What a mission this was!! But I'm very excited to see what this new chapter brings 😁 If I don't get back to replying to comments tonight I will most definitely be on in the morning (in Australia) responding 😊
Hey kaity the flexing of the metal could put pressure on the edges of Ur tank and because those bars are skinny there's heaps of points that could be a weak spot if u were to accidentally knock the shelves I'd by some thick board to fit perfectly in might be ha dy getting a friend that could help u cut the board up loving Ur videos keep at it champion
@@SuperCichlidbreederthey are really strong, you can put 200 kg of concrete bags on each no problem. They may be rated at 600kg (per shelf). The problem is that they lose strength if the load is not even (because it’s thin metal that’s stron in one direction but bends in another), should be fine for fishtanks. A bigger issue is that there is no lateral bracing, so pushing them from a side can cause them to collapse. It would be OK if they were attached to the wall. Mine lasted a year before they disintegrated but I’ve been abusing them.
Kaity I am really sorry but you have bought the wrong shelf... trust me... I used to work at Bunnings and had to replace and give advice on this multiple times. Let me explain. It comes down to this rack having no cross supports which means that it can 'twist'. This is a torsion force (science) which can cause your tanks to collapse if someone, even a child, grabs an egde and pulls. To see how much this rack can flex go to Bunnings with two people, get the assembled demonstration model, they can even get it down for you if it is on a top shelf. Standing with a person on either end place your feet on either end of the posts on the ground to support it. Now grab the top of the posts and both push it it their respective right (or left). With surprisingly little effort required you will see that the frame can twist quite easily up to 30cm. At this point it is catastrophic as the heavy fish tanks will exacerbate the motion and crack and/or collapse along with the shelving. The amount of times customers told me there horror stories is scary, and people that fail rarely put their mistakes online as they don't want to be ridiculed. It is OK though. Bunnings does have another option this IS suitable and that does have cross support. It is the 1000kg per shelf Rack-It system, which I recommend you get no longer that 1200mm wide. The wonderful thing about Bunnings is that you can take back your rack and they will provide you with the full amount in store credit if you return it saying that it is not fit for purpose and that you would like to buy something more suitable. If you need any help with this or have any drama with Bunnings just message me. I think it would be wise for you to admit that this rack may not be suitable so that you are not educating people to follow a path that could be dangerous or potentially lethal
It’s even worse, they lack any diagonal support so any impact from the side can collapse it. I bought the same style of shelving and they’re both in pieces.
Yeah, I’d get a board to cover the entire length of the rack too. It depends on the weight but I have two types of racks in my garage. One has less weight on it and it’s fine with the board. The other is heavy duty shelving with lots of cross support (dewalt brand) and that handles a lot of weight without any sagging.
Katy, I am an old woman in the USA: The boards should be cut to fit tightly in the frame of the shelves of the stand, then the weight will be distributed evenly and should not bow. Please listen to all the prompting to get the boards in before you lose your tanks to the stress. I love your videos and that you are not afraid to go hard for what you want.
@21:11 "It's a bit dodgy, but I think it will hold" Famous line before a lot of aquatic disasters. For the bowing shelf rack - I would use 3/4 plywood boards on top of the rack. Those wouldn't bow since they are generally used as sub flooring in housing. Spray paint them black and it will match the rack and look really good. You would also have a more solid shelf to place items on top of.
Hi Kaity. Those racks don't look secure and the flexing is going to put a lot of stress on the glass base of the 4ft aquarium especially. I would definitely be putting some half inch thick board cut to fit that shelf. It will spread the load evenly stopping any risk of cracking the base (I speak from experience). I would do this for all shelves you plan to sit aquarium's on.
I'm definitely going to do this! Thank you heaps for the tips and for sharing your experience with this type of thing, it helps a lot. It seems like the consensus is definitely adding some more support to it
I found this video because I was wondering if I should put a wood board cut to fit to allow my rack to be more stable with heavy tanks on it, and found your comment, lol!
