# ADA 45-P Shrimp Rack (Startup)



## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

So here's one of the new projects i've been working on. (also working on a mr aqua 12L)

diy shrimp rack was built with the help of my dad.
tanks: x3 ada 45-P
lighting: x3 archaea 45cm leds
filtration: x3 bubble filters
substrate: ada aquasoil amazonia/africana

i already ordered some plants and will order some more, but basically wanna keep everything simple and low maintenance. tanks will all be very low tech... i already have shrimp in my 20 gallon. they will be transferred over eventually. i'll probably be ordering more shrimp as well once cycled.

heres some pics of the rack in my room.




































i will be using amazonia for my crs/cbs/goldens, but wanted to go with the africana for my tbs. Anyone here using africana and have anything to say about it? 

i'll be posting updates on this thread. will be adding soil tomorrow and will start the cycling process as soon as my ro/di unit arrives. (tired of making trips to winco)


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

That is so awesome. I hope you bolted the top of the cabinet to the wall. The lights being hidden is really nice.


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## shift (Jan 7, 2013)

Looks good. did you make the shelf yourself?


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

i dont thing the rack will move once the tanks are filled. the rack is pretty heavy and is already very stable as it is.

i also like how the lights are hidden, but they might come down and sit on top of the tanks if the lights dont end up being bright enough. i'm planning on building up the substrate a good 3"-4" so that should help.

the shelf was made by my dad and me. turned out a lot better then i thought, but looks better in the pics. it is paint not laminate.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

I agree this is a awesome setup! Great job on the cabinet!


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Wow that's nice!


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## Assassynation (Dec 23, 2011)

Good work, you and your dad!


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

Dude that's looking super clean


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Ohhhh boyyyy. This is gonna be sick!


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## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

Dany08fa said:


> i dont thing the rack will move once the tanks are filled. the rack is pretty heavy and is already very stable as it is.
> 
> i also like how the lights are hidden, but they might come down and sit on top of the tanks if the lights dont end up being bright enough. i'm planning on building up the substrate a good 3"-4" so that should help.
> 
> the shelf was made by my dad and me. turned out a lot better then i thought, but looks better in the pics. it is paint not laminate.


Such a nice father and son built rack. It looks so professional. Perhaps you should start a thread to guide others who are interested in how you got all this built together. Definitely a journal worthy experience


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Wow! Great job! Don't you just hate waiting for a tank to cycle.


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## daphilster08 (Oct 21, 2009)

Dang cant wait to see this! Take TONS of pics!


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## jnaz (Apr 12, 2009)

Looks clean. Great job!


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Can't wait to see the tanks filled with shrimp!


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks for all the compliments! :smile: well i ordered another 9L bag of aquasoil... 1 bag was only enough to make a depth of 3" on one tank and only an 1" on the other. im really diggin the brownish/redish africana soil!



jnaz said:


> Looks clean. Great job!


your ada room/rack was my inspiration to do mine. as you can see i incorporated a lot of my design from yours so thanks!


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

Looks good keep it up


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Very nice!!

I like the hidden lights also.
So hopefully you don't need to move them down.


-Sent from my Samsung Note, a "Phablet"


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## bendzuch (Jan 24, 2013)

good job man...


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## pirayaman (Mar 30, 2008)

looks great. i could really deal with more tanks if they looked like that before i even put water in them. 

you should go hard core with the scapes 3 different looks would be crazy awesome


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## MadDiscus (Aug 7, 2011)

Very nice set up and job well done. My little concern is moist and mold. Is back shelf enclose?


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Really clean and beautiful. It's going to be amazing when you get it filled with plants and shrimp.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

soil is in. can't believe a 9L bag wasn't enough to fill 2 tanks.... oh well should have calculated.


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## Unikorn (Jun 14, 2012)

Wow, that looks really good! Can't wait to see it up and running.


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## plamski (Sep 25, 2009)

Nice start!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to cover them with glass. Otherwise bubbling will spray water over the cabinet and will damage wood.


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## greenman857 (Feb 25, 2012)

Yes indeed very nice, looking forward to seeing it develop. How are you going to scape each?


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

plamski said:


> Nice start!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to cover them with glass. Otherwise bubbling will spray water over the cabinet and will damage wood.


Yea i thought about that. Im going to get glass cut for the top. I just dont know if i want the whole thing covered or just like 1/3 of it where the bubbles will be coming out.



greenman857 said:


> Yes indeed very nice, looking forward to seeing it develop. How are you going to scape each?


I have no idea..... Haha. Keep it simplr though. 1-3 plant species per tank, small driftwood, low tech carpets and moss/fissidens

Any plant recomendations? Have very little experiece with any plants. I know ill be using moss/fissi and dwarf sag


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Mosses, loads of types, java ferns, anubias and crypts.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

This is gunna be epic!


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## bostoneric (Sep 7, 2011)

love it!


