Budget 4 Tank Rack

axowattyl

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With my 300 babies getting bigger, I've needed more tank space and have been looking out on ebay etc for a deal.

With the minister for finance (and war) getting a bit concerned about my spending and the fact that the garage is turning into an aquatic center, it had to be a GOOD deal.

I turned up this rack with 4x 4 footers on Gumtree for $350.



It was a little wobbly, so I added a brace to each side. You have to take a bolt out and lower it to put the tanks in/out, but that's OK.



The bottom 2 tanks are smaller than standard 4 footers, and the silicone was really bad, lifting and flaking everywhere.

I watched a couple of youtube clips on redoing it, and while the result is a bit messy it's better than it was and should be strong.

They need to cure for 3 days, but I'll hose them out and put them in the rack tomorrow so I can start plumbing it all.



The real bargain was the chiller, a near new Hailea HC250A for $150! Also from Gumtree.



I went brand new with an Eheim 2217 canister, and just used 3kg/5L of cheap ceramic noodles with a couple of the standard filter pads. $230 delivered from Guppy's.

I've got it running on my big tanks (twin 6x2x2's), which are perfectly cycled, so as to season it a bit with some good bacteria.

When the time comes I'll fill the new tanks with water from my big tanks, and should start off fully cycled.



The filter and chiller will only be connected to the left hand side upper and lower tanks, which will be used for inducing breeding and growing out babies.

These 2 tanks will hold about 350L, which are well withing the spec for both units.

The right hand side will be used for my yellow cherry shrimp and breeding feeder fish, which don't require chilling.

I'll put another 2217 on them when the time comes.

All reasonably compact, and we can still get both cars in.
 
All hooked up, been a busy day today.

I won't be putting any substrate into this these two, as they're specifically for growing out youngsters and selective breeding.











 
Gonna be epic!! Great deal!!!!

I am guessing gum tree is the Aussie version of craigslist.
 
Looks great.

Like the way they are plumbed in together.

Trying to figure out how I will do something like this, so far considering that garage racking at Bunnings, but that's just $200 ish for the racking.
 
Looks great.

Like the way they are plumbed in together.

Trying to figure out how I will do something like this, so far considering that garage racking at Bunnings, but that's just $200 ish for the racking.

I would really recommend just waiting for deals on ebay/gumtree.

Not many people want big rack setups like this, they go for a fraction of their original cost.
 
Great set up. I have my tanks on a heavy duty steel rack that holds up to...I think 1,000lbs each. To make it clearer about 4 times the weight of my 55gallon per shelf. Worked out great and I think it cost around $100US at the hardware store. I'm not sure if you can find the same thing but it might be worth a shot if you can't find anything on gumtree.

All I had to do to it was put some plywood on top of the wire shelving and it works great. Just have to be into the metal look.
 
Australia is a rip off compared to the US.

What would cost 100 in your country will cost 400 in ours.
 
I feared that unfortunately. I've seen some nice DIY shelves made out of wood, like 2x4s. Cheap and sturdy, that could be an option there if you're big into DIY.

What kind of piece of furniture was it before you turned that into a tank stand? Or was it already a tank stand?
 
I feared that unfortunately. I've seen some nice DIY shelves made out of wood, like 2x4s. Cheap and sturdy, that could be an option there if you're big into DIY.

What kind of piece of furniture was it before you turned that into a tank stand? Or was it already a tank stand?

It already was, I just added a couple of braces, new foam sheets and chiller/filter.
 
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  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
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