Custom built tanks

[revolutionhope]

Warning - bit of a waffle ahead.

 

I am in the process of organising quotes to build some aquariums to my specification and plan to go with standalone setups of around 70-90 litres with a single glass divider in the middle with window cut out and fitted with mesh to prevent shrimplets crossing.

 

I intend each tank to house a single species - low and mid grades will be moved to one side while keeping high grades in the other side. The tanks will be spaced out evenly around 3 walls of the room with an additional 3 cull / odd-bod tanks in the middle of the room for convenience.

 

I'm thinking of getting them made to around 60l x 50w ×30h in size.

 

I might post an update soon as more details come in from the places I'm getting quotes from here in Adelaide (aggies aquariums and elite fish).

 

In any case I just thought I'd throw this out there as someone might either know another place/person who I should contact for a quote

 

I'd really appreciate any tips or advice about what the potential pitfalls are when having tanks made and if there are any specific considerations relating to shrimp tanks with dividers that I should be aware of.

 

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will

 

 

[anthonyd]

I would keep the dividers sealed if i was you. When i started my first rack i built my divided tanks with a mesh insert in each divider and it became a real pain. 

Shrimps in one tank had bacterial infection and it spread to the 2 other sections and when it was time to change the active soil i had to net all the shrimps not just the ones in one section.

I m redoing my shrimp room and eventually all the shrimp tanks will be 600 x 300 x 300 mm turned at a 90 degrees angle and with a step at the back for an undergravel filter with a powerhead. These tanks  are easy to come by and cheap secondhand.

[revolutionhope]

Thanks for the input@anthonyd !

I am very keen to use dividers for the sake of ease of transfer and reducing stress on the shrimp as they won't need to adjust to even the slightest change in WP.

Bacterial infection wiping out multiple colonies is one reason I'm relieved that I'm forced to do smaller setups than not as I'll only have a single variety sharing one body of water. I like to keep a few high grade shrimps from established colonies in the lounge display tank so that I can't suffer a total 100% setback in the event of a catastrophe.

One of my biggest concerns is that I'm yet to find someone who claims to have a 100% foolproof arrangement for preventing shrimplets from crossing the divider. Have you had this difficulty also?

Youve got me thinking more outside the box though thanks. Perhaps I could use a mini sump for each divided tank. It would be a fair bit of additional cost and work to setup in the beginning but it might pay off in the long run as it would make top ups and adding new water after waterchanges heaps heaps easier too AND make changing expired substrate a breeze as I can utilise the sump for this purpose also.

Still 12 sumps with pumps and associated plumbing is a whole lot of extra expense. Might be worth it though.

Cheers

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will

[anthonyd]

I didnt have any babies going through the fine mesh i used but i had adults and sub_adults who managed to go from one section to another even though i had a glass cover resting on the sides, the front and the dividers. The only small gap was at the back for the airline.

[inverted]

Sounds like a good sized tank for each section. I'm a definite fan of a large footprint. I cant help you with a recommendation for a tank builder in Adelaide unfortunately. I'm with Anthony in that as long as you use an appropriate micron mesh you should not have juveniles pass through but adults do occasionally cross dividers. One way to prevent that is to use a flat piece of glass to form a Tee on top of the dividers. Which should create a good enough obstacle for all but the most agile of shrimp.

[revolutionhope]

Thanks for the input guys. I am now heavily leaning towards using single species tanks divided into 3 with bridges placed above the divider as mentioned. I've become more keen on using a sump for each setup too for ease of WC and substrate changeover when the time comes. With this arrangement I might be limited to about 7 - 8 varieties but that will still be plenty enough to disrupt my life!

I'll post an update when I get the ball rolling and have quotes. Cheers again

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will