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

nice rack lol. one of these days i want to do something like that for all my tanks. keep up with pics i want to see how this goes along


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

I have the perfect name for this setup: *Rack City* :hihi:  lol


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

got some glass cut at a local shop. only $15 for all 3 pieces. I only made the lid cover half the tank because the only reason for the lid was to keep the bubbling spray from the filter contained. Also, didn't want to take the lid off and on for maintenance, netting shrimp.... so heres the pics

1/8" glass, dimensions: 17 1/8" x 5 1/2"



















i think they look pretty good! and for $15 why not?
heres some lava rocks (bbq rocks) i picked up from home depot. the bottle is there for size reference. i'm planning on using these to tie moss on to and whatnot...










If a moderator feels this thread would be better suited in the "journals" section please do move it.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Those rocks will sure come in handy for a variety of purposes.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Impressed. Not just because you have 3 ADA tanks, it just looks really awesome the way you did your stand/lighting. It's so much more elegant than the typical "fish room" or commercial shelving most people use. Not that there is anything wrong with the other way, I just like this better as you can really display things. Need to talk to girlfriend now and make a bunch of money lol.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

talontsiawd said:


> Impressed. Not just because you have 3 ADA tanks, it just looks really awesome the way you did your stand/lighting. It's so much more elegant than the typical "fish room" or commercial shelving most people use. Not that there is anything wrong with the other way, I just like this better as you can really display things. Need to talk to girlfriend now and make a bunch of money lol.


thanks! yea i know some petco/petsmart 10gals with a commercial shelving will work just as good, but i really like aesthetics. it needs to look sexy! haha

My active aqua pump just came in the mail. i got it from amazon for pretty cheap. 

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-AAPA15L-6-Watt-15-LPM-Outlets/dp/B002JPEVMC

i hope its not an overkill.... its really really strong. i'll probably end up using it one the lowest setting.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

looking good man. Hey just a suggestion since you're in the early stages. This will increase your biological surface area as well as give the tank abit more of a cleaner look.

This is just my spin on the hamburg filter using the guts of a sponge filter.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks. So is that basicly a sponge filter wall?


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

yes. I sew up the gap on top to prevent little ones from climbing into the crevice. 

I've just never been a huge fan of the sponge filters with the weighted feet for shrimps. I'm always afraid I'll accidentally squish a baby shrimp underneath its weight if I bump into it or pull an airline tubing.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

Thats actually a really good idea that ill keep in mind, but i actually dont like backgrounds on rimless tanks. I wanna be able to see straight through the tank. I used those sponge filters cause hopefully my scape and along with the plants(when the grow in) will hide the sponges. Where did you even buy that kind of foam? Oh, and i worry about crushing my shrimp as well. Shrimps are suppose to make us happy, but seems to stress me out more than anything... And make me broke!


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

LOL broke and stressed instead of relaxed? Sounds like golf to me.

Actually I push it against one side of the tank with a snug fit.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

heres my ro/di unit!









tanks filled. (bad pics) i added some floaters to help with the cycle. hopefully i'll be getting some driftwood soon. will be ordering my plants this week as well.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

One step closer to shrimp.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

This is looking great. You may as well set up a bed, dinner table, and your computer there. I doubt you'll move from this location in the house.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

binbin9 said:


> This is looking great. You may as well set up a bed, dinner table, and your computer there. I doubt you'll move from this location in the house.


Its in my room! I have my bed, computer and eat in there all the time!!! Hahaha.

Cant wait to get this thing planted! Hopefully it will be by the end of this week.


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

here's an iphone pic update. not gonna lie i kinda rushed the scape, but oh well looks good enough for me... lol the stem plants are already starting to grow. should have ordered more...


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

nice


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

very nice, any close ups of each tank?


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## junglefowl (Oct 30, 2012)

Three tanks in a row, very nice scape...I didn't see it close yet but I like the scape of the middle tank already...


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

I just got some more dw in today that ill be switching out with the ones in the tank as soon as theyre "cured". Ill post individual shots of the tanks pretty soon.


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Fantastic. Would like to see the equipment and stuff involved (like the hidden lights, where the air filter is)


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

junglefowl said:


> Three tanks in a row, very nice scape...I didn't see it close yet but I like the scape of the middle tank already...


 
I agree that middle one has a sweet setup


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Any updated shots?


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## MaxLaf (Mar 20, 2014)

Very Very nice set-up
the rack that hold the aquariums offers a very nice perspective and a new way to appreciate the hobby. I like it!


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## animalcules (Aug 27, 2014)

Would love an update on this! It's a dream of mine to have a beautiful rack of small tanks like this.


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

animalcules said:


> Would love an update on this! It's a dream of mine to have a beautiful rack of small tanks like this.


Well this user's last activity was 5-4-14. . . Maybe no updates


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## jbig (Jul 13, 2012)

super awesome set up.


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