Dioaquatics’ Fishroom

[DioAquatics]

They are easier to make then most think .
Clamp all 4 together first then mark and cut all so they are perfect.. Circular saw and speed square make for nice straight cuts .
The front to backs blocks can be any size and I make mine so they hold my lights.I used 2x6 then attached a 2x4 on side to hold the lights .

Thanks for the tip! I have clamps and a circular saw ready to go so all I have to get is the wood. There’s a lumbar yard around 5 minutes from my house so I’ll check them out this Saturday

 

[richsfishes]

Looks good man! You can also create a dado (I guess it would be a rabet if its the end of the piece) using two pieces of wood at different heights. So instead of using a 2x6 and cutting the dado you could use two 2x4 or even 2x3. Use two of those to make your legs; one of the two pieces would be shorter by the same width of whatever size lumber you use for the "shelf" (the nominal 4 or 3 (3.5 or 2.5) depending on whether you use 2x4 or 2x3) One of the two options could end up being cheaper depending on the prices you see!

 

[DioAquatics]

Looks good man! You can also create a dado (I guess it would be a rabet if its the end of the piece) using two pieces of wood at different heights. So instead of using a 2x6 and cutting the dado you could use two 2x4 or even 2x3. Use two of those to make your legs; one of the two pieces would be shorter by the same width of whatever size lumber you use for the "shelf" (the nominal 4 or 3 (3.5 or 2.5) depending on whether you use 2x4 or 2x3) One of the two options could end up being cheaper depending on the prices you see!

Thanks rich! I appreciate the advice. I’m hoping to get the wood to start this build after the drywall is up on the ceiling.

 

[DarkOne]

2.5" wood screws usually have a shear strength of 100lbs. 3 on each corner gives you 1200lbs per shelf with no supports. Use glue and it almost doubles the strength.

I would stick with 2 shelves for tanks in a lowered ceiling area. You want at least 8" above each tank to work in. Also, the tanks on close to the floor will run colder as it soaks up the cold from the floor.

I use a 550gph pump with 3/4" ID hose for my water changes. 1/2" ID hose takes about twice as long but much cheaper.

When you go to the lumber yard, make sure the wood is kiln dried or you'll have the same problem as HD/Lowes wood.

 

[DioAquatics]

2.5" wood screws usually have a shear strength of 100lbs. 3 on each corner gives you 1200lbs per shelf with no supports. Use glue and it almost doubles the strength.

I would stick with 2 shelves for tanks in a lowered ceiling area. You want at least 8" above each tank to work in. Also, the tanks on close to the floor will run colder as it soaks up the cold from the floor.

I use a 550gph pump with 3/4" ID hose for my water changes. 1/2" ID hose takes about twice as long but much cheaper.

When you go to the lumber yard, make sure the wood is kiln dried or you'll have the same problem as HD/Lowes wood.

Awesome thanks! I’ll definitely be using some heavy duty screws and wood glue in all the joints I make.

I’ll probably make some modifications to the stands to try and get as much space in between the tanks but also take advantage of the space. I’ll be building it from the bottom tank up. I’m fine with the bottoms tanks being slightly colder. I can put heaters in them if anything.

Thanks! I’ll look up pumps now so I know which to get for my water changes

 

[DarkOne]

If you really want your tanks low, at least use some styrofoam or other insulation under the tank. The heaters will be running 24/7 just to keep up otherwise.

I had 6" between my tank top and shelf on my first rack and it's a PITA to work in the tank. 8" makes a huge difference and that's what I go by when setting up racks now. Not as big of a deal on display tanks but if you're using them for breeding or QT, you need the space to work in.

I use this pump (actually both 80 and 550):


I also use this 400gph for bucket w/c's as it sucks water from the bottom. It leaves less than a quart of water in a 5 gallon bucket.


Cheapest 3/4" ID tubing that's good quality.


For 1/2" ID tubing, HD has Everbilt in 25' lengths for $10. Do NOT use Lowes 1/2" tubing, they don't hold their shape and collapse/kink easily.

These remotes are awesome for the pumps.

 

[DioAquatics]

If you really want your tanks low, at least use some styrofoam or other insulation under the tank. The heaters will be running 24/7 just to keep up otherwise.

I had 6" between my tank top and shelf on my first rack and it's a PITA to work in the tank. 8" makes a huge difference and that's what I go by when setting up racks now. Not as big of a deal on display tanks but if you're using them for breeding or QT, you need the space to work in.

