Fish rooms with tank racks… need picks and ideas

[kmu]

Hi Guys,

I got about 25" between the tank and utility sink and would like to add a small fish tank rack for quarantine, frags and in case of emergency one is needed.

I want to have the ability to hook them up to the main display tank and run them separate each one.

Im gonna do 24" long and 1" square tube structure to support the tanks.

The tanks will be around 22" long, 8" tall and 8" deep.

Small LED strips will be on the tanks.

Will do the tanks in acrylic, with a small overflow on a corner where I could house the return, drain, power head and heater. The tanks will have black back and sides


The rack will go where the salt boxes and RODI are right know.





Will make the 1" square tube rack match the color and style of my main display stand. The rack will have small cart style wheels to move it for cleaning and maine display maintenance if needed.





Any help, info and suggestions is appreciated.

 

[kmu]

Here is what I have in mind, still got to design the plumbing and overflow design to hold the heaters and pumps in case the tanks run separate from the system.

 

[CyclistMT]

I want to have the ability to hook them up to the main display tank and run them separate each one.

You need to decide one way or the other. Hook them up to the display, and they're no longer a quarantine tank, they're part of the display.

Keeping each of them separate could be done = "lots of UV sterilization". You need to size the sterilization to double the capacity of the tanks and be faithful with changing UV bulbs when the capacity drops to 1:1 ratio.

 

[dave.m]

Those shelves aren't going to work, I'm afraid. They don't have nearly enough strength for the amount of weight you propose putting on them and your design has no bracing whatsoever against lateral forces. I think you should work out what the weight all the tanks and equipment will be, add 8 lbs per gallon of water, then redesign your shelves in 2x4s edge up with a sheet of 0.5" plywood tightly screwed across the entire back for the whole height of the shelving unit to add some modicum of strength and stability. Paint it all to seal it: 2 coats latex.

Make sure you include enough height above each tank to be able to easily get your hands and tools in and out. I think you will be lucky to get three or four shelves out of it without resorting to a ladder.

Dave.M

 

[kmu]

Those shelves aren't going to work, I'm afraid. They don't have nearly enough strength for the amount of weight you propose putting on them and your design has no bracing whatsoever against lateral forces. I think you should work out what the weight all the tanks and equipment will be, add 8 lbs per gallon of water, then redesign your shelves in 2x4s edge up with a sheet of 0.5" plywood tightly screwed across the entire back for the whole height of the shelving unit to add some modicum of strength and stability. Paint it all to seal it: 2 coats latex.

Make sure you include enough height above each tank to be able to easily get your hands and tools in and out. I think you will be lucky to get three or four shelves out of it without resorting to a ladder.

Dave.M

There will be bracing against lateral forces, I just didn't know how to draw them on google sketchup.

Each tank is 6g completely full.

Right know the design has 4" clearance between the tank and upper brace, I could maybe go up to 5" or 6" and loose one of the tanks in the system.

Great tip on the plywood attached to the rear, I could add some large gussets on each of the rear corners and screw the plywood to them giving a lot of extra strength. I was gonna use the same 1" square tubbing to do cross bracings on the rear.