Dynamic tank stand ideas needed.
- Thread starter kcress
- Start date
sploke; I'm in Santa Cruz, CA. About 70mi south of San Francisco. In the land of PG&E(Pacific Graft & Extortion). Once they bumbled that whole energy purchasing thing my power costs jumped to about 0.25/kWHr. My fun tank which had five 175W MH pendants over it had to be switched to four 15W compact fluorescents and a 90W MH just so I could keep eating. I have been contemplating sun tubes ever since. Especially when a beam of sunlight stabs into the tank corner for a few minutes in the late afternoon and makes the MH look like a mere candle.
Here's the best sun tube, technically speaking, that I can find.
http://www.sunpipe.com/10.htm
Note the light output comments at the bottom.
I'll put up a picture when I get them in so you can make your own assessment.
I too am concerned by the added complexity of balance for several schemes we've/I've come up with.
So the most straight forward one I can come up with that won't cost a fortune is using four of these to make the actual legs of the stand.
I'd cut off the crank handles and then drive the shaft stubs with gear motors. This would put all the the hardware up under the tank bottom leaving me with more floor space for auxiliary tank equipment.
msjinkzd; Thanks. I had no idea.
snailrider; Great info there. I'm Northern CA,(central really). Dang, we could've got together on it. :thud:
BTW: The jack pictured is rated at 3,500lbs. So with each doing about 700lbs they shouldn't be very taxed.
Harbor Freight $30.
Here's the best sun tube, technically speaking, that I can find.
http://www.sunpipe.com/10.htm
Note the light output comments at the bottom.
I'll put up a picture when I get them in so you can make your own assessment.
I too am concerned by the added complexity of balance for several schemes we've/I've come up with.
So the most straight forward one I can come up with that won't cost a fortune is using four of these to make the actual legs of the stand.
I'd cut off the crank handles and then drive the shaft stubs with gear motors. This would put all the the hardware up under the tank bottom leaving me with more floor space for auxiliary tank equipment.
msjinkzd; Thanks. I had no idea.
snailrider; Great info there. I'm Northern CA,(central really). Dang, we could've got together on it. :thud:
BTW: The jack pictured is rated at 3,500lbs. So with each doing about 700lbs they shouldn't be very taxed.
Harbor Freight $30.
Yeah my parents have installed a few of those things in their house for supplemental lighting, and I was really impressed with how well they work. I want to do a few in my house as well, and over a big tank I think it would be pretty awesome.
And as far as leveling, I think what I would do is try to get one motor to drive all 4 jacks with chains or something, so they all turn at the same rate. That way you don't have to worry about synchronizing all 4 corners with different motors.
We just completed some Fiber work for the big arena here in town and they use a synchronized motor system for raising and lowering their lighting systems. One would think that if it can be completed on a large scale like that a smaller version somewhere would have to be available. In fact the motors they installed came out of California.. Have no clue who etc.. But I could call DJ and find out if you really wanted to know.
Thanks sploke, clown-lover.
I was told today that the motors run at different speeds with load. So if one is lightly loaded it runs faster until it picks up more of the load so the synchronizing of the four legs would not be too hard. My concern with a single drive would be the initial setup and then the quasi dangerous chain running everywhere and around corners. Probably be less pricey though.
I was told today that the motors run at different speeds with load. So if one is lightly loaded it runs faster until it picks up more of the load so the synchronizing of the four legs would not be too hard. My concern with a single drive would be the initial setup and then the quasi dangerous chain running everywhere and around corners. Probably be less pricey though.
The entire airport in Kobe, Japan is on hydraulic jacks, as the man-made island it is on is slowly sinking into the ocean....something like 9" I think so far. I would think a system to raise and lower an aquarium is certainly possible. Myself, I would want some sort of scissor lift type thing controlled by a single hydraulic cylinder...that way you don't have the worry of syncing motors. I worked at a repair shop and we had a Snap-On portable lift that would lift a car 36" and was controlled by a single cylinder....similar to below.
Robbie
Robbie
Is there any reason that you couldn't have it slide out horizontally, thereby giving yourself full access above and around, rather than hoiking it up and down? Much less energy and engineering required, and full access to the top of the tank.
Remember that 23" still isn't much considering that you will likely need to partially climb in to reach the bottom and rear of the tank to service it. Even if you are a slim and nimble engineer
this could become a major pain, or even be dangerous considering the positioning of your body necessary to reach back there, with so little head space above the water.
Finley
Remember that 23" still isn't much considering that you will likely need to partially climb in to reach the bottom and rear of the tank to service it. Even if you are a slim and nimble engineer
this could become a major pain, or even be dangerous considering the positioning of your body necessary to reach back there, with so little head space above the water.Finley
Those jacks probably work if you tip them upside down, the crank handles go clean through right? Weld a shaft between the crank handles on the end jacks just run the crank handles forward out the front, but keep the end jacks cranks welded so the front an back jack turn together.