I use this pump (actually both 80 and 550):


I also use this 400gph for bucket w/c's as it sucks water from the bottom. It leaves less than a quart of water in a 5 gallon bucket.


Cheapest 3/4" ID tubing that's good quality.


For 1/2" ID tubing, HD has Everbilt in 25' lengths for $10. Do NOT use Lowes 1/2" tubing, they don't hold their shape and collapse/kink easily.

These remotes are awesome for the pumps.

I can definitely wrap the bottom, back and sides of the tank with styrofoam to help keep it insulated. My basement during the summer is usually pretty decent in temp. Last time I tested a tank down there, it stay at 74F in the summer. Winter is a different story.

Thanks for the input. I'll take it into consideration when I'm building the racks. I don't think 6 inches will be too small for me to work with but I can definitely figure it out when it comes time to build.

Wow thanks for all those links! You saved me a lot of research lol.

 

[DioAquatics]

I realized that I miscommunicated something about the space I have to work with. So the space is actually 11ft x 4ft x 6.5ft but I don't want the top of the tank to go any higher than 5ft 7in (which is around face height to me) so I'll have almost a foot of space above the 3rd shelf on the rack. That will give me some wiggle room just in case I need some extra space on any of the racks

 

[DarkOne]

I'm still thinking about organizing my racks and I just thought, "Why doesn't KingD use these racks?" They're not much more than lumber and you just need to get a 4 x 8' plywood for each rack unit ($20) to put on top of the particle board shelves. I got 48" x 18" (72" tall) and it cost more than the 48 x 24" (72" tall) racks but I needed the narrower shelving. Each shelf holds up to 800lbs and 4000lbs total per rack. You can get 36" long too. They're not as bulky as 2x4 shelves and I'm really happy with the one I got.

I like the muscle rack shelves because they come with couplers and end caps for the feet/top. Edsal is the other brand name but I think they're made by the same company (same design?).

 

[DioAquatics]

I'm still thinking about organizing my racks and I just thought, "Why doesn't KingD use these racks?" They're not much more than lumber and you just need to get a 4 x 8' plywood for each rack unit ($20) to put on top of the particle board shelves. I got 48" x 18" (72" tall) and it cost more than the 48 x 24" (72" tall) racks but I needed the narrower shelving. Each shelf holds up to 800lbs and 4000lbs total per rack. You can get 36" long too. They're not as bulky as 2x4 shelves and I'm really happy with the one I got.

I like the muscle rack shelves because they come with couplers and end caps for the feet/top. Edsal is the other brand name but I think they're made by the same company (same design?).

That would be a really good idea to get those racks but The amount of shelves I'd need for all the tanks would be too much. I calculated how much all the 2x4s will cost me at HD (cheaper than my lumber yard, I called) and its going to cost me around $80 for everything I need to build the 4 racks. And I like building so I have no problem with it lol

 

[DioAquatics]

Good news everyone, my uncles actually came through this time and we got the drywall up on the ceiling! At least on the bulk of it.
The rest I can do myself. I have to tape and mud the seams but that’s simple.
I’ll be buying the 2x4s to build the rack stand while the mud dries. I’ll have to move the tanks so I can sand everything and then paint. I also want to paint the walls so it doesn’t look so gloomy
It’s slow moving but it’s coming along nicely.

 

[DioAquatics]

Update in the fishroom. Not building wise but fishwise. The fish I got from coralbandit are doing great!
Here’s a bad picture of the female Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe. She’s in a 20L with my male super red Bristlenose pleco. He’s in his cave constantly so no pictures of him. She’ll be going into my 75 gallon this weekend


The Apistogramma AgassizziI Fire Red are doing pretty good too. The male is looking phenomenal but the female seems to be very pale and almost sickly looking so I’m going to medicate the 10 gallon they’re in for a week in hopes she gets better. Once the treatment is done, they’ll be going into the 20L with the male super red BN.


The 6 juvenile Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe are growing beautifully in the 5g. They’ll soon be upgraded to a 10g! If I can tell properly, I have at least 2 males and 2 females. The other 2, I can’t tell just yet but that’s because they never all sit still long enough. Here’s a video of some of them


And the 15 gallon Retirement Tank with all my random fish (guppies, wcmm, tetras, and SAE) is doing great also. My most lively tank for sure

 

[DioAquatics]

Much better shot of the female Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe. Her colors shock me every time I see her. Can’t wait to see her in the 75g!