I have done a similar rack and I put a sheet of 3/4" plywood under the tanks. I just cut it all the way out to the outer edge so it was sitting on the shelf support bars and on top of the shelf grate. That worked well for me so I would for sure recommend it for the extra peace of mind.
agree with everyone on putting some wood underneath the tanks, however in doubt with the amount of weight.. that it will actually do anything( but better to be safe ) otherwise looks great, look forward to updates
Thank you!! And for sure, that's what I was thinking. Even if it was going to be ok it still looks scary, so I think it'll look a lot nicer being more stable
I would also consider bolting the shelving unit to the wall behind for safety. You wouldn't want the whole unit, plus full tanks, to tip forward onto you!
My girl, please please put a board on each of those racks for the tanks to sit on. Pleeeeease lol would hate to see a spot weld brake on one or two of those little metal wires qnd the vibrations from the pop snapping a tank :0
Hahaha, I'm definitely going to do this now! After I saw everyone's comments I emptied the water out and took the sand out so it's at least lighter for now while I work out what I can use
Hi Kaity, Strongly recommend to place soft board beneath water filled aquarium to avoid cracks. Things looking great. Excited how the new tanks will look like. All the best !
Your going to need to put boards under the tanks and being full glass, Id also highly recommend some polystyrene foam between the boards and the tanks... As they are now especially with the zip ties there those tanks will end up cracking.. The styrene compresses to even things out and if you have anything that is there like a grain of sand again the styrene will compress and the tank wont crack. The fact the mesh is bowing is enough to tell you you need to put a better base there. Also, the problem with the rubber matting you have under it now, its not thick enough t compress as much as it needs and Ive found when ive used it under small tanks, over time it gets mold in it.. styrene breathes better ..
Hi Kaity I used form/construction ply for my Bunnings rack it system, i had brought 3 sheets of it, one sheet had to be cut in half which Bunnings did for me. Good thing about the form/construction ply is it can get wet and very strong. Kind regards Adam
Hi Kaity! I have the Tidal hobs and they are great. I wanted to tell you that because of you, I am venturing out to the pet expo in Melbourne today, on my own. I suffer anxiety, but last night I said to myself, that Kaity sometimes goes places on her own, like expos…so if she can do it, so can I, just minus the camera! I really want to check out the aquascaping and aquatic stands they are going to have. Thanks Kaity ❤
Awwww, you have no idea how happy that makes me to hear!! That really put a smile on my face :) I hope you had an amazing day there. It's definitely a bit scary at first but the more you do it the easier it gets. I go lots of places on my own these days, so you're not alone
Well done Kaity always a pleasure having you in our store. The heater holder on the tidal can and will support the Fluval heater if your next in, and not rushing off to produce awesome videos. We would love to show you how they are applied to the unit on your next visit, i believe you will also find it to be a lot neater. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, it's always such a pleasure visiting you guys too!! And that's awesome to hear, I didn't know that it fit a Fluval heater, I'm definitely going to come in and check it out :)
Hi Kaity. I know you see a lot in the comments about the racks. I have experience with this type of rack also. I would place plywood and on top of that a 1/2 inch thick foam. This allows the tank to settle without cracking the glass seal or worse yet breaking the tank. Love your videos.
I would put a sheet of plywood across. Some people said to use Marine board, but that’s ridiculously expensive. You could just use spray paint or some sort of paint to seal it and it will help the water bubble off unless you have a major leak you should be OK I’ve been looking at similar shelving, and my plan is to get a board that goes edge to edge, and if I have to notch the corners of the wood very slightly to fit, I will just for the peace of mind that the wood is supported by the edge of the shelving. The price is cheap that the shelving won’t sag in the center
Hi Kaity. As with other comments the tanks need support underneath. I’d cut marine ply to fit and paint black and then poly or something like a yoga mat between tank and ply. Otherwise the point loading on the tank corner could create a situation the end in tears. Good luck.
i bought one of those racks from bunnings and returned it, it was only a 60cm or 90cm long one but i did not feel safe putting tanks on it after building it. if you want to keep it, id suggest getting some marine ply on the shelves and cut a yoga mat to fit under the tank.
