Shrimp Rack with partitions and shared water. Please help to do it

[Arkaedus]

Hi I am new with caridinas and I want to make a shrimp rack to keep them.

It would have four shelves and in each one of them would fit an aquarium of 82.5x29.5x15'5 and I want to divide it into two or three or four partitions that water communicate between them somehow but I do not know how to do it. Some suggestions to make the dives so that water is shared among all and that the young can not pass from one to another.
 

I added an image where you can see how the possible divisions would be interesting to divide it into four partitions but every division is very small and I want them to be communicated to compensate that they are small aquariums and achieve a greater stability of water parameters altogether all of them.

Sorry for my English I tried to do my best because I am from Spain and I am not English speaking.

Greetings and thanks.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Arkaedus

[Madmerv]

Hello @Arkaedus

First up welcome to SKFA.

There are many ways to do what you want. The first decision is are the dividers are going to be glass or acrylic.

Both have their advantages and dis-advantages. Glass is stronger and is easier to stick to glass so it will help with the strength of the tanks. It is harder to work with.  Acrylic is not so strong and cannot be relied on to stay stuck to glass with silicon so should not be part of the tanks bracing but it is much easier to cut.

So first up you could cut holes in the dividers and cover them with a small enough mesh so the small shrimp cannot go through.

You could cut the dividers 4-5cm short and have some mesh at the top so the water flows over the divider and through the mesh.

You could cut the dividers 4-5cm short and have the gap at the bottom. Cut some aquarium safe foam (filter foam) 6-7cm thick and compress it into the gap so there is no open holes. The water will flow through the foam but the small shrimp will not be able to go through. This will also add mechanical and biological filtration to the tank.

All three have their pro's and con's.

[Arkaedus]

On 19/10/2017 at 8:47 AM, Madmerv said:

Hello @Arkaedus

First up welcome to SKFA.

There are many ways to do what you want. The first decision is are the dividers are going to be glass or acrylic.

Both have their advantages and dis-advantages. Glass is stronger and is easier to stick to glass so it will help with the strength of the tanks. It is harder to work with.  Acrylic is not so strong and cannot be relied on to stay stuck to glass with silicon so should not be part of the tanks bracing but it is much easier to cut.

So first up you could cut holes in the dividers and cover them with a small enough mesh so the small shrimp cannot go through.

You could cut the dividers 4-5cm short and have some mesh at the top so the water flows over the divider and through the mesh.

You could cut the dividers 4-5cm short and have the gap at the bottom. Cut some aquarium safe foam (filter foam) 6-7cm thick and compress it into the gap so there is no open holes. The water will flow through the foam but the small shrimp will not be able to go through. This will also add mechanical and biological filtration to the tank.

All three have their pro's and con's.

Hello and thanks @Madmerv

I have designed the aquarium but before doing it I want to see if it could work or could the shrimp go through the sponge by squeezing over it? Or do you see well the design?

The heaters I have are 25W of china. These can go horizontal? My wife says the shrimps are going to electrocute and me too. Hahaaha

I say this because in the heaters box say that they should go vertical or 45º but preferably vertical, but I have seen videos on youtube that say that better to put them horizontally. Are there heaters that allow them to be horizontal?

Thank you so much

I added hoirizontal foam. What foam sponge positon do you think is better? In vertical or horizontal? Thanks

Edited October 21, 2017 by Arkaedus
added horizontal foam image

[Madmerv]

Hi

Shrimp can and do climb up things including airlines and heater cables so i would say if you had a nice bit of foam at the top, that was all wet for them, then they will use it to climb into the next section. A very close fitting lid would help but then you would have to move the sponge filter to going over the back not the side.

From memory, and mine is a bit dodgy, the reason for not putting glass heaters in the horizontal position is because there is a greater chance that the internal elements can touch the glass sides and when it is on that can crack the glass. Another consideration is the seal between the glass and plastic cap will have a greater water pressure on it at the bottom of the tank. Not a lot but if you have cheap heaters that might make the difference.

There is the choice of stainless steel heaters now that are not that much more expensive than glass. They are fine to go horizontal.