aquariums for mixing station

[dantimdad]

I have just enough room to build a rack in the laundry room closet to put two 20H aquariums on top of each other and be able to reach in them and put salt in/wipe down. There is also an outlet near by to run a pump and heater.

I wonder if anyone has used aquariums with a glass lid as mixing containers before and has anyone done a vertical mixing station instead of side by side.

This is the only place I have to do the station in the whole house so I am very limited on space and it's only two fee away from the RODI unit.

Thoughts?

 

[CC13]

I have just enough room to build a rack in the laundry room closet to put two 20H aquariums on top of each other and be able to reach in them and put salt in/wipe down. There is also an outlet near by to run a pump and heater.

I wonder if anyone has used aquariums with a glass lid as mixing containers before and has anyone done a vertical mixing station instead of side by side.

This is the only place I have to do the station in the whole house so I am very limited on space and it's only two fee away from the RODI unit.

Thoughts?

I don't see why tanks couldn't be used and as you mentioned you would be using lids. Maybe also paint the glass black or make sure that there is no light available so the water stays for long periods of time and can be unaffected by sunlight or lighting from inside the laundry room?

 

[dantimdad]

I don't see why tanks couldn't be used and as you mentioned you would be using lids. Maybe also paint the glass black or make sure that there is no light available so the water stays for long periods of time and can be unaffected by sunlight or lighting from inside the laundry room?

I saw someone do that for an ATO container and leave a strip unpainted to see the water level.

I think that's what I will do.

Lord knows, I have enough bulkhead fittings, valves, pipe and diamond drills laying around.

 

[CC13]

I saw someone do that for an ATO container and leave a strip unpainted to see the water level.

I think that's what I will do.

Lord knows, I have enough bulkhead fittings, valves, pipe and diamond drills laying around.

Ya good idea... that was you can easily still see how full the tanks are.

And I know, I have so many PVC I could open up a plumbing supply store.

 

[dantimdad]

Ya good idea... that was you can easily still see how full the tanks are.

And I know, I have so many PVC I could open up a plumbing supply store.

To be perfectly honest, one of my best friends is a plumber. He was on a job one day and sent me a text asking if he could go in my storage room and get a piece they needed because lowe's was out and the plumbing supply was 30 minutes away. ;Hilarious

 

[CC13]

To be perfectly honest, one of my best friends is a plumber. He was on a job one day and sent me a text asking if he could go in my storage room and get a piece they needed because lowe's was out and the plumbing supply was 30 minutes away. ;Hilarious

LOL you should trade him PVC for free labor plumbing your tanks.

 

[User]

A container is a container. You have the tanks, and supplies, and it makes sense with your projected volume usage, I’d say go for it.

 

[dantimdad]

LOL you should trade him PVC for free labor plumbing your tanks.

Somehow, I always end up with stray equipment he finds on jobs that he can't use on his freshwater setups.

Hmmmm…… Wonder why?

 

[dantimdad]

Well I have one of the tanks, plumbing, lumber and a pump. The plumber just sent me a message and he has the other one for free. SCORE! Free mixing station!

Guess I know what I am doing this weekend.

 

[WallysWorld]

Any concerns about contamination? I've heard that RODI is a great at absorbing stuff. I always keep a lid on my RODI container for this reason.....but then it is in the back bathroom and my wife isn't too careful when applying make-up

 

[saintsreturn]

Congrats on the new station!

There is no issue with what you are planning as you are better off with glass versus plastic when it comes to water storage anyway. My only advice is based on why i went with rotomold containers in a stacked form myself. I went rotomold in lieu of plastic as i have a tendency to be hard on things, so plastic is safer LOL.

That said, light and "dust" contaminants are your only real concern levels here. I would recommend painting everything and tossing in a small pump in the RO side. This will aid in keeping "light creep" out and prevent algae from growing. I would use the pump on a random timer for maybe an hour a day or so to help keep the water moving, also aiding in preventing stagnent water and algae concerns. I have mine set for 1 minute run every 60 minutes in my garage unit. A cheap timer would give you something like 10 minutes every couple hours which is more than enough.

Make sure your lids seal. I would buy some of that rubber molding stuff and line the top glass with it. Laundry rooms generate a lot of stuff in the air, plus chemicals being poured nearby. Accidents happen. Best to seal it off to avoid any if possible. just cleaning the lint trap in the drawer will put flurries in the air and water likes to grab things. If you use all bulkheads and dont plan on opening your glass lids, maybe just silicone them down?

Good luck and post pics

 

[dantimdad]

Congrats on the new station!

There is no issue with what you are planning as you are better off with glass versus plastic when it comes to water storage anyway. My only advice is based on why i went with rotomold containers in a stacked form myself. I went rotomold in lieu of plastic as i have a tendency to be hard on things, so plastic is safer LOL.

That said, light and "dust" contaminants are your only real concern levels here. I would recommend painting everything and tossing in a small pump in the RO side. This will aid in keeping "light creep" out and prevent algae from growing. I would use the pump on a random timer for maybe an hour a day or so to help keep the water moving, also aiding in preventing stagnent water and algae concerns. I have mine set for 1 minute run every 60 minutes in my garage unit. A cheap timer would give you something like 10 minutes every couple hours which is more than enough.

Make sure your lids seal. I would buy some of that rubber molding stuff and line the top glass with it. Laundry rooms generate a lot of stuff in the air, plus chemicals being poured nearby. Accidents happen. Best to seal it off to avoid any if possible. just cleaning the lint trap in the drawer will put flurries in the air and water likes to grab things. If you use all bulkheads and dont plan on opening your glass lids, maybe just silicone them down?

Good luck and post pics

Thanks for the input!

I like the gasket suggestion. Don't want to silicone it down because I want to be able to undo unions and take them outside for cleaning once in a while.

I also like the stir pump idea.

I will have to grind off a corner of glass to get the chord in there. But that is no biggie.

I will post pics in my build thread for sure!

 

[lapin]

If you watch the videos of Sanjay's tank and plumbing. He shows what his setup is. If I recall he had 3 glass tanks set up for salt mixing and rodi.

 

[saintsreturn]

Thanks for the input!

I like the gasket suggestion. Don't want to silicone it down because I want to be able to undo unions and take them outside for cleaning once in a while.

I also like the stir pump idea.

I will have to grind off a corner of glass to get the chord in there. But that is no biggie.

I will post pics in my build thread for sure!

Hopefully it helps I wouldnt silicone it down personally because i often clean mine out. But the lint is a real concern for me since its rich in chemicals.

 

[dantimdad]

I appreciate it.

 

[dantimdad]

If you watch the videos of Sanjay's tank and plumbing. He shows what his setup is. If I recall he had 3 glass tanks set up for salt mixing and rodi.

Link?

 

[lapin]

 

[dantimdad]

Thanks!

His overflow is bigger than 50% of the folks around here's tank. LOL!

 

[lapin]

Thanks!

His overflow is bigger than 50% of the folks around here's tank. LOL!

I made my overflow 12x12x42 I think his is like 6 feet long

 

[dantimdad]

Holy cow! Yours holds around 25 gallons!