I’m so glad for the comments because I would’ve thought some bending was normal for that amount of water ❤ Love the t shirts and hoodies, i had already looked the other day xx
Cool setup, I used the exact same racking system for a while with a few different size aquariums, biggest one of them being a 150L so fairly heavy, I didn't use plywood underneath like a lot of people have suggested but just a yoga mat and nothing bad happened luckily, but the second time I used the racking I did add plywood which made it seem more sturdy than just the mesh, now I am using pallet racking with 18mm plywood and its basically indestructible and pretty cheap too, A while ago while doing research on easy to setup shelving's for aquariums the Bunnings rack it and Pinnacle brand systems popped up and people mentioned how it started slowly sagging over time and causing issues even if it initially seemed to hold the weight fine, you just wont have to worry about that with pallet racking, but hey got to start somewhere and your current setup is great, looking forward to seeing how you evolve your aquariums/fish setup over time. 👍
Hi Kaity, I know so many people said it in the comments but I think it's important to mention it's better to put a board on the base of your tanks, at least for the bigger one, It happened to me that I put a 100-liter tank on a similar wired metal rack and the glass base ended up licking. Fortunately, I emptied the tank on time, replaced the base, and put it on a wooden board to distribute the weight. Anyway, I'm so excited to see how this is coming along. Just Watching your fish swimming around in a new system is totally worth the effort. Thanks for sharing the video. ¡Have a wonderful and blessed weekend🙌💪!!!
I really enjoyed this style of video (where we get to see your process) because it helped me to feel a bit more normal with my own trial and error projects in the hobby, which I really appreciate
I'd be putting some plywood or similar on those shelves to help spread the load and provide a solid base for the tank. Furthermore as you have used fishing line and zip ties to hang up the lights, the wood would stop any pressure points on the underside of the tank from these. You also may wish to consider drilling the rack to the wall. It's already looking good and I'm sure once fully set up with fish it will look great
I would also place a plywood board across the shelf for the tank to sit on. I would be afraid that the bowing of the wire shelf could put stress points on the glass tank.
The racking system said it was rated for 625kg per shelf but that's if it's evenly distributed. So I'm thinking adding some marine ply might be the way to go to hopefully spread the weight out a bit more
Great video . . . .don't worry about the aesthetics while you set up the tank. It is essentially a construction site, you can police the debris later. If you feel guilty, you can always mop the floor later just no wax. Don't want to go skating on a wet waxy floor. 😁😁😁
I've used those racking systems for a lot of my aquariums,they're great, but you need to use ply as your base and also i would suggest attaching too the wall so they can't toppel forward. Good luck.
Those neon tetras were so beautiful they almost looked like cardinals. =) Good luck with your rack, we'll be watching with anticipation that it comes out good.
For supporting the bottom of an aquarium I always support the corners. As long as the corners have something solid under them it should be fine. I haven't had any problems in the 20 years of fish keeping (fingers crossed)
Forget the mat under the tank, you NEED a board to place under the aquarium to spread the load evenly on the shelf. Don't risk it, mend it once and for all.
This is one of your most entertaining and enjoyable videos Kaity‼️ Such a great idea for that space, excited for all the updates! Definitely get some marine grade plywood under frameless tanks and maybe a thin sheet of rubber or the mat between the tank and plywood ❗️
Consider putting some insulation in the door panels press fit will work no need to glue if your renting. Garages have larger temp fluctuations than in your house so summer can kill fish. Look at the ink bird temp controllers linked to a fan and heater to keep temps in check. I have a 10w crappy fan pointed at water surface and when it gets 2 degrees hotter than desired temp it turns on the fan to get temp back to desired temp level. Prior to putting the inkbird linked to fan the temps were often over 30. I lost a 16” pleco as a tank heater cooked him. I drop half the water when I realized and temp was still reading over 30. He lasted about a week before passing. Since I’ve had inkbird and fan temps max at 28. Even on 44degree day we had recently. I’m in Perth. Our garage is north facing so temps get horrible in garage even with insulation.. anyway something to consider. The inkbird is the ITc-308-WiFi which can also send alerts to phone. Aragonite is good. And last forever. I’m a leave it be aquarist as I often did the weekly water changes etc and alway lost fish. Started with tetras and went to mbuna as they are rock solid vs the tetra.
Thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful, and super relevant for my garage too. It gets super hot in there with the sun hitting it morning and afternoon, so I'm definitely going to look into the insulation and ink bird controller now you've mentioned it
Hi Katie, no worries happy to help. Saves being devastated by lost fish. The inkbird controller I got from a brew shop. They use them to control the yeast fermentation of the wort in fridges (with heater hands) but works just same forfish tanks. Plug heater in hot plug and set its thermostat then put a fan in the cool plug and it will bounce around in the zone you set. Ie 26 with 26-28 range, my alarms are at 30 and 22 I think. Because it would indicate somethings cooking or freezing. But but death zone in death zone too long. I wish I had in place on my long tanks as my 16”+ pleco would still be with us. As alarm is loud enough it would have brought house down with the alarm. You can set up email or text alarm but I haven’t set that up as I wfh 100% so pretty much always here.
Hi Kaity, Love the idea. Always fun setting up new tanks. But you should put some plywood under the tanks. As the metal bows over time it could crack may crack the glass
Very Well Done Kaity, Must be Really Hectic for Yourself at the Moment. Hope those Shelves as one Person observed is going to be able to take the Weights on it. Just be Careful when doing this work. Very Well Explained and Educational to Myself and look forward to setting up my systems when I return from Los Angeles Monday. Good Luck to you, You deserve many accolades. Regards
Hi Kaity! You are awesome and I love your videos. You definitely need good, strong boards under the tanks to distribute the weight and help protect them from cracking. I would also anchor the rack to the wall just to be on the safe side.
I would suggest adding a thick board on top of the wire cut to the same dimensions as the shelve ledges. Also I'm into cichlids but also cars and use alot of those racks for parts in my shop and they do bow but I found the manufacturers usually offer additional support braces/slats that you can slide in under the wire. Love tha vids!!!
14:28 fluval internals rock. I had them dry out and filled up tank and thankfully they start back up. Bullet proof!! eheim prof 2 and prof 3 for external canisters are awesome too. Running both of mine for near 20yrs now. Eheim heaters are junk now. I’ve had 2 cook fish one I caught one I didn’t. And had 2 others die. Using aqueal now and seem okay. In other post said I have inkbird monitor now to eliminate the heater issue in future. it has a alarm and if you set it up it can email or text you. For the rack. Consider some plank wood (200x25 or 35) or 3/4” (19mm) marine ply and some foam under the tank. To spread loads and eliminate point loads especially if you have tempered glass.
Wow, 20 years on those canister filters is awesome! Thank you for sharing the brands you've found reliable :) And I'm definitely going to be getting some marine ply for the shelves now
@@Kaityscichlids I think the prof 2 might be 23 or 24yr and the prof 3 would be 16-18ys whenever they came out - Maybe 2006 or 2008. The prof2 I had to replace the o-ring once. The clips need replacing (as the part that clips to the pivot busted but still clamps the lid okay. I have a 3d printer and have printed off somr replacements in ASA that I’ll put on when I next clean it. Marine ply glue is more durable than regular ply (the cost is a bit more as a result). If you want some good stuff get formply as very stable and has that black laminate that would be easy to wipe up messes. Use in conjunction with the mesh. Under my tall tank I have 150x25mm planks the width of tank 36x14x24(lxwxh). Just on stability someone mentioned the rack not have a diagonal braces - it maybe s good idea to get some steel wire so eye bolts with a turn buckle to do a cross each way. Tighten till it’s taught and it will ensure It never flops over. Although it may not be an issue as I have the super heavy duty one and they have a shed load of stuff on and don’t look wobbly in the slightest.
@@Kaityscichlids hope you got the rack all sorted. Be good if you had some help with lifting stuff. Watching you on the step ladder with a 120mm tank was a concern. Good on you though. Get it done now kinda person. I feel you. I’m the same.
Awesome video! Looks like a pretty neat setup, can't wait to see the progress on the rack system! Like how you set the lights up on it especially! Rack systems are pretty fun to use, I used a rack recirculation system with 15 aquariums for my dissertation which was a feed trial using carp and barbel kept either individually or mixed at different stocking proportions. These has a sump with a moving bed filter at the bottom and an overflow/trickle tank at the top which would filter water across all the aquariums which worked really well.
