55 + 90 gallon builds!

[TheDivineZero]

It's me.... again.... with tank builds!

I know I had a thread laying around somewhere for a 55 Gallon, but my plans since then have changed. I am currently working on an offer I saw online for a 75 Gallon Tank + Stand for 35 dollars, so of course I'm jumping right on that. It's not final, and I may be wasting my breath, but I sure do hope I can get it! This is going to be more long-term, as I have many a thing to do before being able to actually start setup.

The 55 however, I do still have! I am giving it to my cousin who also owns crabs! I am taking it over tomorrow, and we are picking up things to start his setup! So pictures will come with that process!


Now I have a few questions regarding sand. For the 55, especially since we are picking it up tomorrow, how much sand will we need? I'm thinking, after hearing some numbers, we'll pick up 200 pounds? I want him to have about 12" of sub, as he has a very large crab. We have the EE covered. For an Ultratherm, a 6 x 48? Their upstairs usually runs at 69-70 degrees, do I don't know if that has any affect.

I have the same questions regarding my 75. I want 12" of sub, so 250 pounds? 300? I am really not good at figuring these numbers. Also repeating the Ultratherm question, a 6 x 48"?

Thanks everyone! (pictures to come!)

[Hdale85]

In my 55g I used ~160 ish lbs and 2 eco bricks. I had a 3 gallon mop bucket and prepared teh eco brick in it which was about halfway up the bucket, then I filled the bucket with sand 2 times and then one at the halfway mark to make 5:1. I did this twice and it ended up giving me about 10-11" of substrate I'd guess (I haven't measured I really should lol). I bought 4 bags of playsand and ended up using about 10lbs out of the last bag so I have some left over.

[TheDivineZero]

Thanks! We went out expecting to get all of the sand we needed, but every bag except for two of them had gross water in them, and all were really torn up (I mean, like some of the bags had 4+ holes in them!) :c We're just going to pick up the rest of his sand when I get mine. I was able to move the 55 to his house today! But I'm afraid that was it. He has to have it in his room, per his mother's request, but we are a little iffy about the bookcase it fits perfectly on supporting the tank's full weight. We'll get that checked out, then we'll order his heating pad!

[TheDivineZero]

Welp... my first problem, I lost out on the 75g offer I came back looking for the CL listing and it was gone. Back to the other listings, I guess!

... Nevermind all those edits! I am still looking around.. I almost got an 85 gallon flatback hex, but after giving it some thought, I felt like I would be losing floorspace I definitely want.

It;s to the point now where I am remembering listings I'll get a tank soon though!

[TheDivineZero]

I do have a question regarding thermometers/hygrometers. I got 2 acurite meters: http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digit ... r/16888914 one is for me, the other is for my cousin. I put both of them in a closed container with damp salt, one read 75%, the other read 70%. I took them out later, but decided to retest. The accurate one is now reading 74%, the other one still read 70%. The only difference between the two tests were location. The first time, they were on the oven, the second, the were on my record player under a lamp (about 9 or so inches from the actual bulb) could this account for the discrepancy? The part that makes it weirder, is when out of the containers, they are reading the same %! It's driving me insane! I'm testing them again, in separate containers.

How would I go about gauging temperature accuracy? Right now I have them both set as close to the thermostat as possible. It's 70, the accurate one reading 70, inaccurate one reading 72. I'd like to leave my young cousin the most accurate one to ease the hassle on him.

[JulesRolyCrab]

Though it is great to have it completely accurate, I don't think it's too bad of a problem. Just always have the humidity above, I guess by a few. Do you have troubles with humidity (is it usually borderline)? If not, shouldn't be a problem.

Just an FYI for you and your cousin; don't get those wet. The display goes wonky. I have a key of what looks like ancient symbols that I have to use to piece together the humidity, because some of the lines broke. It is an excellent thermo/hydro though!! Just a heads up, wish I knew that before I sprayed the tank without removing it! Good luck!

[TheDivineZero]

Yeah.. I'll just have to accept that not everything will be perfect I can't recall how it ran in my house.. but the meters are reading around the upper 50's, so I figure I'll be okay.. unsure about his house, as he has never had any sort of gauge set up.

Thanks for the warning! We'll keep ours nice and dry.. well we'll try to!

