MyFishTank.Net Freshwater Saltwater Aquarium Fish Forum - View Single Post

dendro982 · 05-16-2008, 09:44 AM

No extra closets, unfortunately. But idea of making enclosures for storing tools is really good. Have basement only, where the most tanks are, standing separately here and there. Stands are so far homemade, painted ribs only, with no plywood covering: my setups are changed frequently.

I tried the heavy duty shelving for home use (no bolts assembly) and don't like it. Too wide for small tanks (takes too much space) and too flimsy to be used for more, than a 2 levels, or for 20g tank, despite the manufacturer's load rating.

I thought, that going vertical, as usually advised for small spaces, could make the placement more compact. But easiness of access for maintenance and feeding is vitally important, and nothing beats waist level single shallow tanks. Maybe raising interval between top of the tank and next shelf to 1 ft/30 cm will work?

Also, it would be nice to have access from all sides, or at least at the front and back, but it could be risky to place narrow vertical shelf unit far from wall. I can bump into it by accident, moving around with bucket full of water.

The waist level tank in the middle of the basement was OK, only visually creating impression of cluttered room.

What I found on the web in the last days:
- Krib on fish rooms, that the industrial stands were usually used. Now have to find where they are sold and is it affordable or not.
- Neat looking fish room, big, but the idea could be used at smaller scale too: stone blocks with wood above it. Heavy duty wooden multilevel racks look much worse (for me).
- Possibly metal shelving along the wall, they even have some living space left. My version would be one tank on the shelf, three tanks up (with a lot of space above the tank, if it makes a sense).

Can you give a little more derails on storing long tools?
After using in the tank they are dripping wet, I placed them in the past in the bucket from the salt, with plastic strainer at the bottom. Takes too much space and visually obtrusive. Upgraded to a bathroom narrow high plastic vase (from hardware store) and spaghetti container in another room, but they are not stable and drop on the side frequently.

I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel: a lot of people before me already solved this problem, and I have to do that again from scratch.

One more thing:
I see in your links planted freshwater tanks - just as I always wanted them to be and was unable to deal with sand/gravel and plants, ever. Where can I post a FW question for you, with photo what is going on and needs correction? If you don't mind, of course.

Thank you all for the input.
Would like to see even more ideas on better organization on a budget. Keep it coming

.

05-16-2008, 09:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
dendro982 Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 15	No extra closets, unfortunately. But idea of making enclosures for storing tools is really good. Have basement only, where the most tanks are, standing separately here and there. Stands are so far homemade, painted ribs only, with no plywood covering: my setups are changed frequently. I tried the heavy duty shelving for home use (no bolts assembly) and don't like it. Too wide for small tanks (takes too much space) and too flimsy to be used for more, than a 2 levels, or for 20g tank, despite the manufacturer's load rating. I thought, that going vertical, as usually advised for small spaces, could make the placement more compact. But easiness of access for maintenance and feeding is vitally important, and nothing beats waist level single shallow tanks. Maybe raising interval between top of the tank and next shelf to 1 ft/30 cm will work? Also, it would be nice to have access from all sides, or at least at the front and back, but it could be risky to place narrow vertical shelf unit far from wall. I can bump into it by accident, moving around with bucket full of water. The waist level tank in the middle of the basement was OK, only visually creating impression of cluttered room. What I found on the web in the last days: - Krib on fish rooms, that the industrial stands were usually used. Now have to find where they are sold and is it affordable or not. - Neat looking fish room, big, but the idea could be used at smaller scale too: stone blocks with wood above it. Heavy duty wooden multilevel racks look much worse (for me). - Possibly metal shelving along the wall, they even have some living space left. My version would be one tank on the shelf, three tanks up (with a lot of space above the tank, if it makes a sense). Can you give a little more derails on storing long tools? After using in the tank they are dripping wet, I placed them in the past in the bucket from the salt, with plastic strainer at the bottom. Takes too much space and visually obtrusive. Upgraded to a bathroom narrow high plastic vase (from hardware store) and spaghetti container in another room, but they are not stable and drop on the side frequently. I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel: a lot of people before me already solved this problem, and I have to do that again from scratch. One more thing: I see in your links planted freshwater tanks - just as I always wanted them to be and was unable to deal with sand/gravel and plants, ever. Where can I post a FW question for you, with photo what is going on and needs correction? If you don't mind, of course. Thank you all for the input. Would like to see even more ideas on better organization on a budget. Keep it coming . __________________ Mostly non-photosynthetics and fine filter feeders. Life in my tanks: Define Your Reef.