Striped raphael catfish are a good choice for an oscar tankmate. They get to the size of small bullheads and have too much armor for an oscar to do much damage to.
Planning First Big DIY Systems
- Thread starter Ulu
- Start date
Thanks George.
I had him with a catfish, but as they grew, they fought all the time.
I think he's just going to remain solo & he will appreciate the longer, wider, taller tank.
The 6 Monos are going to fill up that 125 nicely.
The 125 comes in a week, and I may move all 3 30's a 16, 5 and a 55 before it comes.
I had him with a catfish, but as they grew, they fought all the time.
I think he's just going to remain solo & he will appreciate the longer, wider, taller tank.
The 6 Monos are going to fill up that 125 nicely.
The 125 comes in a week, and I may move all 3 30's a 16, 5 and a 55 before it comes.
In order to move a 55 to my office, I need to build another stand. I was going to buy some crappy Petco thing, but I refuse.
Here is the first plan, and I am showing 4 maple cabinet doors I already have, incorporated into the design. The doors on the ends are fixed, as shear panels.
Here is the first plan, and I am showing 4 maple cabinet doors I already have, incorporated into the design. The doors on the ends are fixed, as shear panels.
I did some more work on my plan. I decided the sump wouldn't fit at all, so I made the stand deeper and taller.
The dashed post is removable so I can get the sump in and out.
The dashed post is removable so I can get the sump in and out.
Bloody hell! My wife has just convinced me that I should avoid building two stands and just buy a Petco stand for my office. If I don't have like that I will have plenty of time to change it later, but the 55 has to move off the hearth this week.
The stand for that is truly more important, even though it is likely to be far less complex.
The stand for that is truly more important, even though it is likely to be far less complex.
Mmmmm....Well I bought the stand.
The Petco Imagitarium Brooklyn 55 Stand truly doesn't deserve all those capital letters in the name.
I've supervised and designed lots of metal work, and this Chinese-made stand shows a lack of manufacturing and design expertise typically seen only in the backwaters of the world. The forming, punching, and paint work was 3rd rate. Welding was OK. Flatwashers were way too wimpy, and would have crushed the tubing in because there are no shoulder bolts or sleeves to prevent that.
I returned the first one. It was assembled to the last 4 bolts when I noticed that last leg was welded in upside down, and the holes didn't align.
The second one had galled threads in one leveling foot, but I was able to clean them up OK. I put large thick flatwashers under all 16 bolts. It really makes a difference.
Crippled blind children with spraycans did the touchup paint, but they needed it. Nobody vacuumed the sand out of the tubing after sandblasting, so the paint has some specs of sand, and you can hear the sand still inside the enclosed weldments. There were handling scratches due to sand falling out after paint, but most got a shot of touchup paint.
Since I drove 40 miles all told, I got them to give me the already assembled display model. It wasn't perfect (galled threads, scratches) but those might have been the assembler. I took it all apart, cleaned it, and reassembled.
More to come. . .
The Petco Imagitarium Brooklyn 55 Stand truly doesn't deserve all those capital letters in the name.
I've supervised and designed lots of metal work, and this Chinese-made stand shows a lack of manufacturing and design expertise typically seen only in the backwaters of the world. The forming, punching, and paint work was 3rd rate. Welding was OK. Flatwashers were way too wimpy, and would have crushed the tubing in because there are no shoulder bolts or sleeves to prevent that.
I returned the first one. It was assembled to the last 4 bolts when I noticed that last leg was welded in upside down, and the holes didn't align.
The second one had galled threads in one leveling foot, but I was able to clean them up OK. I put large thick flatwashers under all 16 bolts. It really makes a difference.
Crippled blind children with spraycans did the touchup paint, but they needed it. Nobody vacuumed the sand out of the tubing after sandblasting, so the paint has some specs of sand, and you can hear the sand still inside the enclosed weldments. There were handling scratches due to sand falling out after paint, but most got a shot of touchup paint.
Since I drove 40 miles all told, I got them to give me the already assembled display model. It wasn't perfect (galled threads, scratches) but those might have been the assembler. I took it all apart, cleaned it, and reassembled.
More to come. . .
I moved my first tank by draining it and sliding it off onto the Petco stand. Mojo and Morton are still in there with about three gallons of water.
Then I moved the wooden stand with the sump still inside, and lifted the Tank back on. I had taken out all the rocks and decorations but not the gravel. It was about 80 lbs but I didn't have to lift it very high.
well the first tank is moved into its temporary position. This tank will become a sump after the fish are relocated.