Whoaaa, that is awesome!! I was thinking about how cool it would be to have something like that with a sump down the bottom and all the tanks connected. I think it's definitely going to be lot of fun to use :) I hope your dissertation went well, that sounds like fun research!
@@Kaityscichlids A sump could certainly be a setup to consider if you're going to be running a decent number of aquariums on it! Would make keeping the water parameters the same across all the systems easy plus would save on space with needing individual filters for each setup! The only issues I can think of is if you require different water parameters for different aquariums and the risk of disease spreading, though as you've got a quarantine aquarium which would be set up separately you'd probably be ok with that! Could always put a UV filter on the outflow before you get to the sump perhaps to help mitigate that risk? Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it! Thanks! It did go relatively well, I ran the trial for 3 months and produced a fair bit of data. The carp grew well regardless of whether they were on their own or mixed with barbel. The barbel did grow in all systems, however they grew best on their own without carp. The main issue I had was barbel jumping out, even when all of the gaps in the aquariums were plugged and taped down! Was a lot of fun though, and pretty rewarding to run :)
I think this is fine. Wouldn't worry - correction, i just actually watched the video, and i would definitely get some boards under that tank. Love the channel
If you’re not going to put a tank on the very bottom. I would move both shelves down a bit, so you have more room above each tank to work. And leave the bottom at a height that you can still use the bottom rack for storage. Every extra room you have to do water changes or to move stuff in and out. Will pay off later.
Wow. That looked really difficult. I'm looking forward to seeing you when you're finished. Best regards from a fish perch friend from Germany. Great videos.
I drained it and took the sand out! Now I'm just going to try add some boards to support those racks better, thank you to you and everyone else for your help :)
Dont use MDF with water, you are asking for trouble asap, use Marine Ply, 16mm Marine ply still will sag a little but better than MDF - it goes to crap even if you mention the word "water" anywhere near it Brad
I had a look at those ones too originally, but I liked the look of the wire better than the MDF boards. I guess it's not practical using the wire on it's own, so hopefully adding some boards will help
@@Kaityscichlids Just make sure it is either forming ply or Marine ply - like I said before that is heavy and would be easy half a tonne or more, lot of weiight to be trusted on those shelving - I have the same ones in my workshop and I know that they are limited
i would secure the racking to the wall also as they tend to be a bit wobbly. On mine i have a sheet of plywood ontop of the wire shelves but otherwise great job getting that garage tidied :)
I have a very similar rack from bunnings, 3 teirs. I have 2, roughly 120 litres plus a 60 litre on each rack, my tanks are different from normal sized 120 ltr tanks. Sure I'm over capacity but has held up for over 2 years now. I put chipboard and Styrofoam on the racks, now I wish I'd gotten a harder woodshelf. Next is sump
Hahaha i knew it,i knew it,i just knew it!!! That garage would become a fishroom !!😂😂😂 It looks so cool already!!! But i'm afraid the bending of that rack is going to be a problem in time. It's important to have your tank leveled and supported equally.i had a tank standing on a cabinet that started to bend over time and the eventually the seams started to leak.so i decided to build my own (extra strong) cabinet, just to my own likings.it's been standing for years now and I'm still verry happy with it.i would suggest you put some boards on that rack (it's not to late yet) before you start decorating your tanks . they can become very heavy! keep in mind 1l of water= 1kg +sand ,decorations+the tank itself all ad up in weight.other from that,i love watching you doing this and my respect for you grows once more!! you're no longer the empress of junk,but the queen of the fishroom!!!😂👍👍
Hahaha, yes I have moved to new heights now!! The junk empire so now gone and I wish I did it sooner, it's crazy the amount of space that was just sitting there. So funny you called it too lol. And I definitely agree with you on the support for the racks, hopefully adding some boards will help
As always, another amazing video! Definitely smiled a lot during that one :) I would definitely throw some plywood on those shelves and screw them to the shelf with self tapers. Love your content, Kaity! Hope you’re doing well! Keep up the great work!
It looks awesome! I wish I had a garage... but I think I'm going to build a TIKI Hutt with solar power, tanks, a bar and a grill. Later on, I will add a small pond for Koi. You did a really nice job with your set-up. The sand is so nice, I want sand in my75 gallon tank now. Thanks so much for this video! I love it!