[TheDivineZero]

Well.... it's been a little while, and sadly, not a whole lot has gotten done.. But hey, perfection takes time!

With my cousin's tank, I went over and we mixed extra sub for his current tank, bringing the humidity up to 85%! His new 55 has gotten no work done, and we only have 2 of the 4 bags of sand needed for his sub. At our local Home Depot, out of the two palettes of sand they had, only the two bags we bought were the only ones that weren't riddled with fist-sized holes and/or ripped in half :/

I'm inquiring about a 90 gallon, up for sale tomorrow, so hopefully I will own a tank very soon!

A question though: I saw someone use glass dishes for water dishes... but is there a way I can bury them slightly and do water changes without lifting them out of the sub? I have concerns about someone deciding to molt underneath the dish, and my movements disturbing them. If it's too difficult, I'll just find a dishes that can stack within one another and lift the dishes out to change, while displacing no sub.

[TheDivineZero]

All these posts, wow! Anyways, great news! Tomorrow afternoon I'll be picking up a 90 gallon! I thought it was a 75, but it's 48 x 18 x 25, making it awesome! It was listed for only 25 dollars too!

Anywho, I have gotten a few Amazon gift cards for graduation presents, and want to buy an Ultratherm. I am in a toss up between a 6 x 48" and a 11 x 48". The house temperature during the summer is 70, and I'm unsure about wintertime, although I've been told we keep it around 70 too. I live in Virginia, so we get the worst of both ends of the spectrum. I'm afraid the 6" won't be enough, but what is 11" is too much? ///////sigh I am so overthinking everything

EDIT: AAAA I FORGOT! My cousin, who has the 55, his mother is concerned. His older brother is super allergic to everything, mold being one, and so is he. Given I'll give him tile and other odds and ends to keep wood, etc. off the ground, what other ways can I prevent mold?

[rml6f4]

I have a fairly big buried saltwater dish. I scoop it out with a measuring cup as much as I can and then use a turkey baster for the rest.

[TheDivineZero]

Awesome! I'll probably straight up bury mine then, I think it looks nice


I'll add my update here: I picked up the tank today! 90s are uh.... large... and heavy, but it's in great shape! We will be building a stand for it (and by we, I mean my dad) since it didn't come with one, which is ok.

I went ahead and ordered an 11 x 48 Ultratherm, I'll just tinker with it to make the temps right. Today was rather productive!


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[TheDivineZero]

Oh man... I am so sorry about all the posting, but I have a few questions.

My first one is regarding the weight of the tank. I found a number putting my empty tank at 182 pounds. I do believe this is an older aquarium, and it has 3/8 in. glass thickness. We are putting it downstairs, as weight is a concern. So, 182 pounds now, and I want to make a cinderblock stand, with 6 blocks @ 28 lbs. = 168. Totaling out to be ~350 lbs. give or take. Our house was built around '97, so, how concerned should I be about flooring issues? It's not on straight foundation, as we have a tiny basement thing running underneath where the AC unit is.

Second question: How much sand do I need? I really need a theoretical number to work with, to add to my little floor equation. I have 200 lbs currently, and want 12 inches of sub (I will be doing the 5:1 ratio) So.... thinking it out, 300? 350? I've been scouring Google, and have yet to find a number :c

Thanks everyone!

[soilentgringa]

I would find a local structural engineer or contractor that could tell you how much your floor is capable of holding. Is your floor directly over a concrete foundation or is there a basement or crawl space under your home?

[TheDivineZero]

There is a crawlspace underneath that section of the house, unfortunately.. However, it's small, and I think there is another place for the tank where it doesn't extend under. I'll definitely talk to someone!

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[TheDivineZero]

More progress!

I've picked up more sand; totaling out right now at 300 pounds! If I run low, I'll just pick up another bag.. no biggie. Got 2 tubes of DAP silicone, and a bucket! (Thanks Home Depot!) My Ultratherm is in, and I also picked up my EE, Prime, and Instant Ocean along the way. I am so excited!

Now, what is probably my last big question, is lids.. I really, really, like the Aqueon Versa-Tops, but my tank is an older model.... annnnnnd it may not fit Not only that, but that is a whopping 70 dollars of lids.. which is alot. What else could I use as a lid? I would be totally fine with using wire, and patching it up. I do, however, have the 36x18 lid that came with my Exo-Terra..... I might scheme with that a little bit