Then two people crank at the same rpm, simple as pie. Or one person and just crank one end up and down for a wave maker.
Two jack per end, crank handles welded together using shaft to syncronize end jacks. Upside down so handles stay in one spot for the hole through the wall.
I would advise against it however. I have used harbor frieght jacks as those, and trust me, you will curse the day.
And thanks for the insight on Pipe Lites. My folks have one and it is awesome. I was going to spend bucks on some lighting that sucks electricity, but not any more.
Depot has a 10" for about $200 all said and done.
Then two people crank at the same rpm, simple as pie. Or one person and just crank one end up and down for a wave maker.
Two jack per end, crank handles welded together using shaft to syncronize end jacks. Upside down so handles stay in one spot for the hole through the wall.
I would advise against it however. I have used harbor frieght jacks as those, and trust me, you will curse the day.
And thanks for the insight on Pipe Lites. My folks have one and it is awesome. I was going to spend bucks on some lighting that sucks electricity, but not any more.
Depot has a 10" for about $200 all said and done.
Man.. Great ideas still rollin in.
wantvws; So what you're saying is since sea level will be going up I should make my tank able to rise higher? :grinyes:
The motorcycle/car scissor jacks all suffer from (motorcycle=can't lift a ton) space hogging. Picture a tank not as long as yours and trying to fit all the stuff under yours in with one of these jacks... :nilly:
Finley; Excellent point!!! One sided access is bothering me a lot. My present tank/s which is 12 feet long and only accessible from the front has been manageable but I have often wished I could get to the back. Wow. Picture a bedroom dresser with one ton of pig-iron in the top drawer. I'll just pull this out and :eek3: see my life flash before my eyes. Crazy. But dang if that isn't an excellent point. I shall stop and consider how it could be done as I like the idea a lot. Cantilevering one ton.. :screwy: I like it!
snailrider; Wow, nice thought on those jacks!! I think you're right, I could tie them together with a rod front to back as that cranking shaft does pass thru. Heck then a single chain in the back to tie the two sides together.. one crank/motor. Sweet idea.
Yes I agree Harbor Freight stuff is generally garbage.. Like the three cases of fuses I bought that all had to be sent back on a safety recall. Seems they didn't actually blow when overloaded. :swear:
My thought was that since the jacks would only be loaded 600/3500ths of their, no doubt, over generous ratings, they should be a little more than adequate.
Light pipes; Home Despot you say?? I will check those out. As I said the ones I linked to were technically superior to others. For instance they are actually silver plated then twice coated to prevent tarnishing of the silver mirror internal plating. This is exactly how telescope mirrors are done. I don't believe anyone else does this.
Most are the reflective laminates applied to the inside of flattened tubes that you then assemble like stovepipe. The laminate slowly tarnishes from day one. However! The ones I'm referring to probably cost about $700 a pop. I can stand some tarnish for hundreds of dollars in savings. I will check them out if you are indeed referring to HomeDespot.
wantvws; So what you're saying is since sea level will be going up I should make my tank able to rise higher? :grinyes:
The motorcycle/car scissor jacks all suffer from (motorcycle=can't lift a ton) space hogging. Picture a tank not as long as yours and trying to fit all the stuff under yours in with one of these jacks... :nilly:
Finley; Excellent point!!! One sided access is bothering me a lot. My present tank/s which is 12 feet long and only accessible from the front has been manageable but I have often wished I could get to the back. Wow. Picture a bedroom dresser with one ton of pig-iron in the top drawer. I'll just pull this out and :eek3: see my life flash before my eyes. Crazy. But dang if that isn't an excellent point. I shall stop and consider how it could be done as I like the idea a lot. Cantilevering one ton.. :screwy: I like it!
snailrider; Wow, nice thought on those jacks!! I think you're right, I could tie them together with a rod front to back as that cranking shaft does pass thru. Heck then a single chain in the back to tie the two sides together.. one crank/motor. Sweet idea.
Yes I agree Harbor Freight stuff is generally garbage.. Like the three cases of fuses I bought that all had to be sent back on a safety recall. Seems they didn't actually blow when overloaded. :swear:
My thought was that since the jacks would only be loaded 600/3500ths of their, no doubt, over generous ratings, they should be a little more than adequate.
Light pipes; Home Despot you say?? I will check those out. As I said the ones I linked to were technically superior to others. For instance they are actually silver plated then twice coated to prevent tarnishing of the silver mirror internal plating. This is exactly how telescope mirrors are done. I don't believe anyone else does this.
Most are the reflective laminates applied to the inside of flattened tubes that you then assemble like stovepipe. The laminate slowly tarnishes from day one. However! The ones I'm referring to probably cost about $700 a pop. I can stand some tarnish for hundreds of dollars in savings. I will check them out if you are indeed referring to HomeDespot.
