Tale of a Farmer II - Construction of the Fish Rack

[s98432512]

At least 100kg？ Planks prevent cave in.

Hi.

i have to very much agree with the flexibility on the construction but what concern me it load capacity. would like to check with you if it would be able to tahan a 6 footer tank ??? the reasons i am asking is because i myself want to custom build a 6 footor tank and very much like the idea of your rack.

Do you think it is able to hold a six footer ?


thanks

[tetrakid]

There shouldn't be any problems as long as the whole structure remains stationary all the time, as the weight of the full tanks will be bearing on the four angle-iron vertical supports as a downward force.

If the structure is subjected to frequent lateral movement, like in plane or ship which sways, there may be a risk of the rack metal bending due to the water weight.

At least 100kg？ Planks prevent cave in.

[Blue Whale]

Hi.

i have to very much agree with the flexibility on the construction but what concern me it load capacity. would like to check with you if it would be able to tahan a 6 footer tank ??? the reasons i am asking is because i myself want to custom build a 6 footor tank and very much like the idea of your rack.

Do you think it is able to hold a six footer ?


thanks

Load is dependence on the design of structure support. I did not study construction. I studied accts but work in IT. You will need multiple legs and in my humble opinion is no, I won't consider this metal rack. 6 foot is likely to collapse. If yes, the thicker kind, not this one. This one too weak.

Even Eddie have not fully load his 6 footer with water, check with GC, they have the experience many times over.

[stormhawk]

6 foot tank best supported by a solid wood stand. A typical stand like these that rely on bolts and nuts will not work in the long term for a tank of that size.

[Blue Whale]

Rose wood, and those wood for temple construction are better candidates, flexible to handle heavy loads. instruments usually use rosewood in China.

[Blue Whale]

Monday is a rest day so I went out to source for a water tank.



It could hold water more than a 2ft tank.

[Blue Whale]

Thoughts for the water tank.

1. Inorder to prevent algae, the container will be painted black to block out light source.
2. 1 hole has to be drilled through. side way, not top down.
3. Inlet to be water tight and silicon sealed.
4. The top cover is not air tight, so the inner part will be further cushioned by styrofoam (I have currently 5 plank of 60cm by 90cm styrofoam standing by).
5. A layer of soil will be laid below to facilitate PH 6.3-6.5. Originally plan for Borneowild soil but since it contains nutrients, Benibachi Crimson might be a better choice.

The pipe will be from the water tank until the 1st tier, connected to those silver, flexible long tube. 1 valve in between. At the end of the flexible tube will be another valve. This to allow water top up. A saucer or cover will be used to cushion for each top up to the respective tank to prevent any strong current introducing from the water.

As it is, the Hyflux Pitcher P18 produces RO water. Hence, using boiled water to add to the pitcher to add water. Filteration process, will see how much it can produce, have to top up slowly. At this point, you should realise that I am not showcasing all the stuffs that I have bought, so slowly I will reveal them to you as I work on the rack to make a better infrastructure.

[diazman]

Monday is a rest day so I went out to source for a water tank.



It could hold water more than a 2ft tank.

Yay. you got your water "reservoir" already Looking forward to more update so i camp here can?

[Blue Whale]

Yay. you got your water "reservoir" already Looking forward to more update so i camp here can?

Aaaah.....you already seen the reservoir. So it's a realisation of what we have discussed in your temperature thread. Looks like Taiwan 101 :P, Slowly boss, I need to modify it before I can use it. Next phase is the electrical wiring part. Should be piece of cake. Next next phase is the piping, which I will incorporate the water tank into this phase.

[felix_fx2]

BTW cannot see the footings for the rack in post 38. You didn't mention if you had bought them or not.
IMO this one very important, if not the tiles may crack once full load is on the racks. (assuming after if you put the load on 2nd level of it does not make the whole rack sway too much..

@tetrakid, notice he has yet to put additional braces. relaying on corner braces alone even i wouldn't feel safe. He himself mentioned it in earlier post 37 quoting various designs that have side braces.

[Blue Whale]

BTW cannot see the footings for the rack in post 38. You didn't mention if you had bought them or not.
IMO this one very important, if not the tiles may crack once full load is on the racks. (assuming after if you put the load on 2nd level of it does not make the whole rack sway too much..

