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Mayphly's New Shrimp Rack


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Today I finally got around to cleaning out the garage and set up a spot for a new shrimp rack. My goal will be to set up 20 10g tanks on it. I already have an elemental 1744 gph which I'll use to replace my smaller elemental pump. This should be big enough to run 30-40 tanks. I curently have 12 tanks running at the moment in just the garage. Another big plus is that my RO unit is within 5 ft which is hooked up to a wash basin and dumps into 2 20g storage containers. I'll be able to install an auto top off. I'll be using led's. I'm not sure if I want to go with cheap strip lighting or fixtures. I'm already thinking about adding 2x4's under the shelves for added support and I'll be able to mount the lights to these as well. Here's the rack I went with

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-77-in-W-x-78-in-H-x-24-in-D-Steel-Garage-Shelving-Unit-ERZ782478W-4/202251082

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Those shelves are good, I have one that's not as wide- a little bigger than a 20g long. They don't sell replacement parts but still great shelves, I'll probably buy more.

Are you going to set them up vertically or side by side?

I'll be seting them up side by side. 5 per shelf

 

Make sure to buy or make a cross bar underneath to keep the rails from splaying.  Found that out the hard way on a different rack.

My partner at work welds. He'll be helping out with reiforcing the shelving.I'm thinking about placing 2 crosssbars evenly spaced on the bottom of each shelf. That way even if the thin wire splays the crossmembers will hold the weight and there will be no sagging. And I'll be able to sleep better at night. :P

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Looking forward to the progress. I am always skeptical of the racks you stack the top and bottom together by attaching the slide-and-lock on top of the bottom shelf to the bottom of the top shelf. Are you adding any plywood or mats on the actual shelves or leaving it as is?

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Looking forward to the progress. I am always skeptical of the racks you stack the top and bottom together by attaching the slide-and-lock on top of the bottom shelf to the bottom of the top shelf. Are you adding any plywood or mats on the actual shelves or leaving it as is?

I'm welding steel crossmembers for reinforcement. I'll be using foam boards underneath the tanks. Each shelf is rated at 1000lbs. I'll have around 600lbs on each shelf.

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I brought back the rack I originally ordered and traded it in for this one

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Husky-77-in-W-x-78-in-H-x-24-in-D-Steel-Commercial-Shelving-Unit-ERZ782478W-4/202251082?cm_sp=BazVoice-_-RLP-_-202251082-_-x

5bd12c7714bd657eebe3b8845c0f443d.jpg

I set it it up tonight. It took less than an hour. Everything fit together with no issues. I had to shim the bottom just a little to get it all level. I'm going to get some 3/4" plywood sheets that will sit flush with the main frame. I still need to run air and a drip system for top offs. I want to add LED lights and I'm wondering if a 48 led strip would be enough lighting per shelf. I'm open to ideas on led's.

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Can you post pictures of your welds when your done please.

no welding necessary with this rack. I was thinking about welding braces in the original rack I ordered.

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Those are nice shelves, you could fit 2 40g breeders per shelf.

As for led lights these are what I use, probably not what your looking for though

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006STWHE4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1431181449&sr=8-3π=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=led+floodlight&dpPl=1&dpID=415-xM30JiL&ref=plSrch

I have 6 10w lights on 1 cord at the moment but could go up to 16 with the cord I'm using and use 2 per 20g long. They are waterproof and energy efficient too

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Those are nice shelves, you could fit 2 40g breeders per shelf.

As for led lights these are what I use, probably not what your looking for though

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006STWHE4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1431181449&sr=8-3π=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=led+floodlight&dpPl=1&dpID=415-xM30JiL&ref=plSrch

I have 6 10w lights on 1 cord at the moment but could go up to 16 with the cord I'm using and use 2 per 20g long. They are waterproof and energy efficient too

I remember seeing these in your journal. They are nice lights especially for the price. I'm going to run 6 10g tanks side by side on two of the shelves. I'm not sure what to put on the bottom. 2 40g tanks would be nice. Although it may be a tight fit.lol! I just found these lights and may make an offer on them. The wattage would be the same as if I were to get 6 of the ones you have. That is a plus running led's.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-60-0-50W-6500K-HI-LED-Aquarium-Light-Lumen-Freshwater-Plant-Tropical-Fish-/301147401320?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461dc8ac68

 

With some chain and some clips these will be easy to adjust for height.

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Those are pretty nice, the specs are similar also and without the need to wire them together. If you get them I would love to hear how they are.

As far as the rack goes do you know if you can get more shelves from the manufacturer? The problem I have with mine is the amount of dead space, about 1' between the lights on the bottom shelf and the shelf above it. Couldn't fit a tank there but it would be nice for storage.

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Edsal makes these racks for Husky (Home Depot)

Here's their contact info. Give them a shout.

http://edsal.com/index.php

Edsal Manufacturing Company, Inc.

4400 South Packers Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60609

 

PHONE: 773-254-0600

FAX: 773-254-1303

Phone: 773-475-3137

 

Customer Service Inquiries:

customerservice@edsal.com

 

service@edsal.com

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Andy have you set this rack up yet? We need pictures!

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I have the rack set up and my lights just showed up. That's about it for the moment. I'm swamped at work and have been putting in 16 hour days. My job really gets in the way of my life. Lol!! I'll get some pics soon[emoji106]

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I picked up a few things today. I went with 3/4 ply. I think I'm going to paint them and throw a coat of wbpu. I also picked up some pvc and fittings for the air system. I just threw the lights up to see what they'll look like. They have 2 settings for high light and low light. If I just hang them on "S" hooks they sit 7" above the tanks. They'll be easy to adjust with a bit of chain. I'm going to drape black visqueen behind the rack. I think the tanks will pop out more. I know it doesn't look like much now but here's a few pics anywho.[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1] 9533bf4f7276f2ca50b167ada5d73549.jpg72e9788b37ab28aaff864af18c94b9c6.jpgf103bc188fe557aa6b8a9f64d4a4d928.jpg3f450fa70a30170b19754d1213644e80.jpg3acaba0c3c6632032190d2219e23f953.jpg

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The pump is an Elemental 272 wich I got from Sbarbee a while ago. Right now I have it powering 12 tanks with a lot of power left. I'm hoping it has enough to power at least 12 more. If not I have an Elemental 1744gph new in the box which I'll swap it out with.

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Looking good! Dose that pump dump heat into the tanks? I'm in the market for a linear pump but heard that they produce a lot of heat that can heat a tank up by a few degrees.  

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Looking good! Dose that pump dump heat into the tanks? I'm in the market for a linear pump but heard that they produce a lot of heat that can heat a tank up by a few degrees.  

The casing of the pump acts as a large heatsink displacing most of the heat. The pump itself gets pretty warm.  According to my thermometer in the tanks it does not add heat. I just pulled the hose off one of the manifolds. The air is cool to the touch. No heat added to tank.

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Thanks for the info guy's! now i just have to decide between the Alita A6 or  the Ecoplus 1 or 2. I'd like to have 20 tanks up and running by the end of the year.

 

Have you decided on lighting yet? When i build out my spare bedroom I plan to do five 10's per shelf with 48 inch shop lite fixtures  using t5 tubes 1 to 1.5w  per gallon. I try to be economical as i can with my set ups so i can spend my savings on shrimp.

 

Have you considered half substrate half bare bottom? I have found many advantages from a breeder stand point using half/ half set up's. You can do more tanks with less substrate, more surface area for bio film growth, can feed on bare side so as not to pollute substrates with uneaten food, easy netting/culling of shrimp with out disturbing substrate.   

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