Jump to content
Watch our video on the rules of this forum.

Ariel S

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    72

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Ariel S

    DIY Tank Stand -Douglas Fir S4S Mixed Grain Board ? Strong enough for 40 gal breeder

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, gardenman said:

    Could you build a tank stand out of 2X2's? Yes, but the challenge is in the construction. There's very little mass of wood to work with. Conventional construction techniques like lap joints, mortise and tenon joints, doweled joints, etc. are more difficult and less strong when dealing with smaller pieces of wood. Fasteners have less wood to get a grip on. Adhesives work okay, but once again with less surface area, there's less strength. One of the big concerns would be the stand wracking. If you bump into the end of a stand made entirely of 2X2's there's a very much higher risk of the whole thing collapsing. You could help counter that with a plywood back or cross bracing but that's complicating the construction more and requiring more materials. 

    There's a company called Framingtech.com that makes aluminum stands using extruded aluminum. They're absurdly expensive ($547 for a 40 breeder size) but are sleeker and cleaner than a 2X4 stand. Imagitarium makes an all metal stand for 40 breeders that's currently $64 at Petco. When you're looking at 2X2X8's that are listed at $10.72 each and start adding up how many you'd need, that $64 starts to look pretty good.

    If you absolutely must build one yourself and you want a sleek and cleaner looking stand that won't collapse and you're not the type to move the tank around, you could use the wall of the house to support the back of the tank by securely (very securely) mounting a 2X2 cleat to the wall of the house (definitely hit at least two studs) then use some 3/4" plywood (or something comparable) attached to the wall cleat extending out with a simple pair of legs under the front of the plywood to hold it up. You'd want the back of the tank as close to the wall cleat as possible and you'd want the legs to be nice and strong, but a wall supported tank could work. There's going to be a lot of shear stress on the fasteners used to secure the stand to the wall, so you'll want to avoid fasteners with low sheer strength (like drywall screws) and use something more like a lag bolt that's built for sheer loads. Joey, the King of DIY on YouTube mounted his 120 gallon tanks in a similar fashion.

    Wow! thanks for all of the information!!!! I wanted to stick with wood because all of my other stands are wood, but they are just thrown together hot messes honestly. Not pretty, are definitely sturdy. 

     

    Thanks  so much for the input!

    Drill back of tank or purchase/DIY overflow

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hello, 

    I have a 40 gallon breeder and I want to add a sump underneath. I'm trying to decide the best/ easiest/ and pros and cons of different methods.  

    I don't really have the skill to drill the back panel but I can probably beg someone to do it for me or do it very carefully.

    I've also watched numerous videos of drilling tanks and plumbing and overflows you can buy and DIY instead of drilling. Any suggestions? tips? I've watched numerous videos on youtube and just cant decide what is best for me. I know that marine depot sells some, but those seem to all be geared towards reef tanks. 

     

    This is a freshwater tank by the way. 

    Maracyn Two for betta fish tail/fin rot

    in Diseases

    Posted

    On 9/26/2020 at 7:31 PM, Cory said:

    It's a different med and in my experience hasn't been as effected. You'd follow the directions on the package. 


    Cory, 

    I picked up some regular Maracyn. Should I follow directions on the back of the box? Or do you have different, more effective instruction?
     

    Box instructions say to add 1 packet per 10 gallons 5 days in a row, but doesn’t say anything about water changes? I know I’ve done water changes in the past using antibiotics maybe I’ve been using them wrong? Hence the fin rot issues returning.  Didn’t the website used to have your instructions for use? If they differed. 
     

    back of the box directions:  

    Add the contents of one package per 10 gallons of water and repeat every 24 hours for 5 days. Repeat this 5 day treatment only once if needed.

    Maracyn Two for betta fish tail/fin rot

    in Diseases

    Posted

    fin rot help please friends! 

    I have some Fritz Mardel Maracyn II on hand (not the type that’s part of the med trio suggested  by the coop- I think that’s regular Maracyn). Anyone have experience with this product curing fin rot? 

    Is it ok to use this instead? If so, should I dose the same as suggested by aquarium coop or follow instructions on the box? 

    My betta is in a 20 gallon community tank. He used to be “fine” (no fin issues) for 3 years but the last 6 months he’s having fin rot issues. I keep the tank clean (regular water changes, always 20ppm nitrate, 0 ammonia or nitrite, temp is 79, lots of plants (stem, floating, and bulb). I have endlers and Cory cats with him. Running a sponge filter. 
    Something is stressing him out I guess? I would suspect the Endlers, but I never see him chasing them or the corys.

    I have a quarantine tank but have no space for a permanent tank for just him to be moved to. 
     

    thank you for any advice!! 
     

    094BD4B0-E003-44FB-968A-734A5053ABF8.jpeg

    630B4508-AF91-4012-9610-8DCB891CB47D.jpeg

    EC31CBA8-D6D2-4770-A69D-92AA8FCD52CC.jpeg

    Prepping for power outages in large tanks vs. smaller tanks

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi Stephen, 

    I also live in southeast Louisiana and have personally experienced returning home from a week long evacuation and realizing I had made gumbo in my fish tank. So terrible! 
     

    I don’t have the $$ for a giant generator, but I was able to snag a smaller one from Home Depot last year. It can only run a few things at once- but definitely enough for my tanks. When my power went out back in July, I was able to just run a chord out of a tiny gap in my window to the generator and my fish all survived. I also have a tiny window a/c that I was able to also connect to the generator to keep the tanks (and myself) under 85 degrees during the day. 
     

