Progress on the new tank!!

[jdauby09]

Happy to say we are finally setting up the new tank!! It's still pretty bare but we plan to slowly add on to the decorations...not sure how the baskets are gonna work seeing they are pretty flimsy but they were free...still have some work to do before it is finished but we are making progress!

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[Hermias_mom]

Looking good! Nice deep substrate and water pools, looks like you worked hard on that. I can see all sorts of potential here! I envision something connecting those baskets, maybe even cross-ways to the tank. And I really like your sprouted seeds in the container. Those are cool. I need to do that...

[daws409]

Looks awesome so far!

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[jdauby09]

Yeah my I thought the baskets would be sturdy enough on their own but they are not wanting to stay level...they are sagging pretty bad...I am tossing up different ideas to connect them and to base them...not real sure what to do...I am thinking about building something in the back right corner with small pvc pipe and do a multi level with a bridge connecting all the baskets...or maybe doing small tension rods with very little pressure from top and hanging the baskets from that with maybe coconut fiber zip tied to baskets...I don't know lol. I know cost is a big thing so I am kinda leaning toward the tension rod idea but I am very leary about the tension rod...any ideas that are very cost friendly

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[jdauby09]

Have you ever heard of or know anything about possibly using hampster tube in your tanks....

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[GotButterflies]

Fishnet would work great for connecting those. You can buy that at Michaels or Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's Fabrics.

[daws409]

Baskets staying level... I had same problem with my seagrass basket shell shops. I had to use oak branches as braces for front side because front end would just lay on the ground otherwise.

The tank I just picked up had holes drilled along the "lip" of the trim on the inside of tank. I hung my basket with zipties and they are staple -front end hasn't dropped. Maybe something you can try. And it helps with rearranging decor.

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[soilentgringa]

Making progress!

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[Hermias_mom]

Yeah my I thought the baskets would be sturdy enough on their own but they are not wanting to stay level...they are sagging pretty bad...I am tossing up different ideas to connect them and to base them...not real sure what to do...I am thinking about building something in the back right corner with small pvc pipe and do a multi level with a bridge connecting all the baskets...or maybe doing small tension rods with very little pressure from top and hanging the baskets from that with maybe coconut fiber zip tied to baskets...I don't know lol. I know cost is a big thing so I am kinda leaning toward the tension rod idea but I am very leary about the tension rod...any ideas that are very cost friendly

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So I haven't done this myself, but you might try putting a shim at the back side of the baskets, so that they rest on the shim, which rests on the tank. Kinds like the size of wooden ruler, maybe, but thicker? The problem with the baskets (besides being flimsy) is that they are already canted down due to hanging from the hooks. So if you put a shim between the tank and the basket just below the hooks that is the correct thickness, that should make the baskets hang flat, at least to start. Then any drooping would be due to weight of the materials in the baskets. FYI, I use a narrow one of those baskets (maybe 2"x12"x2" deep?) for my shell shop in a ten gallon, mounted from side to end cross-wise, and just accept the fact that it will droop. As long as it holds the shells, the crabs don't care I shoved a maple branch thinner than a pencil through several of the slats and between the basket and the back of the tank, and the crabs love climbing up it to get to the shell shop. My crabs are all small or small/medium, so it works for them. I also use a really flimsy plastic basket for my moss pit, and they love climbing up in there and digging down to the bottom of it under all the moss. They don't seem to mind it shifting a bit. Here's a link with pictures: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 8&t=114062

Also, might check out MrTeacherDude, I think he used stackable horizontal file folder organizers to build a second level. So like plastic stacking baskets that were originally office supplies. It seemed to work pretty well for him.