 

[DioAquatics]

Alright so the 10 gallon that has the apistogramma AgassizzI female that was looking sickly has been medicated with e.m. Erythromycin and general cure. Hoping that this helps her get better so I can start getting them ready to breed. I have been feeding live black worms so I’m already starting but I need her in 100% health.

Also, my lone female Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe was moved into my 75 gallon this weekend. She’s loving it in there from the looks of it.
The 6 juvenile PTM were moved from a 5 gallon to the 20L that the adult female was in. I’ll leave them in there to grow out completely and pair off. Once I get some pairs, I’ll separate them. I have at least 2 males that I know of.
Here’s a quick video of the 2 I think are males.


Now I was thinking, if I only get 2 males, I may just keep the 2 pairs in the fishroom and then all the other females might go into my 75g. So I’ll have 2 m/f pairs in separate 20L in the fish room and 3 females in the 75g. What do you guys think of that? There’s plenty of hiding spots and I have 4 caves in there so there should be enough room for separate territory.

Lastly, the 6 habrosus cory cats that I had in my 75 gallon have been moved into a 5 gallon tank with moss, anubias and guppy grass. I’ll be trying to breed them in hopes to get around 30 more. I’m getting them conditioned with micro worms and live black worms. Infusoria cultures are in the works right now. I’m excited to actually breed something in the fishroom!

 

[coralbandit]

Yea they both look male .
Not 100% on being accurate but males have the eye spot on tail or more as they get older .
Pretty sure if you look at older female she will not have even one . My female does not either .
I think the females in big tank should be ok. Good way to have them on hand in case something happens .

 

[DioAquatics]

Yea they both look male .
Not 100% on being accurate but males have the eye spot on tail or more as they get older .
Pretty sure if you look at older female she will not have even one . My female does not either .
I think the females in big tank should be ok. Good way to have them on hand in case something happens .

Yea I noticed males seem to have extra spots in their tails.
Awesome! I’ll keep the extra females in the 75 gallon than. I’d rather have extra than not enough. And I love the colors the females have so it’ll just add to the 75g

 

[DioAquatics]

Bad news in the fish room. So the female apistogramma agassizzI appears to have dropsy. She’s very pale, very skinny and barely eating, and just today I noticed she has a small red dot on her side and sadly, her scales are lifted. You can kind of see it in the picture. It’s not looking too good for this little lady unfortunately

 

[coralbandit]

Pull her out and euth her .
Don't let her die in tank and have other fish nibble on it .
That is one of the most common pathogen transfer methods .
Sorry to see she didn't hold up.

 

[DioAquatics]

Pull her out and euth her .
Don't let her die in tank and have other fish nibble on it .
That is one of the most common pathogen transfer methods .
Sorry to see she didn't hold up.

Yea I was thinking of taking her out and putting her down. I already have the clove oil so I'll go ahead and do that now.
Okay that's good to know, I won't let her die in the tank. The only other fish in there is the male apisto but I'd like to keep him alive and well. He's going to be one of the centerpiece fish for one of the 40B in the fish room.
No worries CB. Things happen, it's all a part of the hobby

 

[DioAquatics]

In better news, I am 100% sure that I have 2 males and 4 female PTM. In the video I’m going to link, you can clearly see in the first second or 2, that 4 of them have nice pink bellies. The other 2 have no pink bellies and are the biggest in the tank so clearly males. Super excited to have 2 pairs of these guys!

 

[JLeeM]

Sorry about your apisto. Seems like you've had really bad luck with them.

 

[DioAquatics]

Sorry about your apisto. Seems like you've had really bad luck with them.

Thanks. Yea I have been having really bad luck with my apistogramma. Ever since my first apistogramma cacatuoides. The only one I had decent luck with was my first pair of agassizziI that spawned and I got wiggles from. After them, it’s been down hill unfortunately

 

[DioAquatics]

Bad news. I went down to the fish room after work today and something wasn't right. It was dead silent. Not okay. Come to find out something tripped the breaker and the outlets for the tanks were all off. I don't know how long they were off for but the temps in the tanks went down to around 60f. I got everything back on and running. Hopefully the temps slowly climb up back to normal. Thankfully there were no deaths

 

[Lchi87]

Bad news. I went down to the fish room after work today and something wasn't right. It was dead silent. Not okay. Come to find out something tripped the breaker and the outlets for the tanks were all off. I don't know how long they were off for but the temps in the tanks went down to around 60f. I got everything back on and running. Hopefully the temps slowly climb up back to normal. Thankfully there were no deaths

Glad everything and everyone is okay! I would have had a nervous breakdown if I went down to a fishroom with no power.

