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Need More Room - It's Rack Time!


JohnH

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So I never seem to have enough room, so I was thinking about dividing my current 3' tank so I would then have two divided 3' tanks. This would take me from 4 to 6 "tanks" running in two actual tanks.

Then I found a guy selling his 12 tank rack. While I would love to have 12 tanks, I just don't have room for them. So I offered to buy four of the tanks and then found a cheap sump from another guy.

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The tanks are 610mm Wide x 450mm Deep x 360mm High.

I plan to build my rack so the short side faces forward and two rack on each level (as they are in the pic). The sump will go on the bottom shelf.

Now the sump. I've never set one up before, so which side should I have the pump and what media should I put in the various areas?

P3300395_zpsb33d29e1.jpg

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LOL we never seem to be satisfied with our lot and when is there too many tanks???? always seem to need just 1 more. enjoy your buy

Cheers

Ineke:encouragement:

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Well done JohnH, ineke...hope you're following this thread very closely...you're next.

JohnH, what are you planning to house in it ?

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Come on ineke, you know you want to. I'm doing the same in a few weeks, the only way to go.

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This rack will house Red Cherry Shrimp on one level, culls in one tank and quality ones in the other. In the other level it will also house Cherry Shrimp also but I haven't decided on the colour yet. Same deal, culls in one tank and the quality ones in the other. I might also house a few native shrimp in there as well.

I might have to make a trip to Bunnings tomorrow and get some wood to make the stand.

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Come on ineke' date=' you know you want to. I'm doing the same in a few weeks, the only way to go.[/quote']

Working on it. My trouble is we are in the middle of some renovations and hubby is a bit too busy to make a rack for me, but it will happen!!!!

Cheers

Ineke:D

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This rack will house Red Cherry Shrimp on one level' date=' culls in one tank and quality ones in the other. In the other level it will also house Cherry Shrimp also but I haven't decided on the colour yet. Same deal, culls in one tank and the quality ones in the other. I might also house a few native shrimp in there as well.

I might have to make a trip to Bunnings tomorrow and get some wood to make the stand.[/quote']

That's what I need a tank for culls- the cherries are getting a bit pale so have to pick out the culls- cool another reason for the new tank

Cheers

Ineke:cheerful:

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Does anyone see any problems with 19mm for the drain plumbing at 13mm for the pump plumbing?

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I went to Bunnings today and decided to get one of the shelving units 1800 high x 600 deep x 900 wide. Each shelf can hold 750kg apparently. I got 12mm ply instead of the MDF shelf inserts as they are bound to get wet at some stage.

P3310398_zpsb95b6b63.jpg

Tanks fit perfectly

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Only trouble is I had to put this in the dining room at the entrance to my man cave as it was too big. The wife was none too happy to start with, but she soon came around. The only proviso is I have to cover the rack with wood or perhaps some black perspex so it doesn't look so industrial.

I went with 25mm for the drainage system. I will have to order some stainless steel strainers for the inside of the tank as the ones i got with the tank are not shrimp friendly.

I'm still undecided on what size to use for the pump side yet.

P3310405_zpsfff1faec.jpg

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Wow looking good JohnH you are a fast worker. Well done

Cheers

Ineke:encouragement:

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Im a little worried that the middle of the stand might bow a few mms and crack one of your tanks. Before you wet it throw some thick foam under it and it should be enoug hto compensate. Looks good never the less.

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10mm is standard. I like to use 25mm just as a precautionary. Its hard to source. Could double up on the 10mm. Try a live stock free run for a few days once it ready an see if the stand bows or not. Use any straight edge (ruler?) or level in the middle of each stand to see if there is any existing bow and after you fill the tanks with water.

