Custom 2-Tier Metal Stand & Tanks Setup Journal

Due to limited living space and my quest for additional larger tanks, i embarked on a project to customize a 2-tier metal stand & tanks setup.

I've spoken to other fellow enthusiasts who have also been keen on similar setups, so i've decided to post my progress to share the experience.

Stand

I wanted a metal stand which could hold and sustain the weight of 2 x 64 litre/60cm tanks (L60cm x D30cm x H36cm) positioned in a double tier layout, so i got a stand custom made to my specifications.

The height of the stand was to be 90cm tall. With the 36cm height of my intended tank on top, the total height of the setup will be 126cm. I've found that this is the ideal overall height for me to view the top tank while seated at my desk (the tank will be at eye level), and it'll still be easy for me to scape and maintain the tank too.

The middle section of the rack has a height of 56cm, with the 2nd tank there also at 36cm height, this allows for a 20cm working gap. From prior experience, this is sufficient enough for me to access the tank for setup and maintenance.

The bottom section of the tank has a height of 30cm from the floor, this allows me to place 2 x compact-sized canister filters underneath (along with the power plugs), so that they are somewhat hidden and less noticeable (compared to placing them beside the stand).

In addition, the stand was customized 5cm wider on each side, so that there is some extra clearance space on the left and right side of the both tanks.

Here is the completed customized metal stand.

The build quality was good and it was made to my specifications, unfortunately the metal stand maker could only paint it black... but i preferred a different color.

So i proceeded to spray paint the stand myself. I tried silver (too bright)... grey (too plain)... then i eventually found a dark metallic grey color that fit the tone i was looking for perfectly.

After hours of sanding, preparation and carefully spray painting multiple coats, this was the result.

I like this particular color because it resembles the ADA garden stand silver/grey color tone, not too bright, not too dark... looks neutral and matches my room decor well. :)


Tanks

I prefer high clarity tanks, so my choice of tanks are made of low-iron glass with minimal silicone. I choose the popular tank dimensions of L60cm x D30cm x H36cm.

Equipment

For flow and filtration, i'm using Eheim Ecco Pro 130 canister filters, along with VIV glass lily pipe sets. For lighting, i'm using Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-20 (60cm) light sets.

Here are the canister filters and power plugs positioned at the bottom section of the stand.

Everything is kept within the footprint of the stand, so that it is neat and tidy. This still allows for full access to the filters, double taps and hoses, which makes regular maintenance much easier.


Competed Setup

Once all the items are assembled and plugged in, this is what the completed setup looks like with the room lights on.

Here is what it looks like with the room lights off.

Another angle, this is the view from my desk.

Overall, i'm quite pleased with the setup.

Time come up with some inspiration and ideas to scape them. :)

Aquarium Rack Setup Journal

Lately i have been looking to keep more fish tanks, yet still fit them within the limited space allocated in my room... so the most efficient solution was to setup a rack system.

While i could have custom made a rack system to my specifications, the rack makers i spoke to either took too long to custom make them, quoted really high prices, or simply refused to make the rack to my particular dimensions and color specification (i wanted a powder coated light grey or at least a bare steel look).

So i decided to just shop around for ready-made shelving which could suit my requirements... and i found it at IKEA:

This is called the "Limhamn" series and its made of stainless steel. It is found at the IKEA kitchen section (its actually meant to be used in kitchens). :)

Since the shelving is completely made of stainless steel, it is naturally water resistant (perfect for aquariums) and the frame is bolted to the top and bottom shelf (along with a steel cross-brace), so the entire structure is quite sturdy. The middle shelves are adjustable and held with steel pins.

They come in 3 configurations: 178cm height x 36cm wide, 89cm height x 36cm wide and 89cm height x 60cm wide (all have 35cm depth).

I choose the 89cm height x 60cm wide version, as i plan to have tanks which are at least 45cm wide.

For that shelving configuration, its information label mentions that the middle shelf can take up to 25kg load. Although its probably a conservative load measurement, i will still try to keep to that weight load recommendation for the middle shelf.

Now on to the tanks...

