square peg in a round hole: frustrations with mis-matched gear

[PPulcher]

A bit of frustration & a rant, but I'm looking for some suggestions.

I picked up some used equipment more than a year ago. Various things have kept me from getting it set up, but I'm working on it now I bought a 36" long 50 gallon tank, 36" long 30, metal stand and filters & the like.

Setback #1: I broke the glass lids on the way home with the tanks. Somehow I lost the plastic E channel for the sliding lids.

Setback #2: I purchased sliding glass lids from the LFS for both tanks. They collected dust for a year before I got around to the project. I found out that the E channel material isn't long enough for 50 gallon tank... Of course I don't have the receipt any longer. I've got to see if a hardware store carries this stuff. My local Home Depot doesn't.

Setback #3: A 50 gallon tank is 36x18x18 or so, while a 30 is 36x12x16. The metal stand is designed to hold tanks with a 36x12 footprint. The original owner used a thick piece of wood on the top tier of the rack centered back to front to hold the 50 gallon tank. I was assured by the seller that this was stable and how he had used the setup for some time. After I set the rack and leveled it, I found the rack to be very tippy with the 50 on top even empty. I've got kids so I don't want them pulling this thing over. I have no idea if the mass of water will stabilize it or not, but I doubt it. The 50 won't fit on the bottom tier as it's too tall.

The lid setback isn't as big of a deal as the rack. As a quick fix, I figured I could move the front of the 50 flush with the front of the rack and build a small frame & legs from 2x4 lumber to support the width hanging off the back. This seems like a bodge, but would get me up quickly.

The other option is to build a stand from scratch. I think I would have the 50 on the bottom tier. I'd make frames for each tank, and connect them by legs in a stairstep fashion, like the ones at this link (http://www.tedsfishroom.com/wp/fishroom/aquarium-racks/phase-3-aquarium-racks). I think I'm leaning this way, as I want to make sure everything is good and safe. I can also attach the homebuilt rack to the house structure so it can't be toppled. I'm a bit bummed, as this is going to add some more time and effort to the project.

The think that has worked out okay so far are the backgrounds for the tanks. I got some inexpensive hardboard from HD, cut it to fit and painted it. It's stuck to the back of the tank with double sided tape on the 50, and with velcro on the 30. If I get tired of the colour, I can always paint the other side of the board something new and stick it back on.

Tippy tanks:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/IMG_0777.jpg

[blainep]

If you were to put 2 2x4s (or maybe 2x2s, hard to see how much space is available.) on the inside bottom of the legs, leave them sticking out the back enough to attach a piece of plywood on top of them. That should improve stability, make the lower shelf big enough to hold the 50 gal.

With the 50 gal on the bottom, the center of gravity would be lots low enough to keep things stable. Having the 50 stick out on the back would help make sure little legs don't try to stand on the 50 to get a better look at the 30.

A little can of Tremclad black and you'd never see the stand mods.

As for the E trim, is it way to short or is it fairly close. A little positioning and maybe a little silicone to act as glue could get the E trim to work well enough.

Maybe some plywood on the top of the stand as well could be used to hide air pumps etc as well.

A few maybe's.

[PPulcher]

Thanks for the suggestions! The lower shelf won't give me enough clearance to work in the tank, I'm afraid.

[Bcanoe]

Fast and no frills. What if you put the 50 on the bottom. Kept it flush with the back of the stand, and built a small support under the front of the plywood.
That would give you stability and a small 6 inch step.
Not sure if that would be enough room to work in the tank though.

Cheers
Bill

[Pamelajo]

Sorry to hear things are not going as planned. Hope you get it worked out.

[PPulcher]

Looks like I'm going to go with a new home built rack. I can't get the 50 to fit on the bottom, I won't have enough room to even get the HOB filter off the back. I guess the guy who had the setup before wasn't worried about it tipping.

Mixed luck continued today with the guppy project for my daughter. I should have known better than to be so assured I'd have no problems getting the 20H tanks on sale at Big Al's right now. (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5445) They had scads just a few weeks ago, and only a single set left today. I was planning for two of them. At any rate, we got the tank, double tier stand and a special plastic "guppy castle" as a treat. Unfortunately my daughter dropped the darn thing and it broke into about four pieces. :wideeyed: Of course this happened right under the large, prominent "You break it, you bought it" sign. After her tears had cleared, I figured I could play archaeologist and epoxy the thing back together.

Once at home, with a half hour of effort and a glass of scotch, the thing looks pretty good. My daughter said to me as she inspected the cracks on the fix up job "Daddy, it makes it look even better than before. It's way more spooky!" That perked me up some. We're looking forward to getting the tank going, but I need to stress patience. It's hard when I want to get going on it, too.:laugh:

[Pamelajo]

What a day! Hope the rest of it goes well, and better tomorrow. So what has she decided for the decor. Girly or spooky. If she like crocodiles I have a head that you hook up to an air pump and it's mouth opens and closes. Let me know if she is interested. My brother had it, until he shut down his tank and I will never use it.