But first those locations must be occupied by aquariums LOL.
I hope to move a couple more tanks today but I am by myself, so I'm glad I don't have anything bigger than a 55 right now!
Whoa. . . .Look at that ugly overflow plumbing. I never bothered to clean it all up, as this was always a temporary setup. I built that stand in August so temporary turned out to be 9 months.
Then I moved the wooden stand with the sump still inside, and lifted the Tank back on. I had taken out all the rocks and decorations but not the gravel. It was about 80 lbs but I didn't have to lift it very high.
well the first tank is moved into its temporary position. This tank will become a sump after the fish are relocated.
But first those locations must be occupied by aquariums LOL.
I hope to move a couple more tanks today but I am by myself, so I'm glad I don't have anything bigger than a 55 right now!
Whoa. . . .Look at that ugly overflow plumbing. I never bothered to clean it all up, as this was always a temporary setup. I built that stand in August so temporary turned out to be 9 months.
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That temporary cabinet has a door etc from our old kitchen. I still have 15 of the maple doors left from our remodeling. Much of the old overhead cabinetry is now hung in my garage. Anyhow those are the doors I had planned for the cabinet drawing above.
Moving the 30 tall I had to drain it down to 1 inch of water and take out all the rocks.
By draining the sump I was able to move the cabinet and sump on a dolly as a unit.
Okay I've got the 30 tall moved, so now the matching stands that I built are together, and the odd one in the middle will go away soon.
Water in the tall 30 is still cloudy but you can see the thirty standard has already cleared up.
Little Heidi is happy again in her Sky Box.
Okay now I only have to move about 8 stands and 10 tanks and 50 fish and build a new stand and a new sump and drill the new plastic tank when it comes, then remodel my fireplace for the sump of the new 125.
Somewhere in there the part of our roof which needs attention is going to get reshingled, the chimney is going to come down, and the fireplace is all going to go away in a dumpster.
I'm not what you call a very socially conscious guy compared to some folks but I cannot abide fireplaces. the only reason they're not totally illegal in California is because they increase the cost of a new home by a significant margin.
We live on the edge of the Great Central California desert. If it wasn't for 175 years of irrigation this would look like the Mojave. But we make it green somehow.
I doubled my air conditioner and the fireplace is history.
By draining the sump I was able to move the cabinet and sump on a dolly as a unit.
Okay I've got the 30 tall moved, so now the matching stands that I built are together, and the odd one in the middle will go away soon.
Water in the tall 30 is still cloudy but you can see the thirty standard has already cleared up.
Little Heidi is happy again in her Sky Box.
Okay now I only have to move about 8 stands and 10 tanks and 50 fish and build a new stand and a new sump and drill the new plastic tank when it comes, then remodel my fireplace for the sump of the new 125.
Somewhere in there the part of our roof which needs attention is going to get reshingled, the chimney is going to come down, and the fireplace is all going to go away in a dumpster.
I'm not what you call a very socially conscious guy compared to some folks but I cannot abide fireplaces. the only reason they're not totally illegal in California is because they increase the cost of a new home by a significant margin.
We live on the edge of the Great Central California desert. If it wasn't for 175 years of irrigation this would look like the Mojave. But we make it green somehow.
I doubled my air conditioner and the fireplace is history.
Well today it's a triple header so far as we move tank number 3:
The 30 tall brackish tank.
Where it was in my office/fishroom.
Where it is now, other side of the room. Starting to refill.
I drained the sump and most of the tank, then we slid the whole business across the floor.
There was still 150+ lbs of tank, gravel, rocks, stand and sump, plus less than 5g water. The Monos were flopping a bit, but everything's now clearing up nicely...
This takes the place of the 30 tall which I just moved to the living room.
I bought a 30 tall kit (now retired) plus this unfinished stand in 1989. This was my our first project as a couple, when we sanded and finished it; and in fact it was my first Christmas present to her. We filled it with cheap little fish, and the rest is history.
The 30 tall brackish tank.
Where it was in my office/fishroom.
Where it is now, other side of the room. Starting to refill.
I drained the sump and most of the tank, then we slid the whole business across the floor.
There was still 150+ lbs of tank, gravel, rocks, stand and sump, plus less than 5g water. The Monos were flopping a bit, but everything's now clearing up nicely...
This takes the place of the 30 tall which I just moved to the living room.
I bought a 30 tall kit (now retired) plus this unfinished stand in 1989. This was my our first project as a couple, when we sanded and finished it; and in fact it was my first Christmas present to her. We filled it with cheap little fish, and the rest is history.