I noticed straight away that there will be an issue with the tank placed on the middle shelf, even at the lowest height setting, if i were to use a standard 45cm wide x 30cm tall tank, there will be very little space for me to work on the tank during setup and maintenance, so i need to get a tank that is wide yet short.

After shopping around, i found that the GEX Glassterior 450 could fit the dimensions i want, but it is made of normal glass... and i was looking for low-iron high clarity glass tanks.

Okay, let me elaborate why i'm abit more particular about getting low-iron high clarity glass tanks.

Ever since i got tanks made with low-iron glass, i guess my eyes have become too accustomed to looking at high clarity tanks... so everytime i see tanks made with normal glass, i keep getting reminded of those classic green-tinted Kickapoo joy juice glass bottles. :)

In addition, normal glass tanks tend to look noticeably out of place amongst a setup with multiple low-iron glass tanks, so i have to make sure all my tanks have consistent glass clarity.

Unfortunately, low-iron glass tanks are not as common as normal glass tanks, and the current ones i see in local aquarium shops don't come in the wide but short design that i was looking for.

I was recommended to custom make it (costs alot more and have to wait), instead i decided to continue my search for suitable ones.

After more searching, i chanced upon this tank from Rainbow Aquarium...

Its dimensions are 48cm width, 22cm depth and 23.5cm height... and its made of low-iron high clarity glass. This is the exact wide but short glass tank that i was looking for!

The only issue was that it has an internal overflow sump (IOS) compartment built into the tank. While this is good for those who are planning to use an IOS filter system... i plan to use a canister filter with glass lily pipes, so the IOS compartment will not be used.

Luckily the IOS compartment is attached to the tank with silicon, so it can be removed.

In addition, the tank comes with plastic feet attached to the bottom with silicone. I prefer a flat bottom tank placed on a foam base sheet, so those plastic feet will also have to be removed (it'll help further reduce the tank height too).

After a few hours of tedious trimming and careful scraping of the silicone, both the IOS compartment and plastic feet are removed... a good rinse and dry, and the tank is ready!

After modification, the tank dimensions is now 48cm width x 22cm depth x 22cm height, which works out to around 23 litres in volume.

With the rack and tank done, here is what it looks like after initial setup with room light on...

My existing 32 litre/45cm "Tree Scape" tank is currently placed on a custom made cabinet positioned beside it.

This is what it looks like without room lights...

I will be setting up another 32 litre/45cm tank on top of the steel rack, and the 13 litre/30cm tank will be shifted (again) to another location. :)

There is a tall enough gap between the tank on the middle shelf and the top shelf, so its easy to access it during tank maintenance.

In this configuration, the bottom shelf still has around 30cm in height space, which is enough to fit short canister filters like the Eden 501 or the Eheim Ecco Pro 130 (i'll be using that filter for the larger tank on top).

Yes, i could have put up to 60cm wide tanks on this rack too, but i choose to stick to 45-48cm wide ones as i prefer to have some extra working space on the sides, and the tank in the middle shelf will not be blocked by the steel frame too.

Overall, i'm very happy with how this rack setup turned out... hopefully it gives those who are keen on similar setups some good ideas too. :)

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6th March 2013 - Update!

Fellow AquaticQuotient forumer Merviso highlighted that with the steel structure and tanks of water on the shelving, my power extension strip at the bottom shelf could become a hazard if water happens to drip down to that area, so his suggestion was to raise the power extension strip higher on top of some insulation material to minimize danger in case of any water leakage or spillage incident.

I looked around and came up with a DIY solution... two rubber door stoppers from Daiso. :)

As shown in the photo above, the power extension strip simply sits on the rubber door stoppers positioned at both ends so that it is insulated from the steel shelving. In addition, it is also placed at an angle on the rubber door stoppers (like on a ramp), so the switches are also now much easier to view and access too.

I have also ensured that all the wiring are positioned in a "drip loop" configuration and all the power plug holes are fully covered, so hopefully this will further help reduce the chances of any potential electrical issues in this setup.

Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC) - Dry Start Method

This journal will document my successful growing of a Hemianthus Callitrichoides carpet (sometimes known as 'dwarf baby tears', or more commonly as 'HC') via Dry Start Method (DSM).