 

[DioAquatics]

Glad everything and everyone is okay! I would have had a nervous breakdown if I went down to a fishroom with no power.

Thanks Ichi. I am too! I heard nothing when I went down stairs and went into panic mode lol

The temps are slowly increasing which is good, no temp shock. Everything should be back to normal within a couple hours

 

[richsfishes]

wow! glad to know its working out ok. Something in the fish keeping air yesterday I guess as I woke up to no heat in my house. Found the fishroom, which is usually a toasty 85 degrees plus, down in the upper 60s/low 70s!

Bad news. I went down to the fish room after work today and something wasn't right. It was dead silent. Not okay. Come to find out something tripped the breaker and the outlets for the tanks were all off. I don't know how long they were off for but the temps in the tanks went down to around 60f. I got everything back on and running. Hopefully the temps slowly climb up back to normal. Thankfully there were no deaths

 

[DioAquatics]

wow! glad to know its working out ok. Something in the fish keeping air yesterday I guess as I woke up to no heat in my house. Found the fishroom, which is usually a toasty 85 degrees plus, down in the upper 60s/low 70s!

Thanks Rich! Everything is back to normal now and there were no deaths so I'm glad about that. Most fo the fish just went into a very "slow" state. Oh wow that's a huge temp difference. Glad you caught that in time! Are all the fish doing okay?

 

[richsfishes]

yeah all the fish seem to be doing fine thankfully!

Thanks Rich! Everything is back to normal now and there were no deaths so I'm glad about that. Most fo the fish just went into a very "slow" state. Oh wow that's a huge temp difference. Glad you caught that in time! Are all the fish doing okay?

 

[DioAquatics]

yeah all the fish seem to be doing fine thankfully!

Good to hear Rich!

So update for the fishroom. I will more than likely be buying the wood for the new racks either this Friday since I’m off from work, or sometime this weekend. It’s about time I get things rolling again. I also plan on going to The Fish Hut in NJ to see if they have any female apistogramma agassisziI Fire Red to go with my male. I’m also going to be buying 20+ neon tetras for the 75g

 

[coralbandit]

I have seen the fire reds again at 2 of my LFS so they should be available .
Good luck .

 

[DioAquatics]

I have seen the fire reds again at 2 of my LFS so they should be available .
Good luck .

That’s a good sign. Hopefully they have them in Jersey. I’m not sure if I want to get 1 or 2 females. I feel like one would be best just incase there’s any bullying

 

[DarkOne]

They should have Double and Fire Reds.

 

[DioAquatics]

They should have Double and Fire Reds.

Thanks for that link! I didn’t even know they had a Facebook page

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You are so blessed to have that many and!! I have got to say, I can’t wait until you get them all set up! Definitely following this thread!!

 

[DioAquatics]

You are so blessed to have that many and!! I have got to say, I can’t wait until you get them all set up! Definitely following this thread!!

Thanks for following along! I am very lucky to be able to keep all these tanks and fish

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Lol!! I just wish I could keep that many tanks......

 

[DioAquatics]

Lol!! I just wish I could keep that many tanks......

It’s going to be a lot of work but it’ll be worth it to see all the fish lol

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Sweet!! Well.....just keep me posted!!

 

[DioAquatics]

Sweet!! Well.....just keep me posted!!

I’ll make sure to keep this thread updated

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Thanks!!

 

[DioAquatics]

Alright so there has been yet another change to the fishroom plans. I was originally going to be building 4 racks, each holding 3 tanks for a total of 12 tanks. I’ve done some realistic thinking and I don’t think I’d be able to maintain 12 tanks properly. It’s a lot of work and I don’t even have a sink in my basement for water changes, carrying buckets down the stairs isn’t fun.
So my new plans are to have 4 racks still but each holding only 2 tanks. I’ll redesign the racks so that the tanks are at a perfect viewing level and not close to the ground. I’ll post the new plans when they’re done.