I love the Tidal filters. I have the Tidal 75 and it is amazing. 😻 not thing I don’t like is the blue accents. And I just picked up the T300 heater lol
That's so funny, I was thinking the same thing! I was like why did they have to add that blue on there haha. It seems like they're going to be really good :) And so funny you just got the new Fluval heater too, I really like the T150 one I added in
I agree with the boards/plywood/etc. The closer the fit, the better. If there is a way to support it attached to the frame, all the better. Definitely a Dad project. Are you going to use concrete block and rebar for the cassowary enclosure?
its been mentioned several times, you really need to add support on the shelves, before your tank cracks , your doing well and we know it will suck to clean out the tank but its either that or clean up the mess after, , the rack system works cause i have several and holding 75gl tanks ,
I love your content and have been needing new Tshirts so I ordered 2 to the US :) they look so cute great job designing them! I have an all Mbuna tank and learned a lot from your videos while setting it up
As stated you need to empty the tanks or they will crack. Get some a sheet of plywood 1/2 inch or thicker. I don't know about in Australia but in America the stores will cut the sheet to the dimensions you want. Then you can either stain it or not, finally you will want to seal it with a urethane to waterproof it. Could make some good content for your channel!
What a mission this was!! But I'm very excited to see what this new chapter brings 😁 If I don't get back to replying to comments tonight I will most definitely be on in the morning (in Australia) responding 😊
I believe that each shelf can hold 50kgs max
Hey kaity the flexing of the metal could put pressure on the edges of Ur tank and because those bars are skinny there's heaps of points that could be a weak spot if u were to accidentally knock the shelves I'd by some thick board to fit perfectly in might be ha dy getting a friend that could help u cut the board up loving Ur videos keep at it champion
@@SuperCichlidbreederthey are really strong, you can put 200 kg of concrete bags on each no problem. They may be rated at 600kg (per shelf).
The problem is that they lose strength if the load is not even (because it’s thin metal that’s stron in one direction but bends in another), should be fine for fishtanks. A bigger issue is that there is no lateral bracing, so pushing them from a side can cause them to collapse. It would be OK if they were attached to the wall. Mine lasted a year before they disintegrated but I’ve been abusing them.
Kaity I am really sorry but you have bought the wrong shelf... trust me... I used to work at Bunnings and had to replace and give advice on this multiple times. Let me explain. It comes down to this rack having no cross supports which means that it can 'twist'. This is a torsion force (science) which can cause your tanks to collapse if someone, even a child, grabs an egde and pulls. To see how much this rack can flex go to Bunnings with two people, get the assembled demonstration model, they can even get it down for you if it is on a top shelf. Standing with a person on either end place your feet on either end of the posts on the ground to support it. Now grab the top of the posts and both push it it their respective right (or left). With surprisingly little effort required you will see that the frame can twist quite easily up to 30cm. At this point it is catastrophic as the heavy fish tanks will exacerbate the motion and crack and/or collapse along with the shelving. The amount of times customers told me there horror stories is scary, and people that fail rarely put their mistakes online as they don't want to be ridiculed. It is OK though. Bunnings does have another option this IS suitable and that does have cross support. It is the 1000kg per shelf Rack-It system, which I recommend you get no longer that 1200mm wide. The wonderful thing about Bunnings is that you can take back your rack and they will provide you with the full amount in store credit if you return it saying that it is not fit for purpose and that you would like to buy something more suitable. If you need any help with this or have any drama with Bunnings just message me. I think it would be wise for you to admit that this rack may not be suitable so that you are not educating people to follow a path that could be dangerous or potentially lethal
@@SuperCichlidbreeder if it is 50kg, it is well over that,easy 450 to 500kg lot of weight in water
I definitely would not trust that wire to spread the load correctly, I'd lay on some 18mm marine ply that's the full size of the shelf
It’s even worse, they lack any diagonal support so any impact from the side can collapse it. I bought the same style of shelving and they’re both in pieces.
It’s very scary. Hope she’s reads your comment.
I was thinking the same thing.
I agree i trialed the same racks and rejected them! Replaced with the 1000kg capacity / shelf Rackit brand from Bunnings. They work a real treat!
