building a new rack for tigers and bees

[michael]

Hi all im about to start a new project of building a new rack for a new breeding program. Currently I have 12 x 2 foot tanks and they work fine. Each has internal filtration 6 with under gravel and 6 with sponge filtration. What I want to build is a new rack 4 x 4 foot tanks divided they will be set up in rows of 2 rather than 3 high. This way its better viewing and gives me space to look at sump filtration while not being crowded. My question is. Should I run all tanks through the one sump or should I opt for two sumps each running 2 tanks. Also Ive hadva bit to do with sumps in the past with fish and I used to aim for greater that 2x water turnover per hour. What flow rate would be good for shrimp im guessing that will be too high.

I am planning on putting a chiller unit and inline uv on the delivery side and k1 moving bed filration. Also a small chamber with matrix for biofiltration.

Also what size dividers should I go I was thinking of going 48 inch x 18 x 18 and dividing them into 5 or 6 so somewhere between 200 and 250. The racks are going to be aimed as selective breeding programe so there wont be large numbers in each tank

[Squiggle]

I suggest you only divide the tank into four, then run the tanks individually to one sump unless you want different WP for some of the tanks. When you do it this way you can separate any of the tanks when you need to medicate or dose it with anything you don't want in the other tanks. You're spot on with the K1 & matrix but you want the water to be turning over a minimum of about four to five times an hour. Have a look at my rack build, also BB & Deans, to give you some ideas :encouragement:

http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/3210-My-new-rack-amp-tanks

http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/1510-Breeding-Rack-No-2

http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/35-BossAquaria-Benibachi-soil-Shrimp-Room

[michael]

Awsome set up squiggle. I wasnt sure if the high flow would throw them around. Interesting to see that u have gone with a bottom outlet and not an overflow system. Also was there any reason you connected the two sumps was it to allow for additional stages of filtration or just using the tanks you had. Can I ask what the overall height of your set up is and what clearance you have above your tanks.

[Squiggle]

As long as you've got places to hide they'll be fine :encouragement: Bottom outlet? Are you talking about the tanks or the sump? You are right, they are connected to add stages & volume, you always want the sump to be about 1/3 the full system volume. I still haven't put the biological section together cause I can't find any egg crate for the bottom, as soon as I get that I will have, from bottom to top, sintered glass noodles, matrix, jap mat, course sponge then filter wool on the top. I was going to have some stuff in the right side tank of the sump but have since changed my mind. The height of the pallet rack is 2100 & there is about 100-150mm clearance between the tanks & the rack beam above, plenty of room to get my arm in the tank, there's also more room above the tanks behind the beam for lighting :encouragement:

[michael]

I have been in to the local aquarium store talking to them about tank sizes im not sure on sizes now even more confused. Im kinda leaning towards 3 foot tanks x 18 x 18 now with three dividers in them. But I was also concidering going wider and posdibly 24 inch instead. What does everyone think. I was going to put 3 foot x 2 on each self. Or should I just go with a single 6 foot tank. Also any thoughts on if I should stack 2 or 3 high. As these are going to be for my tigers and bees I really want to be able to enjoy viewing them while making them not a complete waste of space.

[Squiggle]

I think you shouldn't do the dividers any less than 1ft sections, shrimp mainly crawl around the ground & the bigger the footprint the better. I think something like 1200wide x 600deep x 400high with dividers every 300mm will be great. Also, like everyone's, two tanks high & the sump on the floor is very easy to do & you get great viewing for shrimp staring :victorious:

[KiwiBigD]

I think you shouldn't do the dividers any less than 1ft sections' date=' shrimp mainly crawl around the ground & the bigger the footprint the better. I think something like 1200wide x 600deep x 400high with dividers every 300mm will be great. Also, like everyone's, two tanks high & the sump on the floor is very easy to do & you get great viewing for shrimp staring :victorious:[/quote']

Got to agree with Squiggle on that. Have done a similar size myself and I won't go less that 300mm, its a good size and the 600mm deep I believe gives the shrimps a bit more

confidence so they have room to retreat to when they feel threatened.

My own setup has 3 shelves and one of the advantages I like about that, bar the extra tanks is at that height the soil is level with my chin which makes perfect viewing for

standing and looking at new shrimplets. Also that extra shelf has 4 tanks for selective breeding as opposed to groups which I do in the other tanks. Once the shrimplets are of

a suitable size I relocate them into the other tanks and leave the original pair or small group alone to do their thing.

[michael]

I am leaning to 4 foot x 2 foot deep x 1.5 high. I was actilually thinking about setting up some kind or resivor tank on the top and using it for water changes and connecting a ro unit to it as well as an access point to ensure I can add my salty shrimp and test the water. That way I could connect a small drip line and ball valve system for auto top ups and no more lifting buckets

[Squiggle]

Good Idea but if you sump the system you won't have to have the reservoir so high & you can have it controlled by an auto top up system, just have to have a tap on a drip line going to a waste water tank/bucket between the return pump & your tank, this way the reservoir only has to be higher than the sump :encouragement:

[KiwiBigD]

45cm height is good IMHO, good for water stability and still good light penetration

[KiwiBigD]

45cm height is good IMHO, good for water stability and still good light penetration for T5HOs.

[Mark49]

I can't seem to view the pics squiggle.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Mark49

[Mark49]

I would also like to view the pics Squiggle put up but I get this error message.Admin can you help please.

The requested URL /forum/showthread.php/3210-My-new-rack-amp-tanks was not found on this server.

[ineke]

Mark when the forum changed over to the new format quite a few pictures didn't come over properly. The owner of the thread needs to go and fix it - I don't think we can. I know I had to go and redo a lot of my pictures. Squiggs might be able to fix it when he reads the post.

[fishmosy]

I would also like to view the pics Squiggle put up but I get this error message.Admin can you help please.

The requested URL /forum/showthread.php/3210-My-new-rack-amp-tanks was not found on this server.

As Ineke said, a few things have been moved around on the forum over time. Hopefully the links should work now. Let me know if they don't.

[Mark49]

Yes I can view the links now.Thanks for fixing it admin.