TheDukeAnumber1

Heterandria Formosa... One of the worlds smallest fish, a US native, and a hardy productive live bearer. You can have so much fun with them in a small tank, I sure have.

And structural engineering is my profession, this isn't my opinion, this is data from the codes and design guides used to design these structures. I did not say the codes were only for strength and you definitely have some misconceptions about rigid strutures. "Enourmous down force" will be beneficial for resisting wind loads but it does nothing to help you against earthquake loads. The greater the weight of the structure the greater the earthquake load it carries. Also, again, I'm not telling you not to use CMU blocks, I'm just saying that CMU doesn't have some special structural property that makes it better for stack block shelves in earthquakes. When reinforced masonry walls are designed, believe it or not, it's the steel that's designed to yield and absorb the seismic energy. Also we don't disagree about using cinder block shelves, I already agreed they will probably be fine in most cases. We can't have a conversation if you read in disagreement where there isn't.

Are you shooting for calcium in the water or in food? Either way Crab Cuisine and or wonder shells may help. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/fish-food/products/hikari-crab-cuisine https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/wonder-shell

I'm just going to be straight with you Ed, what you said was wrong. Specific jurisdictions may require reinforced CMU construction over wood framed for specific structures but that in no way translates to just stacked cinder blocks for a shelf. It's not even in the ballpark. And when it comes to a structures ability to "shift and flex" instead of collapsing, wood building construction performs much better than reinforced masonry. (pulling that info from the code) I'm glad the cinder block shelves have worked for you and sorry the wood did not, and I'm not telling you that building shelves that way is unsafe or doesn't have advantages...yet (maybe I'll eventually take the time to run the calcs), but anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal. And when it comes to earthquake resistance, it's the connection detailing that really makes the difference.

I generally agree with Cory's rant, but I do believe that you could probably get a significant increase in seismic resistance on the cheap with some well placed metal strap bracing. If you want to get nerdy for a second and see what your seismic risk is according to typical US building codes see below. Go here -> https://hazards.atcouncil.org/#/ (note this will only work for US locations) 1) Select seismic, enter the location and hit enter. 2) Select ASCE 7-10, Risk Category I, Site Class D 3) See additional information and check what your SDC letter is and use the table below to see what seismic risk you are in. @Mr. Ed's Aquatics Cinder block walls in those regions will be reinforced with rebar and grouted. Since these shelves are just stacked blocks they offer no real advantage over a similarily sized adequate wood shelf and in all likelyhood are less resistent to earthquakes since wooden shelves are typically fastened together.

I haven't kept gouramis in a while but I keep my heaters on the same timer my lights are on to purposefully get temp fluctuations. I don't believe you will have any issues with a daily 72-82.

Are you planning on breeding the shrimp? Is baby shrimp survival importamt?

IMO I think the front is best. Looks nice and gives the typically shorter foreground plants more intense light so they can grow well don't start reaching.

@WhitecloudDynasty So glad you are here! Been following your youtube channel for a while.

Ty for sharing, I would love to see a test done using a peltier and a fan that goes against the glass. Much more to do but IMO it would be pretty cool and remove the evaporation issues.

I've really been enjoying my pumpkin arch this year.

You're right, atm I wrongly thought the motor was isolated across the terminals. It's closer to 50-Ohms. I can confirm the resistor is not attached to the housing, it's only soldered across the terminals.

I've seen questions about the Co-op's nano air pump pop up often so here is a quick teardown of the usb nano air pump. With half of the out rubber removed we can see two main components, the motor(right) and the pump(left). On the bottom of the motor we can see a large 50-Ohm resistor between the terminals. I believe this resistor is there to protect the power supply. When the power is cut off the motor still spins for a moment and can throw some power back at the power supply, this resistor would help eat up that power. On the pump end we find three small screws. Once we remove the screws and top we find three small diaphragms that pump up and down when the motor runs. Now with the diaphragm rubber removed we can see the motor head piece that moves the diaphragms and on the underside of the top we can see the three small rubber backflow valves. I guess those screws weren't so small after all. And there we have it, the guts of the fabled pump popularized by our beloved Co-op.

With reducing stress on the tank in mind I believe detail B will be best. But IMO, both will likely be just fine and I would choose base on storage and usage of the space.

I have Risa3D software and an AISC steel design manual locked n loaded. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Hey a thread where I can be useful. I am a structural engineer by profession, and if you got me the frame dimensions, steel sizes, and thicknesses I would be happy to check the stand for you.

Ty for sharing. Is a Kh test on the horizon?

You can but the thing to watch out for is that when the anti fungal in the fertilizer gets diluted it loses effectiveness and things may start to grow in it. Adding some easy carbon might solve this or maybe you use it fast enough it wont be an issue anyways.

I would love just a common pleco sticker, but from the bottom angle as if it were on the glass. It would be perfect for making a window or mirror look like an aquarium.

Correct that is a 10 gallon.

I thought it strage to have an aquarium in the bathroom so I never shared, but after seeing todays video with Dean's throne room setup I feel a bit encouraged that maybe it's not so strange after all! Here is my throne room setup. Overview and view from the seat (❛ᴗ❛)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mVLw6TXLO0 I used to have a bluegill that would really go for it.

I think Ehiem air pumps are worth a look too. I have been very happy with the quality of mine.