Tank setup question

[chrisnif]

I was wondering does anyone have a setup where the fuge is visible?
I was thinking about a 55 gallon aquarium on one of those metal stands. It says i can put 2 10 gallon aquariums on the bottom, I was thinking about putting the 2 10s in there one as a sump with heater, skimmer, and a spot for me to have some chemical filtration, then have the second one as a fuge, ie less flow etc.
Most people hide all the equipment, but I was wondering would I be the only one to do it this way?

 

[eric b 125]

i've seen several setups that have displayed fuge's. its a nice place to keep certain critters that cant go into the DT for whatever reason. i would err on the side of caution and skip the metal stand and build one or buy a cabinet. the metal stands arent that sturdy and can leach chemicals into the water if it should start to rust. also, you can probably fit a 36" tank in the cabinet, rather than just two 10 gals.

 

[fretfreak13]

I did that. =) I have a 29 gallon on the top as my DT and instead of putting two 10s on the bottom I put a 20 long which has the exact same length measuments as the top tank. However, I don't really like the look of all the equipment so I built a wood stand AROUND the metal frame. It serves as a nice support. I have cabnet doors to add on to hide it but I havn't done it yet. Hang on, I'll go take a pic of it for you. =P

 

[fretfreak13]

Here ya go.

 

[flower]

Metal stands...I have never heard of them leaking chemicals from rust, I used them for years. With the tank weight and on level floors, very sturdy. Nowadays folks want the tank to look more like the furniture. Kind of an elegant way to show off the beauty of the tank.
Your tank is a work of art, and the beauty is in the eye of the owner. So do what you think looks good, you are the only one who matters when it comes to looks.
The reason folks hide the equipment is that it is ugly...salt erodes everything, and salt creep builds up in some areas in a day. To keep everything like a show piece is very hard work in constant upkeep.
So the type of stand is a personal choice. If you want to see your fuge...do so...

 

[chrisnif]

Thanks Flower I definitely want to see the fuge. I do think I may consider building my own stand tho. I was thinking about a 55 DT with a visible fuge like a 29, and an equipment sump like a 20L or something. Hard to describe but ill try to asci draw
{55___________________}
{29___________}
"space123" {20L__________}
To pipe it all I was thinking 2 overflows on the 55, one into the 29 and one into the 20L. The 29 would be drilled through the bottom and have a standpipe overflow into the 20L.
I may have to flip the tanks tho as I have read you should skim before the fuge because pods will get caught in the skimmate.
Or would it be better to get 2 55's and just show the part of the bottom 55 that is being used as a fuge?

 

[calbert0]

I decided to buy a stand for my 29G when i moved.
I came to find out that my fuge wouldnt fit under the stand, so i had to put it to the right side of the tank/stand.
I now have a 10 gallon QT tank under my main setup.
It isnt the most beautiful thing, but its kind of cool because my setup now looks like a big science experiment.
2 different fuges, a DT and the QT all in one area.