Rainmaker69

So even if the tank is only supported by the 1/2" base of the circumference, 103 sq inch, that still only works out to 23.8 pounds per inch. Sounds like a safe bet to me that the depth of the plywood on the front of your stand should be fine. On the other hand, this is the frame of the stand that I am building for my 55 http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/rai...er69/Stand4.jpg

I am not sure of the dimensions of your tank, but say that it has a footprint of 72 X 30, that equals 2160 sq inches so would not the weight of the water on the bottom of the tank be just over 1 pound per sq inch? I am not an engineer so someone please correct me if I am wrong. Granted I am not considering the flex of the glass in the center.

Uh, do you get that from the airport? (Sorry, just couldn't help myself)

That sounds like a good idea. I will try that. Thanks guys.

The rock came from the west shore of Island lake and was at least 100 yards from the road, but contaminants could still be a worry that I had not considered. They are 2 pieces of fist sized rok that "fizz" good under the vinigar test and at least I know where they came from. My only worry about buying from a supplier, Where do they get there supplies from. They are not looking for aquarium safe rocks, only for rock.

On my last trip to the Crowsnest pass, I picked up a couple of chunks of limestone thinking that it would help to buffer the water in my tank. I just wanted to get some of yur opinions before I throw it in there just in case my thinking is wrong. (Been known to happen.)

I, thankfully never had one stick on but did have one explode in the tank. I heard horror stories when I was first getting started and have usually ran two small heaters instead of one big one. My hope is that if one does stick on, it will not be enough to fry the fish before I notice the temp increase.

Mine would have to be my Green Spotted Puffer, Petey. It is so cool when he nibbles my fingers while cleaning his tank.

I built a new stand for my 55 recently and all it cost me was $12 for 100 screws, with lots left over. I got my 2X4's from pallets at work and back alleys, while my 3/4" plywood top and lower shelf came free from a construction site. My main criteia was that the boards be straight as they can be covered with panelling later if I decide.

Yes. all Java fern on 3 pieces of driftwood. I have a 13" Common Pleco, 2- Blue Accara, 2 - Rainbow shark, Male and female Krib, 3 - emerald Catfish, 2 - Ottos, Male bristlenose, 2 - Rasborras, and 4-6 assorted tetras left over from when I had 10 tanks going. I am now down to this tank and a 33 gallon marine, FOWLR.

I'm not sure, she never said her name. lol

My 72 gallon freshwater Really, there are fish in there, they just like to hide.

Trying to post pics for the first time and so, hopefully, here is my grandson Jamison What am I up to? This! http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/rainmaker69/This.jpg

Stay away from the dissolving blocks, I tried them once and they poluted my tank.

Good catch. It definately could have been worse, but now you have a great excuse to get a new, larger tank. The repair of the old tank will be good for experience, but be prepared to spend a lot of time getting the old silicone completely off before reassembling.

[Check out the DIY stand plans heren http://www.garf.org/index.html

OK, now I am hooked. Could I put one in with my Puffer?

Just beware the dreaded MTS (Multi Tank Syndrome). In the hobby for 3 months and runs 3 tanks, how many will you have in a year with this addictive hobby.

Well, so much for my spectacular observation skills. I never noticed that button before. Thanks.

How about a button at the bottom of threads that allow you to get e-mail replies on a topic without having to reply to the thread. I have seen this on other sites and there are times when it can be a useful feature, such as tracking a thread in the buy and sell while waiting for the next payday. That way the seller dosn't get his hopes up on a maybe and other members do not feel that the item is spoken for.

I found this on www.aquariumfish.net Hope it helps. The formula for volume is always the base times the height, which you measured 24.75". So all we need is the area of the base. Since all 6 panels in your aquarium are 12", the base is a so-called regular hexagon with all the sides measuring 12". The area of this regular hexagon is 6 times the area of an equilateral triangle with each side 12". Now think of a 12" equilateral triangle, and divide into two right triangles with one side 6" and hypotenuse 12". The other side will have a length equal to the square root of 12x12 - 6x6, which equals the square root of 144 - 36, which is the square root of 108, or about 10.4". The area of the right triangle is 1/2 x 6 x 10.4, and the area of the equilateral triangle will be twice as much, which is 6 x 10.4 = 62.4 square inches, so the area of the base of your aquarium is 6 x 62.4, or 374.4 square inches. The volume of your aquarium is the area of the base times the height = 374.4 x 24.75 = 9296.4 cubic inches. Now multiply by 0.00433 to convert cubic inches to gallons: 9296.4 x 0.00433 = 40.1 gallons, which answers your question. When you calculate something like this, and the answer is important, because you may use the answer to determine how much Quick Cure or Salt to add to your aquarium, then it's best to double check your calculation. Or you might end up forgetting that the equilateral triangle has two right triangles, and get an answer that is off by a factor of 2. Here is one way to double check the answer. The hexagonal base of your aquarium could fit inside a circle with a radius of 12" and have an area of about pi x 12 x 12 = 3.14 x 12 x 12 = 452.2 square inches which is somewhat bigger than the 374.4 square inches for the area of the hexagon inside the circle. So that checks. A circle with a radium 10.4" would fit inside the hexagon, and that circle would enclose an area of about pi x 10.4 x 10.4 = 3.14 x 10.4 x 10.4 = 327.8 square inches which is less than the 374.4 square inches for the area of the hexagon. So that checks too. Also the area of the hexagon should be about half-way between the area of the inner circle and the area of the outer circle. The areas are about 327.8, 374.4, and 452.2, so those numbers look about right. Now lets check these calculations with a measurement. Your aquarium is 24.75" tall. When you change 20% of water, as recommended repeatedly in this web site, you should remove 20% x 24.75 = 4.95, or about 5" of water. So measure down from the water surface 5" and put a mark on the glass with a marker pen. Now remove water down to the mark and keep track of how much water you remove. For example, you could use a clean one-pint measuring cup. You should get close to 64 pints, which is the same as 8 gallons, or 20% of the 40 gallons, that we calculated in your aquarium. (Be sure to thoroughly clean the measuring cup, when you finish using it.) You will probably measure less than 64 pints. Maybe you'll get 61. Because the measurements for your aquarium that you gave in your email were probably the outside measurements, and the water fills the inside of your aquarium. You could improve the calculations above by doing them again with the inside measurements, and perhaps subtracting the volume of the ornaments, etc. Click here for more about doing that. I hope this has thoroughly answered your question. Ok, just found this, lot's less work. http://tools.fishindex.com/

I picked up a 50 gallon plastic barrel from the local wine making supplier for $45. Get a couple to put in the fishroom and fill them up before you take the camping jugs back. If you have a truck and some way to unload them, such as laying them on their side and rolling out onto some old tires, then you can take them to the city and fill them. How you get them into the fishroom is another story, though.

At least you, like me, have a dedicated pot for boiling aquarium rocks, wood, ornaments, etc. Lost my best 20 quart stainless pot that way. ps. Stainless is not always totally stainless.

Quote (Mine always goes hard. I keep the top on, I've tried keeping it in an air-tight container, but every time I go to use it a second time (which admittedly isn't on a regular basis), its hard. Drives me nuts) Quote A trick that has worked for me is to throw the cap away and insert a screw into the nozzle, tightly. The caps always seem to let air by allowing the remaining silicone to cure.

Get the shortest one that you can. I have a 25mm for my T70, (Old, film, manual focus, yes I am a dinosaur.), and it brings things Very close with my 50mm lens. The depth of field is also very narrow. I have no experience with longer tubes, but I believe that they would bring things even closer. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.