 manifold set up. How did you fasten the buble counters and needle valves to the main supply line?

Just drill a hole? Did you have to glue them in place?

[DiabloCanine]

Originally Posted by turbosaurus

I love your CO2 manifold set up. How did you fasten the buble counters and needle valves to the main supply line?

Just drill a hole? Did you have to glue them in place?

Drill a hole and run a tap in half way. Put a generous amount of loctite on the threads, tighten it down as far as it will go......DC