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Ok, after looking at the tank & setup I have a few questions & a few things you need to change. First of all, I'm assuming the pipes you've already connected are the return/drain pipes back to your sump, IME with the way you've connected it you might find that the top tank will slow the drainage of the bottom tank with the connection so close to the bulk head on the bottom tank, if not fill it up a bit if you flow is great enough, I would run the top two tanks into one drain pipe & the bottom two into another, if you give the tanks a run & see how they go, just keep an eye on this. Secondly, the way the shelves have been fitted, it looks like they don't reach the end support beam which would reduce the strength of the shelf as ply is very flexible, I work with ply every day & with the 200 or so kgs you will have on the shelves they will flex but if you make the ply fit all the way to the end to the rack beams it will make a big difference, I have this type of racking & they flex, the center beam isn't very strong by its self, better still, get 16mm ply for the shelves, sooooooo much stronger. Now with the sump, you would definitely have it run from right to left, in the first section I would recommend using about 5-10L of K1(or as much will fit in there while still turning over well) & have the return hose draining into that section, you might want to get a couple of long air stones on each side of that section to help the turnover of the K1. Is the drip tray removable? If it is then I'd put course filter foam at the bottom of that part, about 30-40mm then on top of that I'd have small bio balls, then in the little section on the left I would fill that with matrix & have the return pump in the next section with a bag or two of Purigen. Your pump size should turn the entire system(approx 450-500L depending on the sump volume) over about 5-10 times an hour & that's at the max head height, which is the highest point that the pump has to push the water up to, so a pump of about 3000-4500L/h should be enough. I hope this helps you get your setup running soon & safely :encouragement:

image-74_zpsb567a111.jpg

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I see what you mean about the drain pipes. The bottom one will be filled up as it tries to drain. It will be easy enough to hook them up as suggested, with the top two together and then the bottom two together.

Re the shelves, it is a bit hard to tell from the pics, but there is not any side supports for the ply in this design. The ply only sits on the front and rear supports. The side braces you see are not part of the shelf (see the second shelf from the bottom). 12mm was the thickest ply they had at my local Bunnings. If I got some 4mm or 6mm ply and glued it to the 12mm will this make it strong enough? Or should I just try and get some 16mm?

Thanks for the info on the sump, I was thinking it would run the other way, but now you've explained it, it makes sense. Do I need to have some filter wool on top of the drip tray or would the course foam under the drip tray be enough?

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A few hours scrapping blue paint off the tanks and they look a lot cleaner now. Plus the wife likes it a little better now too. :congratulatory:

P3310408_zps33f47313.jpg

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Cool, does look heaps neater...bit of elbow grease does wonders.

Whats the next step ? Have you got most of the equipment, substrate etc yet ?

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I need to sort out the ply and foam underlay before I go any further.

Once that is done I'll finish off the plumbing and do a leak test. I have a 1000 l/hr and a 2400 l/hr pump to test to see if I need a bigger one or not.

I still need to get lights, substrate and media for the sump.

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Ok I see what you mean about the beams on the end & by looking underneath the top shelf, there doesn't appear to be any brace across the center either, that's not good! Two things you could do to make the shelves bullet proof are, either get another piece of 12mm ply, then glue & screw them together, don't scrimp on the screws either, I'd do four to five rows going from front to back of about five screws a row, or you could get some 45mmx45mm timber & cut three braces per shelf, then glue & screw them under the shelves, screwing from the top down into the beams. Put one at each end & one in the center, either of these will strengthen up the shelves enough. Better to be safe than sorry, I've seen tanks crack as they were being filled just from the shelves flexing.

I don't think you'll need any filter wool on top of the drip tray, the four different media will be enough. I once built a sump that only had wet/dry bio balls & a course foam prefilter & that tank was crystal clear.

With your pumps, I would run the 1000L through the chiller & the 2400L to the tanks, just remember that those figures are at zero head height &, depending on the quality of the pump, you'll loose anywhere between 25-50% of the flow rate on the top tanks at about 1500mm head height, I'd still be looking for something around 4500L/h.

image-74_zps49e1dfec.jpg

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No worries, I'll think I'll go with 45x45 timber screwed to the bottom.

I will also drop into Clark Rubber during the week and get some thicker foam, just to be safe.

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Ok, first shelf ply done. I left 15mm gap on the edges as this is where it sits on the metal support

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I'm just wondering if I should add another two bits like this?

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Or is that just overkill?

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There's a lot of weight in water and substrate plus the weight of the tank i'm not sure though if it is overkill. Your doing a good job there!:encouragement:

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I dont think you'll need the extra beams. Good to see you aren't rushing into things and taking all the proper safety steps.

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I added the extra supports anyway. I might do the extra ones just for the two shelves that have the tanks on them. :encouragement:

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Now I have to go back to Bunnings as I have run out of screws. :crushed:

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I was going to suggest because you are covering up the sides throw support legs on the sides in between the shelving.

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