There have been numerous online guides by many other aquascapers over the years and i owe my success to all of them. In return, i'd like to thank the aquascaping community by sharing my experience using this method too, it has indeed been a very interesting journey. :)

Here are the tank specs:

Tank Size: 45cm x 30cm x 24cm (High Clarity / Low Iron Glass)

Substrate: ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia (Powder Type)

Temperature: 27-28 °C

Lighting: Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-15 (45cm)

Light Duration: 14 hours

Flora: Hemianthus Callitrichoides

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Initial Planting

The Hemianthus Callitrichoides were purchased from a local aquarium shop and they are packaged in "mats" secured to stainless steel mesh. I washed them well and let them sit in a plastic tub under shallow water for a few days to quarantine for a while under light (managed to find and remove some worms and snails in the process), then i proceeded to separate them into small bunches to prepare for planting.

I first filled the tank with ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia (Powder Type), creating a gentle slope from front (2cm height) to back (6cm height). Some rocks of various sizes and shapes were arranged in the soil too.

The soil was sprayed with water until it was visibly moist (but not submerged), i took care not to allow any puddles or pools of water to form. The small bunches of Hemianthus Callitrichoides were then planted into the soil with tweezers, spaced out evenly from each other.

The large empty circle space on the right side is meant for a bogwood/driftwood feature that i'm planning to introduce in after the DSM. :)

Here is a front "landscaped" view of the initial planting.

I am using the Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-15 for my lighting. I've had good experience using it to grow other plants, so it was my first choice for this project. The light duration will be 14 hours daily throughout the DSM. Since the plants are not submerged, there is no issue with algae or lack of Co2, so they can focus on growing fast with long and intensive light durations.

For the next few weeks, the plants will be hydrated by a spray bottle. They will be misted a few times daily to keep the soil moist. I only use de-chlorinated water (no additional fertilizers).

The tank is not covered or sealed at all as the local ambient humidity in Singapore is high enough... it'll basically be like cultivating a mini garden within a glass tank. 


Week 2

So far, i have been misting the soil a few times daily, just enough to prevent it from drying out, taking extra care not to over-saturate the soil.

Growth is slow but steady, with some minor browning on some of the plants, this slower initial growth phase is likely attributed to the weaker ones dying out while the stronger ones work at establishing their roots.

I maintain them by manually removing the brown or dead plants with tweezers and trimming the odd leaves that grow vertically, hopefully this helps to encourage horizontal growth.


Week 4

Good progress! The roots have started to establish and they are now spreading very fast, the plants are growing into a dense carpet and the development can be seen on a day to day basis.

Here is a front "landscaped" view of the growth after 4 weeks.

From the side of the tank, the roots of the plants can be seen anchoring into the soil substrate.

And i also discovered that the soil has inhabitants too... earthworms!

They probably hitchhiked on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides but were too tiny for me to spot earlier on, now they have prospered in the rich soil and plants. At any one time, i could count 4-5 worms from the side of the tank, so there are probably dozens more hidden in the soil too.

I don't view the earthworms as pests though... after all, this is technically a mini garden, and every successful garden usually has lots of earthworms, they eat dead plant matter and process them into worm castings which make great fertilizer for the soil, and they burrow through the soil which helps aerate and allow water to flow though better. So i considered them as little helpers in my DSM project. :)

But i also encountered un-welcomed guests too... mold!

Luckily i didn't encounter that much mold issues amongst my plants though, only a few scattered spots over the weeks, which i promptly removed with tweezers, so it was just a minor annoyance.


Week 6

The plant growth has been progressing rapidly and i could already see them start to connect together to create a nice carpet!

Noticed the roots are growing even deeper into the soil and anchoring well.

At this point, i decided that the plants have established their roots sufficiently in the soil and the tank is ready to be flooded.

Flooding completed!

With the Hemianthus Callitrichoides rooted firmly in the soil, there was very minimal clouding when i filled the tank with water (the photo above was taken right after the tank was filled) and the slope stayed intact too. 

The establishment of a strong root system is indeed one of the main keys to getting healthy and sustained submerged growth from these type of plants.

Hope this journal is helpful for those looking at using DSM to create their own HC carpets too! :)