 

[JLeeM]

Alright so there has been yet another change to the fishroom plans. I was originally going to be building 4 racks, each holding 3 tanks for a total of 12 tanks. I’ve done some realistic thinking and I don’t think I’d be able to maintain 12 tanks properly. It’s a lot of work and I don’t even have a sink in my basement for water changes, carrying buckets down the stairs isn’t fun.
So my new plans are to have 4 racks still but each holding only 2 tanks. I’ll redesign the racks so that the tanks are at a perfect viewing level and not close to the ground. I’ll post the new plans when they’re done.

It's never fun to realize how much our free time and resources constrain us is it? Lol.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Alright so there has been yet another change to the fishroom plans. I was originally going to be building 4 racks, each holding 3 tanks for a total of 12 tanks. I’ve done some realistic thinking and I don’t think I’d be able to maintain 12 tanks properly. It’s a lot of work and I don’t even have a sink in my basement for water changes, carrying buckets down the stairs isn’t fun.
So my new plans are to have 4 racks still but each holding only 2 tanks. I’ll redesign the racks so that the tanks are at a perfect viewing level and not close to the ground. I’ll post the new plans when they’re done.

That’s that problem with me to!! I keep thinking I want all of these 10-20 gal. Tanks, but I would never be able to manage them properly!

 

[DioAquatics]

It's never fun to realize how much our free time and resources constrain us is it? Lol.

It’s not fun at all. I’d love to have all these tanks beautifully set up and running but I’d rather realize it now before they’re all set up and I can’t take care of the fish properly.

That’s that problem with me to!! I keep thinking I want all of these 10-20 gal. Tanks, but I would never be able to manage them properly!

Sometimes we get a little over zealous with what we think we can keep. Thankfully I realized before I got them all up lol

 

[Geoff]

That’s happened to me before. I bit off way more than I could chew and it just become more of a chore to take of everything rather than being able to enjoy my fish. Maybe when you set up the 4 racks, start with a small number of tanks, maybe one on each, and then see how you manage with the maintenance. If it’s working well, add a new tank and so on and so forth.

 

[DioAquatics]

That’s happened to me before. I bit off way more than I could chew and it just become more of a chore to take of everything rather than being able to enjoy my fish. Maybe when you set up the 4 racks, start with a small number of tanks, maybe one on each, and then see how you manage with the maintenance. If it’s working well, add a new tank and so on and so forth.

That’s exactly what I don’t want to happen. I want to enjoy my fish and tanks and not see it at just another chore I have to do. I’m actually planning on setting up one tank at a time and seeing how it goes tank by tank. I have all the tanks already but I won’t be setting them all up at once.

 

[Geoff]

That’s exactly what I don’t want to happen. I want to enjoy my fish and tanks and not see it at just another chore I have to do. I’m actually planning on setting up one tank at a time and seeing how it goes tank by tank. I have all the tanks already but I won’t be setting them all up at once.

Do you know what you’re putting in the first one? (Sorry if already mentioned in this thread, I admittedly didn’t read it from the beginning lol)

 

[DioAquatics]

Do you know what you’re putting in the first one? (Sorry if already mentioned in this thread, I admittedly didn’t read it from the beginning lol)

No worries lol I don’t expect people to read from the very beginning, it been a long time coming.
For the first tank, I’ll be putting a pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe that I got a couple months back. I’ll likely set up a second tank that will house my apistogramma agassizziI fire red male and I’ll get him a new female too

 

[DarkOne]

I have 15 tanks but only 5 are display tanks. I realized that bare tanks are so much easier to take care of than planted tanks.

You could get a strong pump to pump water upstairs out the window or in the sink/toilet so you don't have to carry buckets up and down stairs. Drain tanks in a Brute trashcan and set the pump in it to pump waste water upstairs. My sinks are 10-20' away from my tanks and I have pumps and hoses for big water changes. I can do water changes in my 75g, 40g, 30 gallon and 20 gallon in less than an hour now. 5 gallon changes are done with buckets because it's much faster than pulling out pumps and hoses.

 

[Geoff]

No worries lol I don’t expect people to read from the very beginning, it been a long time coming.
For the first tank, I’ll be putting a pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Moliwe that I got a couple months back. I’ll likely set up a second tank that will house my apistogramma agassizziI fire red male and I’ll get him a new female too

Excuse me while I go Google the pelvicachromis taeniatus moliwe.......WOW! That’s a beautiful fish! Can’t wait to see that set up.

I really miss by cockatoo apistos. I had a breeding pair once.