[CACAdmin]

and a special plastic "guppy castle" as a treat. Unfortunately my daughter dropped the darn thing and it broke into about four pieces. :wideeyed: Of course this happened right under the large, prominent "You break it, you bought it" sign. After her tears had cleared, I figured I could play archaeologist and epoxy the thing back together.

Once at home, with a half hour of effort and a glass of scotch, the thing looks pretty good. My daughter said to me as she inspected the cracks on the fix up job "Daddy, it makes it look even better than before. It's way more spooky!" That perked me up some.
These things happen... she's only 6. You're a great Dad, you saved the day... and your daughter is the proud owner of a castle like no other... hers is unique. :thumbup:

[CACAdmin]

So, Andrew, how are things going with the rack and with you and your daughter's guppy project?

[Pamelajo]

So, Andrew, how are things going with the rack and with you and your daughter's guppy project?

I was wondering about her tank the other tank. Would love to see some pics of it completed.

[PPulcher]

Things have been in limbo. No progress on the large tank setup. I got the guppy castle tank stand leveled and the tank placed on it, but that's it.

There's been some turmoil as the company I work for as it was purchased recently and there are changes coming that have eaten up my time and energy. It might work out okay, but big changes good or bad can be stressful. January / February are also the busiest time of year for the line of work my wife is in, so it's the double whammy. Here's to March!

[CACAdmin]

Yes, work does have a way of interfering with the fun stuff. And life sometimes likes to throw us a curve ball. Hope all works out for the best for you at work, and that things get back on track for you next month. Hang in there.

I'm sure your daughter is eager to see guppies in the tank but it's also good for her to see that things take time... a lesson in patience.

[Pamelajo]

Also hope things work at well for you at work, and that March is more enjoyable.

[PPulcher]

Okay, so it's nine months since I posted the original rant. I've made some progress. First, I constructed a rear support for the rear of the 50 gallon tank. I used some scrap 2x4 lumber that I had around and made a rear beam and laminated legs that attaches t the white painted plywood. It's hard to see in the photo below, but you can see the legs. The rack is no longer tippy! This has been done for a few weeks. I originally filled the tanks to leak test them. I've been using them as a water change reservoir, and I'm going to miss having them filled come water change day.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/th_IMG_1599.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/?action=view&current=IMG_1599.jpg)

I also had a problem with the centre channel for the glass top on the 50 being too short. I had a spare piece of glass from a broken lid, cut it the width of the 50 (filled with water). This forms a kind of centre brace that the centre channel sits on. It works pretty well I think. I'm not sure if I should silicone it in place or leave it. Right now it seem to be working fine.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/th_IMG_1600.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/?action=view&current=IMG_1600.jpg)

Finally, a quick photo of "Project Guppy Castle," my daughter's tank, with the purple delta guppies that I got at the Peel auction. The java ferns still need to be tied down to some rocks or some driftwood. We'll add some crypts once the tank is a little more mature. We were going to add a background, but it's kind of neat to be able to see through the tank. You can see the leg construction for the 50 on the left hand side of the photo. The grey corrugated stuff is a cable cover to keep things neat and out of the way.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/th_IMG_1605.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee104/Ppulcher/fish%20corner/?action=view&current=IMG_1605.jpg)

Next decision: substrate for the 50. I've been wanting to try a soil underlayer in a Walstad type setup, but I'm getting cold feet.

[Pamelajo]

Thanks for the update. I see some windelov in the guppy tank, nice. Nice choice of guppies. Did your daughter go with and pic them?

[CACAdmin]

Looks like you've found a solid solution for the rack and less work and materials than building a rack from scratch, too.

Your daughter's Guppy Castle Tank is cute. Lots of plants which I'm sure the guppies love. It's neat that you've set up a tank which is hers. Is she still as eager and enthused about it?

[PPulcher]

We got a big hunk of the Windelov fern at the auction. It was twice as big as I figured once I got it out of the bag. Bargoon! The auction was too long for her to hang around with Dad, so I made the choice. She was thrilled even though they were not orange guppies, which was her colour of choice.

Jay, my daugher loves the guppies. She feeds them each evening, but leaves it up to me to feed them in the AM. So far she has helped me with water changes. We've also been doing some water testing which is fun.

[Ursus sapien]

... My daughter said to me as she inspected the cracks on the fix up job "Daddy, it makes it look even better than before. It's way more spooky!" ...

that sounds like the very definition of success!

[CACAdmin]

Glad to hear she's really enjoying her guppies, Andrew. It's good to know she's eager to help with waterchanges too. These are treasured times with her. Enjoy!