My new cube aquariums (Another reason I love my Prius:)

[KathyL]

I went to pick up some used tanks from a store about 20 miles from home. The guy who helped me load said, "I hope you brought a truck with you." When I told him I brought my Prius, he said, " Well, that's the smallest car ever built!" and he gave me a doubtful look. See below.

look in the windows!

From the back;




Here they are unloaded:


Another reason I love my Prius!

[lance]

where did you get those tanks at there sweet that's what i'm looking for

[Clownfish75]

Looks good Kathy,. you even had space to spare.

May i ask your car, I have alwasy been a bit cynical about toyotas bids to do anythign even remotely different, I live in the land of the all mighty land cruiser and am so sick of them.

When you bought it did you consider small diesel cars? and do you ever hear anything about yoru car but in a plug in version to recharge it?

just looking for an owners perspective.

Thanks

Christian

[KathyL]

Around here diesel fuel is more costly than gasoline, and pollutes also.

I once owned a diesel VW Rabbit-sounded like a truck,and smelled like a bus, but it was a great little car for the times. Diesel was a third to a half of gasoline prices then.

There is talk of a plug in Prius, but it requires a different battery. Not here yet.

[KathyL]

Sorry,
I got the tanks from a store that was getting rid of them. Sweet part is I paid for them with fish.

[veng68]

I hear there is an aftermarket battery conversion kit that will double the prius's mileage. But it costs $10K.

I would love to get a prius........ my friend has one and it's awesome.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[bbranham3]

Are you using those tanks for grow out or for broodstock?

Cathi

[vaporize]

that car is just impressive

[KathyL]

Are you using those tanks for grow out or for broodstock?

Cathi

Perhaps both. No firm plans, except that i want to breed more species and learn new things. They are kind of small for grow out, but right now i have too many fish, and the capacity to add a few tanks is a good thing.

[The Ediaz]

tree huggers

[Amie]

Kathy, those are sweet tanks! And the car's pretty nice too.

tree huggers

That's a good one. Our gas is $4.15 a gallon here, how much is it in your neck of the woods? We are lucky here because Natural Gas is .85/gallon where I live so I'd be glad to hug a lot of trees if it means I can save $3.30/gallon.

[vaporize]

tree huggers

nothing to do with trees It has everything to do with gas prices.

[KathyL]

It's a great car. If I leave for work real early, take the 40 mile per hour speed limit road to work (13 miles), with the synchronized traffic lights, and if I don't drive like Edgar, I can get amazing gas mileage. Varies 60-80 miles per gallon.

Combined with short trips, traffic laden trips, and full load trips which don't do as well, I average 50-53 mpg. At 4 dollars a gallon, that's about 8 cents a mile. The Tax Man gives me credit for a lot more than that if I use the car to deliver fish.

The hatch has a flat bed to put large boxes of fish on the way to FEDEX. Easy loading and unloading. And if I need more room, the seats fold down, as in this application, and fold back up with no sweat.

To unlock, I simply approach the car with key fob in purse or pocket and lift the handle. I have it set to unlock all the doors at the same time. Really handy with transporting kids. To start, press a button. To lock the car, I press a button on the outside. There are three of them, conveniently located. I never have to fish for the keys. If I try to lock the car with the keys inside, it gives me a warning beep, and will not lock.

To steal this car, one would need a flat bed truck and pulley. Unless someone gets my fob, or breaks a window, they can't open it.

Really a nicely designed car, so versatile, comfortable, practical, and




it's red!

[spk]

Folks,
You are allpaying a pittance for gas. Come in....

We are edging the $11 per gallon mark.....

But it is a lovely car Kathy.....

[The Ediaz]

It's a great car. If I leave for work really late about 11am, take the 70mile per hour speed limit highway at 90mph to work (7 miles), with no traffic lights, and if I don't drive like Kathy, I can get amazing gas mileage. Varies 12-22 miles per gallon @$4.49 /gal


Love the car K, nice color and amazing that you can fit that there, I can't do that in my car.

Come on the gas goes up $1.50 and the world its gonna end?

E

[KathyL]

I laughed so loud, my kids came over to see the joke. They got it, too.

The world its gonna end if we don't get back on topic.

So,

I would like to install this cube system over existing tanks in my small basement, so I cannot install a central support without re-making my existing system.

I have built the frame for one of the aquariums out of 2x4 pine, and tested deflection over the 6 foot 8 inch span. I supported the ends of the frame with bricks and got my large children and myself to stand on it and measured the distance from the center of the frame to the patio and again with the stand empty. Together, we are about 380 pounds, approximately what the full aquarium might weigh.