    That’s not really a fix if you were to evacuate, but if you’re staying home during the power outage, this has worked for me. 

    • Like 1

    Double outlet aquarium air pump

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hello all! 
    I have an Aqua Culture Double Outlet Aquarium Pump and I’m wondering if any knows a way to close off or disable one of the two outlets.
     

    I was using to put air into two tanks at once, but I’m no longer running the 2nd tank. Ive tried just putting two airlines into the tank (20 gallon high) but there was way too much flow and my fish were getting whipped around and avoiding half of the tank. Currently, I just have airline connected to 1 of the outlets and air is just blowing out of the 2nd outlet. I’m feeling like it’s just wasteful. 

    Other than just buying a single outlet air pump, anyone have suggestions on a way to close off the 2nd outlet safely?

    For anyone on a budget that’s never had one- these air pumps are super cheap and I really love it. It’s literally right next to my bed and I hardly hear it. Hardly any vibration at all. I just don’t need the 2nd outlet anymore. 

    thanks in advance! 
     

    3D9909F6-C7BD-41A6-ACBF-C8AFF34CA8B4.jpeg

    Lighting

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Ariel S

    On 8/11/2020 at 11:29 PM, NoahT said:

    Is/can a fluval plant 3.0 light be considered hi output light for a 29gallon tank? Enough par/output for a high-tech, co2 system with carpeting plants?

    I have a 3.0 on my 29 gallon and have carpeting plants. Im not running any CO2 at the moment, but it is definitely a good SOLID investment for a high tech tank set up. 

    Seachem’s Cupramine Copper... to use or not to use?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Brandy said:

    My ramshorns are in love with cucumber. The fish not so much. So maybe better bait in the trap?

    Alternatively, remove the FISH to a quarantine tank and then you can napalm it with whatever snail killing chemical you like...but you will need to find most of the corpses to avoid a nitrogen spike. I think this is the real reason to avoid killing them chemically.

    That sounds like a good idea, moving the fish to a quarantine tank, but, I’ll have to make sure they aren’t in the quarantine tank for long bc collectively I have about 25 fish but only a 10 gallon quarantine tank. 

    Seachem’s Cupramine Copper... to use or not to use?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hello Everyone! 

    I’m looking for advice on getting rid of some ramshorn snails from my tank. I was over feeding and letting them breed because I had a puffer tank and I was harvesting them for food, but now I’m giving my puffer to a friend and there are so many now I just don’t want all of the snails in my tank (mostly, they creep me out- remind me of fleas on pets). 

    I have a sera snail catcher and I use it literally every single night for over a week but there are still lots of snails and I’m just looking for a faster solution honestly- plus my Kuhli loaches and endlers keep ending up inside of the trap! 
     

    Any advice For using this product? 
    will it be safe for my other inhabitants? (Kuhli loaches, apistos, otos, tetras).

    Any other snail removal ideas other than “just leave them” or get assassin snails.
     

    Oh! I also don’t have any space in the tank for any snail eating loaches or a puffer unfortunately. 

    thanks in advance!!! 
    -Ariel 

    Holes in the leaves of my plants

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Cory,

    I’ve been adding 2 root tabs once a week for a few months now. Maybe I’ll need to step it up. Do the swords uptake any nutrients from the liquid easy green ferts? Or only tabs? 
     

    the java fern is in is only 1 of 2 plants in the tank and I’ve been dosing Easy green weekly. It is right next to my heater because initially when the plant was bigger it was hiding my heater, but has since gotten smaller. Could the heater be the issue? It’s set on 79. Tank thermometer typically shows 77-79.

     

    thank you, 

    CO2.... what to do? What not to do? Fluval? Tropica?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hello all! 
    I’ve been toying with the idea of adding some CO2 source into one of my 29 gallon tanks. I’ve watched numerous video (aquarium co-op and others) about setting up CO2 systems that have tanks, diffusers, regulators and all that. 

    BUT... I don’t really have the space for a CO2 tank and I’m not much of a DIY person. 
     

    Are there any smaller systems out there that are good and reliable? I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on the Fluval and Tropica kits they sell in the big box stores and online.  

    Holes in the leaves of my plants

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Ariel S

    Yes, the fish have remained uninterested in the plants unless they decided to start eating them for fun. The amazon sword has an apisto, glass blood fin tetras, kuhli loaches, and some ramshorn snails that snuck in. 
     

    the java fern has a betta, endlers livebearer, corys, and some more sneaky ramshorns.

     

    thank you for your response! 

    Holes in the leaves of my plants

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Ariel S

    Hello everyone! Looking for some plant advice. 2 tanks with issues. I have holes in some of my plant leaves. Amazon sword in one tank and Java Fern in another. I’ve read that it could be potassium? Or lighting? The java fern leaves are worse. They look like they are being torn apart. 

    I use easy green and root tabs (for the sword) and have Fluval 3.0 lights. Both are 29 gallon aquariums. 

    Neither plant is new. Had them both for about 1 year. 

    9C017E5C-CDB1-4091-BC89-26E7804C1BCE.jpeg

    0022E62D-560D-4466-A592-5ED6F0E9D221.jpeg

×
×
  • Create New...