Starting A Fish Store

proaquaculture

proaquaculture

New Member
Hello All,
Looking for some directions on how to set up Ten 40 gallon saltwater tanks in a closed loop for a new saltwater fish store. (2 tanks stacked above eachother 5 tanks long) These tanks will primarially be used for housing the fish we are selling not for the corals we are selling.
Specific Area of Interest
1. What is the best idea for filtration?
2. Suggestions for lighting?
3. Will there be enough water circulation from the closed loop or will there be a need for individulal powerheads in each of the ten tanks.
thanks for your suggestions !
~ ProAquaCulture :happyfish
 
ol'salty

ol'salty

Member
I would be a little bit leary of the closed loop system. If you get in 1 fish with ich, then they all have it. My lfs uses bak paks. They are sorta like a wet/dry with a skimmer all in 1. If you are set on closed loop, then you could use 1 large tub (like a cow water tub). Put a large skimmer and a bunch of lr in the tub. Each tank would need an overflow box and a return pump in the tub. For the price off all of the overflows alone, you might be able to pick up enough used canisters or hang ons. as far as lighting, on the tank that you are just displaying fish in, any light will do. The 1 or so tanks that you will sell anemones out of will need a good light. The way most of the lfs's keep there stock is have at least 1 tank set up for any sick arrivals. So you would either need a seperate tank or not the closed loop system.The bak paks work awesome. They don't need the upkeep of a canister.
Just my .02 and goodluck
 
laddy

laddy

Active Member
I believe most good LFS will QT their shipment when dealing with wholesalers they don't know. Some wholesalers will keep fish for a few weeks to detect any problems so as to not effect the retailer. From what I have seen LFS' will usually have a half or 1/3 of their tanks inline with one another. If you put all your eggs in one basket you might be disappointed.
 
payton 350

payton 350

Member
yeah my lfs actually has 4 tanks believed Closed looped and uses them as the QT.....he copper treats all those tanks....then after 4 weeks if the fish are still there and no signs of diseases put's them in the other community looped tanks
 
proaquaculture

proaquaculture

New Member
Thanks For the suggestions! I understand what you are saying about not wanting to put all your eggs in one basket!! What is this backpack you mentioned?
thanks ~ ProAquaCulture :happyfish
 
proaquaculture

proaquaculture

New Member
Payton - when you say your lfs has 4 tanks on a closed loop what is he using for filtration? What about to heat those 4 tanks? Does each tank have a seperate heater?
thanks ~ ProAquaCulture :happyfish
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
I would suggest looking at having a system custom built. Otherwise, the tanks would have to be drilled for bulkheads, with an elbow PVC at the surface of the water in each. These would all link to a manifold, which takes the water to a common sump. There should be ball or gate valves before each input so the flow can be regulated, and also one after the return pump, and before the skimmer. In the sump would be the protein skimmer, heater, and wet/dry. The sump would also be drilled for a bulkhead, and an external good dependable pump should be used for return such as a Dolphin or Sequence. The stand must be reinforced to hold all the weight. I have pics of our store which could help. I will need a few days to access them,unfortunately my new puppy decided he likes computer wire & fried my machine.
 
proaquaculture

proaquaculture

New Member
Well, promisetbg, that was alot of information that I definalty appreciate. I would like to hear more. What type of store do you run? I would die to see some pictures, just let me know and I will give you my email address. thanks for the response I will be waiting to hear from you!
~ ProAquaCulture :happyfish
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
I have worked at a small LFS for about 3 years. It sold to a woman that I knew in another state when we were kids. We have become fast friends again...pretty cool. She & her husband spared no expense & built a new store right next to the old, smaller one. We are keeping the old one for growout & QT..it's great. As I said, just give me a few days to find the pics, they are on here somewhere...we had the old drive put on this new PC as a secondary, I am just a computer dummy so....
 
ol'salty

ol'salty

Member
The bakpak is the name of a filter. It is a biological and skimmer all in one. They come in a single and double. The singles are plenty for the 40 gal tanks. By the time you figure in all the custom drilling or overflows, you can probably just put a filter on each.
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
I don't have any pics of the new store, I will get some for you today. This is one system we had built for the old store that we now use for QT. It's acrylic.
 
ci11337

ci11337

Active Member
At one LFS i go to each vertical row is on one filter (3 tanks) so that illnesses are somewhat controled. At another LFS i go to each tank has it's own UG filter. If i had my own LFS i would put a bak-pak skimmer (the 2r kind) http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/images/bak-pak2r-skimmer.jpg on eack tank with the surface skimming attachment. There is plenty of room for a heater in side the skimmer.
 
watson3

watson3

Active Member
Not sure how this will come across, but I would be weary of buying livestock from someone who did not know how to set up their own tanks..
 
ci11337

ci11337

Active Member
Originally Posted by watson3
Not sure how this will come across, but I would be weary of buying livestock from someone who did not know how to set up their own tanks..
What are u refering too? The LFS with UG filters?
 
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