@tetrakid, notice he has yet to put additional braces. relaying on corner braces alone even i wouldn't feel safe. He himself mentioned it in earlier post 37 quoting various designs that have side braces.

Did a 20kg sway test, hardly swaying. I stand on the tiers also no issue. That was the pressure exerted previously during construction phase before the painting. Once the first two tanks which will be 2ft goes in, it will weight down the rack at bottom tier 1 and 2 respectively. I don't expect anything heavy on tier 3 at the moment. Water tank will be center of the rack so no issue with that either.

[felix_fx2]

The footings? That is more of a concern then what you anticipate to load. Cause the your floor crack due to 2 x 2 feet's weight pressuring on your floor. You will have hard time repairing it.

[Blue Whale]

The footings? That is more of a concern then what you anticipate to load. Cause the your floor crack due to 2 x 2 feet's weight pressuring on your floor. You will have hard time repairing it.

I have plenty of leftover ceramic from 11 years ago, still keep them, repairing is not an issue should the day come. Your concern here is load. But I am not going for maximum weight, so not an issue as well. Based on the two tiers bracing is sufficient, just nice. First thing is to weight down. Even the water storage tank, it will not be full load as pitcher RO water at a very slow pace. It would take at least few weeks before I can fully load it up with water suppose I don't do water change.

I have to point out that Felix has brought out a good concern, we should be mindful about load when it comes to this kinda rack.

[stormhawk]

I agree with Felix. You might have to get rubber feet for the stand. Cracked tiles are not a good thing.

20kg sway test and using your body weight is not sufficient to test the stability and capability of the stand to handle fully filled tanks, including the reservoir. You should attempt to test each level with weights if you have any. If there's any creaking or flexing of the rack, there will be issues later on. I'd suggest that you plan out the number of tanks that will go on this rack, with approximate weight estimates including the water, substrate, rocks etc.

Did the shop tell you how many kg each shelf is capable of handling?

[Blue Whale]

Ohh...both of you were referring to that. Yah, it's basic to add the rubber.

Excellent idea which I plan to take a tank weight it 50-60kg to stress test the center, what weight is better than just water? Ha Ha...of course bathroom scale would be best I will +1 in case it is offscale.
Now a full load of 3ft would weight something like 90kg. So if the center support can tahan (support) it without bending, it will pass the load test of 200kg per tier. This is an overkill test.

For those building racks, do read up on this article too.
http://www.austinglass.com.au/aquariums.html

[stormhawk]

Approximate weight of a 3 x 1.5 x 1.5 ft tank is 241.99 kgf going by this calculator:

http://boonedocks.net/fishtank/ftweb.php

This site gives a rough estimate of filled weight of aquariums, minus substrate I think.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aq...zesweights.htm

Going by this table, a 3 x 1.5 x 1.5 ft tank weighs approximately 600 lbs or 272 kg.

[jamesneo]

Very inspiring post. Keep it coming.

[felix_fx2]

Ohh...both of you were referring to that. Yah, it's basic to add the rubber.

You never post that you buy.
What may be elementary to you may be a information missed out by other people. don't take the chance else if a noob assume you never say so never buy and loads enough to crack his home tiles... the 1st person to flame will you erm.. you

The picture after you painted the slotted bars reminded me that point, cause i saw something there at the base.

Btw, when are you going to buy electrical fittings?

@ Stormhawk, lol 240KG ++ even my guess for a 3 feet is way too little.. i guessed at 180KG...

[stormhawk]

Easy to overload if not careful.

[Blue Whale]

Thanks all for the concern on weight. Now most of these calculators uses LB instead of KG. Hence the figure looks much bigger.
http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

Based on the current calculator meaning if I do 100% water load, it will be 147kg, let's round to 150kg per tier assuming I put a 3ft tank on each tier. This baby can easily handle that kinda weight as it spread through the entire plank. So the plank has many functions here. Beside the plank, the Styrofoam will be customised for each tank I put on the rack. This will provide more cushioning along the way.

@Felix, I thought I already bought those electrical fittings ^^" Flip back to previous photos.
@StormHawk, no worries, no roaches here...heh heh...search and burn to die if any.

Just reach home...still eating my dinner. If tired, I still rest...can always continue on weekend. No hurry.