H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 The purpose of this journal is to document my adventures in aquarium keeping as my hobby transitions into its next phase where I settle into a more long-term focus on breeding nano-fish and fresh water crustaceans as well as growing plants well. Over the past 30 years, this hobby has been a true joy for me, it has allowed me to learn so much about both myself and the world around me. It is my hope that my documentation of my aquarium-based journey will inspire others to continue to push their hobby to the next level. In light of recent success I have had selling fish and shrimp in my local market, I have decided to extend my 6 10 gal breeding rack into a larger 10 gal rack holding eight aquariums. Utilizing this new structure which I have affectionately named the "Aquarium Wunderkammer", it is my hope to continue breed Danios, Badis, Pygmy Sunfish, White Clouds, Fire Red Shrimp, Blue Dream Shrimp, and Dwarf Crayfish for both fun and a small profit. I think this new project of mine is novel because it utilizes a sliding rail system usually used in cabinet making that I have not seen utilized for an aquarium rack. By placing these aquarium on cabinet sliders, the aquarium can be moved away from the shelf they normally rest on, greatly increasing the amount of available aquarium which can be accessed for maintenance and catching of livestock while maintaining a small footprint. Thus far in my in hobby experience I have not seen a system utilizing cabinets sliders and aquariums, so if you have similar thoughts, you can now see an example of one of these systems in action. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 The footprint for this new aquarium rack is simple, it is made out of pine wood that has been put together using pocket hole jigs to create a very strong lattice. Utilizing both vertical and horizontal components, I created a rigid base which can easily hold the 800lb of aquariums which it will support. The top of this frame was then secured together using 1/2 inch birch plywood which I very much enjoy as a building material since it is easy to work with, lightweight, strong, and creates anesthetic looking finish. This plywood base later was coated in 1/8in PVC wall covering to provide a waterproof surface. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Good luck on the rack upgrade! Sounds like you have a nice breeding factory going on. I’m interested to see how the sliding rail system works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Sounds like your going to have a lot of fun breeding nano fish Edited February 24, 2021 by Colu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 For the aquariums themselves, they each sit in a tray made with a base of 3/4 inch birch plywood for stability and have an edge made from 1 in pine furring strips. These trays were painted using a high-quality paint to ensure that they are water resistant. These were secured together utilizing high quality construction screws to provide the necessary support for each aquarium, which weighs approximately 110 lb. These trays were then affixed to a pair of cabinets sliders which are rated to 150 lb each to ensure a factor of safety when the aquarium has been pulled fully from the shelf. I found that these high quality cabinet sliders, although expensive, were well worth it as they were both easy to install and have a silky-smooth soft-close feature which is essential when a 100+lb box of water is being moved back into place. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 @OceanTruth Thank you, the sliders so far seem to be working well. They stood up the test fill, more pics to follow. @Colu I have found that breeding fish, even on a small scale, is very enjoyable and rewarding. Its no wonder so many go on to create fish rooms to house their projects. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Wow that is a very slick idea! Those sliders are great that they can handle such weight. That rack is going to be very cool and unique! Will you also be affixing the rack to a wall as well? The rack tipping over is more of an issue with the sliders I’m assuming. Can’t wait to see some filled tanks on your rack! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 @OceanTruth The rack will absolutely be secured to the wall; pet and child safety is paramount for me! I'll be affixing it to the wall using a floating shelf bracket. Pics to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 I figured you had it all planned out. You’re obviously very handy. Someone like me, however, might have overlooked it until the end. Lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 So the plan is to go 2 tanks high? will you have an auto water change system or similar? I really like this design, I am all about maximizing space. Moving parts tend to scare me unreasonably though, I am super excited to see how this works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) @BrandyJust two high is the plan. Going higher than that is possible, but I would prefer a stand made of metal if that was the case. It will not have an auto water change system, but a "flow through" style easy water change system. I'll add pics of it once its installed. Edited February 23, 2021 by H20CultureLabs Grammar 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 It is the server rack version of a fish rack. Very cool! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 @Streetwise I never thought about it that way, but you're right! I server rack, with the right combination of fittings, could be used similarly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric R Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Very cool, both in terms of the rack setup, as well as the fish selection. What species of sunfish do you keep, and what have you been feeding them? Also excited that you're breeding badis. What species? I'm interested in black tiger and scarlet but it seems hard to find females. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 @ererer I currently keep the Everglades and the Gilbert's pygmy sunfish. I feed them micro worms, frozen daphnia, and baby brine. They are thriving in my aquaria and I find them to be very tough fish. I have bred both Tiger and Scarlet Badis, but I have only successfully raised a handful so far. I find the best way to get females is by from other hobbyists; I was fortunate in that regard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 The cabinets sliders themselves were affixed to the sides of each 1 of these trays. The sliders were attached to the base using L-shaped brackets with machine screws attaching in to the cabinet sliders and regular wood screws attaching the bracket to the plywood base of the shelf. The cabinets sliders themselves were attached to the trays utilizing the same construction screws at the trays themselves were attached with creating a very strong and reliable attachment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 Each aquarium is an Aqueon 10 gallon which I purchased at the most recent dollar per gal sale. These were each drilled with 2 holes. A small hole for 1/4 inch RO tubing to be applied to the front for filling water, and a larger hole in the back to accommodate a 1/2 inch bulk head so that the water could be drained. In this way, I can hook them up directly to my water filter allowing the water change water to "flow through" the aquariums and into a central drain. Each 1 of these aquariums was also fitted with a sponge filter and a layer of black diamond sand on the bottom. I have found great success using this as a substrate and I love both its look and it's low cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 As can be seen here, the lower shelf works quite well and the aquariums are nicely displayed and easily accessed with this design. Although it took me several iterations of various home built aquarium racks to finally achieve this result, I am quite pleased with it 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 The rack is progressing really nicely! It looks so clever and clean. Pygmy Sunfish and Badis fish are really beautiful fish that I have always considered keeping. Just haven’t gotten to them yet I guess. Hope you’ll be successfully breeding them soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 When it comes to breeding egg-scattering fish, I am a believer in the "musical fish" and the "false bottom" methodologies of fish breeding. One of the abilities I'm most excited about with this new of aquarium rack is the ability to use both methodologies ease to enhance my fish breeding yield. To accomplish this, I removed the bottoms of four Aqueon 2.5 gal aquariums and replaced the bottoms with standard home screen to provide a false bottom for the eggs to fall through. Attached to this screen is a mat of artificial plants to provide the fish both cover and structure for them to breed in. These 2.5 gal aquariums are then suspended at the top of the larger 10 gal aquariums utilizing plastic clamps. This allows for the fish to be easily moved from one aquarium to the next so that they are small fry have a chance to develop in the larger aquarium without the threat of being eaten by their parents. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 I’ve never seen a setup like that before. Brilliant! You have a really unique way of doing things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 My CPDs seem to be a big fan of these breeding tanks! They love darting into and out of the plastic grass. The coolest thing watching them eat daphnia in and around the plastic mats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 @OceanTruth Thank you! I was inspired by a fish room tour on the channel "Dan's Fish". The video is "Barb Fishroom Tour with Mike Monje of Exstream Aquatix". (I'm not sure I can link it without violating forum rules. I am in no way associated with the channel "Dan's Fish" but I do enjoy his content!) However, there was a custom-made Barb breeding aquarium at the start of that video which inspired this design. Mine is not as refined as his, but it works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 1 minute ago, H20CultureLabs said: @OceanTruth Mine is not as refined as his, but it works. I’m definitely on the side of you have to do things the way that suits you and there is no absolute one way to do things successfully. I think your whole set up is very clever starting from the racks and so forth. Is the artificial grass very soft? Does that even matter in your opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20CultureLabs Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 @OceanTruthA good question! It's pretty soft plastic, but I wouldn't say its extremely soft; its definitely more rigid than silicone. So far I haven't had any issues with it. My only gripe is that it floats, so you have to zip-tie it down. As far as it mattering, I am not certain but do not think it does. Reading scientific papers about ornamental fish breeding, they often mention using bottle-brushes as structure for the fish to lay eggs on and those are certainly not anything I would lay down on willingly. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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