The frame deflected about an eighth of an inch. My husband thinks that might increase with time, and to have a span unsupported in the middle might be risky.

What do you think?

I would like to install this cube system over existing tanks in my small basement, so I cannot install a central support without re-making my existing system.

[The Ediaz]

I also think the beam is gonna give in with time, but that looks like plexi so it takes flexing very good, glass tanks loose the seal and leak in situations like that.

This might sound crazy but what if you install support from the ceiling? like one of those threaded rods you use to hang stuff. Much in the way you hang a very heavy lamp.Or even use the same wood and attach it with screws to the basement roof. If can't go down, go up.

Also Baboom asked me for some pictures , originals ones(better resolution) that you used in a banner, i have hundreds wich ones you used, so I can find them.

E

[KathyL]

Edgar, brilliant idea!

The picture is one of clown gobies and orchid dottybacks in the same tank. It is not focused too well, but from afar, it was good enough. If you have a very clear and focused picture of similar juvenile fish, that would be sufficient. The idea is to show pictures of juveniles of the fish we raise captively. We have a picture of Luis' ambionensis, my ocellaris, your gobies and dotties, Matt's banggais, Iris's filefish, etc. Just juvies.

[Dman]

Really a nicely designed car, so versatile, comfortable, practical, and




it's red!

Why do I get the feeling that this was important?

BTW, nice tanks. Gotta love paying for things with fish. (I miss those days)

[DaveBien]

I'd use a 2x6 for that length or at least put the 4" on the vertical. And don't use nails, use screws or bolts. Or try joist hangers. In fact just earlier today I went to open a door on my shed (about 15yrs old) and the whole darn thing pulled out, frame and all. I built it with nails, long before I learned to use screws, etc. OOOPS

[KathyL]

I finally decided to put the first set of tanks against a wall, formerly occupied with shelves of toys my kids never play with. I cleaned it all out last Saturday and now I have to clean out some of my stuff, a much harder job.

Now I can put a support in the middle, which should make it strong enough, and tie in tanks underneath it which will have a larger footprint and make it less top heavy and unstable.

Since this one will be against a wall, I had a problem of how to access the ball valves that regulate flow into the tanks from a manifold. Ideally the valves would be in front, but that side of the tanks is painted black. I've been keeping these long tanks on the back patio outside until I make some stands for them. A leaf fell on the "back " side with the valves, it rained and the leaf kept the water from evaporating under it. I pulled the leaf off, and saw that the paint had gotten soft and could be easily scraped off. I am softening the paint over the whole thing now, with water and newspapers, and hope to scrape all the black paint off with a plastic algae scraper. Tedious, but worth it, I think. Once the paint is off, I can finish the stand and move it to the basement wall. The drain and return will be on the right side, next to the existing broodstock, and I hope to connect the new sump of this set of tanks to the sump of the existing broodstock system.

[Luis A M]

I put the return valves at the front end and the drains at the rear.

[KathyL]

Sorry if it wasn't clear, that's what I plan to do. Put the return valves in front. Unfortunately, the tank drains serially from left to right, thru teeth cut into the dividing walls of the cubes, then out thru 2 bulkheads in the right most cube. Not terribly ideal, but I think it will work for the lightly stocked broodstock (compared to the grow out fish density).

[KathyL]

It's been a while.

So after I scraped the black paint off, I decided that I did not want the flow thru design of the original cube system. Fortunately, the returns could be unscrewed from the bulkheads. I fashioned the usual drain thru the bulkheads instead, and mounted the return valves on the wall over the tanks, reversed from it's former direction. Sump is on the left, and will be separate from the other broodstock system. Then I glued some plexiglass strips over the teeth between the cubes to make each cube a stand alone tank, with its own return and drain.

All the water drains to a four inch vertical pipe stuffed with cycled bioballs. Then to the sump and water is pumped back up to the tanks. I may break down and use a small protein skimmer, too.

Anyway, I've been working on this in all my spare moments since the original post, and I've just now gotten the water flowing in it. I'll wait a while longer before adding pairs of fish. It feels good to finally have water...I'll try to get some pictures later.

[bbranham3]

Congrats!! I am happy to hear that you have water running. Now all you need to do is wait. That is always the worst part.

By the way, the rotifers are doing awesome!! Bobby tried your "sponge filter technique" and so far it seems to be working for him, too.

Cathi