mayphly Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Today I finally got around to cleaning out the garage and set up a spot for a new shrimp rack. My goal will be to set up 20 10g tanks on it. I already have an elemental 1744 gph which I'll use to replace my smaller elemental pump. This should be big enough to run 30-40 tanks. I curently have 12 tanks running at the moment in just the garage. Another big plus is that my RO unit is within 5 ft which is hooked up to a wash basin and dumps into 2 20g storage containers. I'll be able to install an auto top off. I'll be using led's. I'm not sure if I want to go with cheap strip lighting or fixtures. I'm already thinking about adding 2x4's under the shelves for added support and I'll be able to mount the lights to these as well. Here's the rack I went with http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-77-in-W-x-78-in-H-x-24-in-D-Steel-Garage-Shelving-Unit-ERZ782478W-4/202251082 Brolly33, Fluffhead, Johnnydok and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Cant wait to see it all built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Those shelves are good, I have one that's not as wide- a little bigger than a 20g long. They don't sell replacement parts but still great shelves, I'll probably buy more. Are you going to set them up vertically or side by side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Make sure to buy or make a cross bar underneath to keep the rails from splaying. Found that out the hard way on a different rack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Those shelves are good, I have one that's not as wide- a little bigger than a 20g long. They don't sell replacement parts but still great shelves, I'll probably buy more. Are you going to set them up vertically or side by side? I'll be seting them up side by side. 5 per shelf Make sure to buy or make a cross bar underneath to keep the rails from splaying. Found that out the hard way on a different rack. My partner at work welds. He'll be helping out with reiforcing the shelving.I'm thinking about placing 2 crosssbars evenly spaced on the bottom of each shelf. That way even if the thin wire splays the crossmembers will hold the weight and there will be no sagging. And I'll be able to sleep better at night. Soothing Shrimp, Louie and EricM 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I'd much prefer to see the boltless shelving with 1 piece legs not the ones where you bolt to legs together. but cool to see more and more making racks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Looking forward to the progress. I am always skeptical of the racks you stack the top and bottom together by attaching the slide-and-lock on top of the bottom shelf to the bottom of the top shelf. Are you adding any plywood or mats on the actual shelves or leaving it as is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Looking forward to the progress. I am always skeptical of the racks you stack the top and bottom together by attaching the slide-and-lock on top of the bottom shelf to the bottom of the top shelf. Are you adding any plywood or mats on the actual shelves or leaving it as is? I'm welding steel crossmembers for reinforcement. I'll be using foam boards underneath the tanks. Each shelf is rated at 1000lbs. I'll have around 600lbs on each shelf. DETAquarium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 I brought back the rack I originally ordered and traded it in for this one http://m.homedepot.com/p/Husky-77-in-W-x-78-in-H-x-24-in-D-Steel-Commercial-Shelving-Unit-ERZ782478W-4/202251082?cm_sp=BazVoice-_-RLP-_-202251082-_-x I set it it up tonight. It took less than an hour. Everything fit together with no issues. I had to shim the bottom just a little to get it all level. I'm going to get some 3/4" plywood sheets that will sit flush with the main frame. I still need to run air and a drip system for top offs. I want to add LED lights and I'm wondering if a 48 led strip would be enough lighting per shelf. I'm open to ideas on led's. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGardenofEder Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Can you post pictures of your welds when your done please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Can you post pictures of your welds when your done please. no welding necessary with this rack. I was thinking about welding braces in the original rack I ordered. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Those are nice shelves, you could fit 2 40g breeders per shelf. As for led lights these are what I use, probably not what your looking for though http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006STWHE4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1431181449&sr=8-3π=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=led+floodlight&dpPl=1&dpID=415-xM30JiL&ref=plSrch I have 6 10w lights on 1 cord at the moment but could go up to 16 with the cord I'm using and use 2 per 20g long. They are waterproof and energy efficient too mayphly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Those are nice shelves, you could fit 2 40g breeders per shelf. As for led lights these are what I use, probably not what your looking for though http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006STWHE4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1431181449&sr=8-3π=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=led+floodlight&dpPl=1&dpID=415-xM30JiL&ref=plSrch I have 6 10w lights on 1 cord at the moment but could go up to 16 with the cord I'm using and use 2 per 20g long. They are waterproof and energy efficient too I remember seeing these in your journal. They are nice lights especially for the price. I'm going to run 6 10g tanks side by side on two of the shelves. I'm not sure what to put on the bottom. 