Setting Up A 29 Gallon Fowlr For Now

[kj23502]

1)I think I'm going to go w/2 Hydor Koralia Nano Powerhead just incase 1 stops working. At least there will be another to help keep it flowing. Should be 480 gph total. About $30 each.

Ok, I guess I didn't realize that the koralia 2 does 600 gph. That's what Ski recommended to me. Maybe I'll go w/a Koralia 1 and a Koralia nano. That way I have a backup and it's 640 gph Does that sound ok?


We started building the stand today so we're well on our way

 

[BigC]

We started building the stand today so we're well on our way

Might as well show us some pics then kj.
I posted mine at your request
So comon, whatcha waitin for.
Regards
BigC

 

[kj23502]

Alright here's some pics.

Here we are building the new stand. We just started on it today.

It's replacing the old one w/the ugly towel on it I'll be moving the plants on the right also. I set the smart cycle in front of the T.V. stand to keep our 1 year old out of it We still have a lot more to do. It's 36" tall. It's so tall b/c my 29 gallon tank will be sitting on the bottom and I wanted enough room to be able to get into the bottom tank if I needed to. There are 8 2x4's for supports. They are at right angles(2 on each corner).

This just shows the interlocking corners. We are going to put 90 degree bracing on all corners to help hold it also.

That's our ledge on the bottom. It's on each side and we're going to put braces across the long way w/a couple supports underneath. We'll lay ply would on the ledges and supports for the 29 gallon to sit on. The 29 gallon tank will sit in the middle on the bottom and we'll have a cabinet door on the left and right side for access to the 75 gallons 2 eheim filters.

Here's the 29 gallon. There's water in it atm. No fish, though. Moved the 1 fish over to the main cichlid tank.

Any input anyone?? Is it looking like it may hold a fish tank I hope so. We've never done this before. We still have a long way to go.

 

[@ombomb]

looks pretty sturdy to me, but i'd put another strut lower down to make sure there was no movement of the legs

good riddance to the coloured gravel!

 

[kj23502]

Thanks for letting me know. We are going to put at least on more bar running from the left to right on the very botton where the 29 gallon will sit. That should hold them good if added a second. I think we'll do that for peice of mind. This is our first time building a tank stand. Kind of our test run We'll be building the 120 gallon tank stand in a while. That will be out of 2x6 at least.

On this one we still have to do the plywood and staining and everything. There's a ways to go yet

LOL, just realized that I should probably get my live plants out of the 29 and chuck them in my cichlid tank I'm still not used to having plants. I tried that earlier this year and I've been keeping fish for about 15 years so that's not a long time in comparison.

 

[@ombomb]

i wouldn't bother, if they're africans they'll get shredded almost instantly anyway

 

[SkiFletch]

Wow, holy overkill batman My 65g sits on less wood than that...

 

[BigC]

Yeah you need to bottom brace the legs from one side to the other to stop them splaying once you've done that your stand will hold up a greyhound bus.
Looking good. and Yeah ditch the coloured gravel

Regards
BigC

 

[kj23502]

Wow, holy overkill batman My 65g sits on less wood than that...

I guess I'd rather overkill than have the stand fall apart with 2 tanks sitting on it

Yeah you need to bottom brace the legs from one side to the other to stop them splaying once you've done that your stand will hold up a greyhound bus.
Looking good. and Yeah ditch the colored gravel

Do you mean diagonal bracing? Back left to front right, front left to back right?? Or just 2 bars attataching the legs. We will be putting on 2 more boards on the bottom part to help hold the 29 gallon tank's platform. They will be running left to right. Will that be alright?

Will be putting in white aragonite sand

Thanks for the input and advice I appreciate it.

i wouldn't bother, if they're africans they'll get shredded almost instantly anyway

I know, but at least they'll have fun doing it and it's better than throwing them away or letting them die in the tank
2 species are Malawi mbuna (cnynotilapia afra "cobue" and pseudotropheus crabro "bumble bee cichlid") and one is Victorian (Pundamilia nyererei).

 

[kj23502]

Another question...
Since the stand is so tall (36") do you think we should attach it to the wall somehow? We have 3 little kids ages 1, 4 and 6 and I would just be devastated if my hobby hurt one of my kids

I'm worried about it tipping over!!

 

[SkiFletch]

Nope, unless your kids are like 5 feet tall AND like to swing from the top tank for a few hours straight, I wouldn't worry about it tipping over. You've got a very wide base there for the tank and the only way to really tip that much weight over is to try and lever from above the center of mass (the top of the tank). Short of sledgehammering the legs, you're not gonna bring that stand down/over

Edit, FYI, make sure when you setup the tank that you level the stand. That's way more important for your seals longterm

 

[kj23502]

Thanks, Ski!!

 

[@ombomb]

Edit, FYI, make sure when you setup the tank that you level the stand. That's way more important for your seals longterm

and speaking from painful experience, righting it once you realise it's not level is a huge HUGE pain in the rear

 

[kj23502]

Edit, FYI, make sure when you setup the tank that you level the stand. That's way more important for your seals longterm

and speaking from painful experience, righting it once you realise it's not level is a huge HUGE pain in the rear

Yep, I read your post Will definitely make sure it's level before I set up

 

[kj23502]

I've been reading a bit about rowaphos and will use it in my tank. What hob filter has the best filtration + best compartments to add stuff like this in it? Or should I just get a canister filter...lol

How often does it need to be changed(this is expensive stuff)?


How do you know how much to put in the nylon?