2 40g tanks would be nice. Although it may be a tight fit.lol! I just found these lights and may make an offer on them. The wattage would be the same as if I were to get 6 of the ones you have. That is a plus running led's. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-60-0-50W-6500K-HI-LED-Aquarium-Light-Lumen-Freshwater-Plant-Tropical-Fish-/301147401320?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461dc8ac68 With some chain and some clips these will be easy to adjust for height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Those are pretty nice, the specs are similar also and without the need to wire them together. If you get them I would love to hear how they are. As far as the rack goes do you know if you can get more shelves from the manufacturer? The problem I have with mine is the amount of dead space, about 1' between the lights on the bottom shelf and the shelf above it. Couldn't fit a tank there but it would be nice for storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Edsal makes these racks for Husky (Home Depot) Here's their contact info. Give them a shout. http://edsal.com/index.php Edsal Manufacturing Company, Inc. 4400 South Packers Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60609 PHONE: 773-254-0600 FAX: 773-254-1303 Phone: 773-475-3137 Customer Service Inquiries: customerservice@edsal.com service@edsal.com Dendrobatez 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 don't know how appealing this is, but costco sells a feit LED, I think it is 4' and iirc the price is $40. There is a review here, wrt aquarium use: mayphly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Andy have you set this rack up yet? We need pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I have the rack set up and my lights just showed up. That's about it for the moment. I'm swamped at work and have been putting in 16 hour days. My job really gets in the way of my life. Lol!! I'll get some pics soon[emoji106] DETAquarium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I picked up a few things today. I went with 3/4 ply. I think I'm going to paint them and throw a coat of wbpu. I also picked up some pvc and fittings for the air system. I just threw the lights up to see what they'll look like. They have 2 settings for high light and low light. If I just hang them on "S" hooks they sit 7" above the tanks. They'll be easy to adjust with a bit of chain. I'm going to drape black visqueen behind the rack. I think the tanks will pop out more. I know it doesn't look like much now but here's a few pics anywho.[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk JamesHe, Fluffhead and eozen81 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Is that a pondmaster pump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 The pump is an Elemental 272 wich I got from Sbarbee a while ago. Right now I have it powering 12 tanks with a lot of power left. I'm hoping it has enough to power at least 12 more. If not I have an Elemental 1744gph new in the box which I'll swap it out with. Edwardnah and Johnnydok 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High5's Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Looking good! Dose that pump dump heat into the tanks? I'm in the market for a linear pump but heard that they produce a lot of heat that can heat a tank up by a few degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted May 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Looking good! Dose that pump dump heat into the tanks? I'm in the market for a linear pump but heard that they produce a lot of heat that can heat a tank up by a few degrees. The casing of the pump acts as a large heatsink displacing most of the heat. The pump itself gets pretty warm. According to my thermometer in the tanks it does not add heat. I just pulled the hose off one of the manifolds. The air is cool to the touch. No heat added to tank. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 My Alita doesn't add heat either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High5's Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Thanks for the info guy's! now i just have to decide between the Alita A6 or the Ecoplus 1 or 2. I'd like to have 20 tanks up and running by the end of the year. Have you decided on lighting yet? When i build out my spare bedroom I plan to do five 10's per shelf with 48 inch shop lite fixtures using t5 tubes 1 to 1.5w per gallon. I try to be economical as i can with my set ups so i can spend my savings on shrimp. Have you considered half substrate half bare bottom? I have found many advantages from a breeder stand point using half/ half set up's. You can do more tanks with less substrate, more surface area for bio film growth, can feed on bare side so as not to pollute substrates with uneaten food, easy netting/culling of shrimp with out disturbing substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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