Yeah, I’d get a board to cover the entire length of the rack too. It depends on the weight but I have two types of racks in my garage. One has less weight on it and it’s fine with the board. The other is heavy duty shelving with lots of cross support (dewalt brand) and that handles a lot of weight without any sagging.
Katy, I am an old woman in the USA: The boards should be cut to fit tightly in the frame of the shelves of the stand, then the weight will be distributed evenly and should not bow. Please listen to all the prompting to get the boards in before you lose your tanks to the stress.
I love your videos and that you are not afraid to go hard for what you want.
yay wise woman from the USA!
@@rembrandtshadows
@21:11 "It's a bit dodgy, but I think it will hold" Famous line before a lot of aquatic disasters. For the bowing shelf rack - I would use 3/4 plywood boards on top of the rack. Those wouldn't bow since they are generally used as sub flooring in housing. Spray paint them black and it will match the rack and look really good. You would also have a more solid shelf to place items on top of.
I have the same shelving and tank I used the plywood on top of mesh shelving painted black with no problem
Hi Kaity. Those racks don't look secure and the flexing is going to put a lot of stress on the glass base of the 4ft aquarium especially. I would definitely be putting some half inch thick board cut to fit that shelf. It will spread the load evenly stopping any risk of cracking the base (I speak from experience). I would do this for all shelves you plan to sit aquarium's on.
I agree, the flexing is not great, I would be concerned. I think a wooden board underneath would be a wise decision.
I'm definitely going to do this! Thank you heaps for the tips and for sharing your experience with this type of thing, it helps a lot. It seems like the consensus is definitely adding some more support to it
@Kaityscichlids Good for you 👍 "Safety in a multitude of counselors".
👍I would also use an aquarium mat or polystyrene between the board and the glass for thermal and kinetic insulation.
I found this video because I was wondering if I should put a wood board cut to fit to allow my rack to be more stable with heavy tanks on it, and found your comment, lol!
I have done a similar rack and I put a sheet of 3/4" plywood under the tanks. I just cut it all the way out to the outer edge so it was sitting on the shelf support bars and on top of the shelf grate. That worked well for me so I would for sure recommend it for the extra peace of mind.
agree with everyone on putting some wood underneath the tanks, however in doubt with the amount of weight.. that it will actually do anything( but better to be safe )
otherwise looks great, look forward to updates
Thank you!! And for sure, that's what I was thinking. Even if it was going to be ok it still looks scary, so I think it'll look a lot nicer being more stable
I would also consider bolting the shelving unit to the wall behind for safety. You wouldn't want the whole unit, plus full tanks, to tip forward onto you!
My girl, please please put a board on each of those racks for the tanks to sit on. Pleeeeease lol would hate to see a spot weld brake on one or two of those little metal wires qnd the vibrations from the pop snapping a tank :0
Hahaha, I'm definitely going to do this now! After I saw everyone's comments I emptied the water out and took the sand out so it's at least lighter for now while I work out what I can use
From USA. I know it will be a pain, but you must drain the tank and get a board underneath. I learned the hard way.
Love the way your garage space came out. Nothing like using a space to add to your aquarium hobby. Looking good!
Thank you 😊🙌
Hi Kaity,
Strongly recommend to place soft board beneath water filled aquarium to avoid cracks.
Things looking great. Excited how the new tanks will look like.
All the best !
I'm definitely going to do this! Thank you so much :D I'm very excited to keep working on it too, and get it all running
Your going to need to put boards under the tanks and being full glass, Id also highly recommend some polystyrene foam between the boards and the tanks... As they are now especially with the zip ties there those tanks will end up cracking.. The styrene compresses to even things out and if you have anything that is there like a grain of sand again the styrene will compress and the tank wont crack. The fact the mesh is bowing is enough to tell you you need to put a better base there. Also, the problem with the rubber matting you have under it now, its not thick enough t compress as much as it needs and Ive found when ive used it under small tanks, over time it gets mold in it.. styrene breathes better ..
Hi Kaity
I used form/construction ply for my Bunnings rack it system, i had brought 3 sheets of it, one sheet had to be cut in half which Bunnings did for me. Good thing about the form/construction ply is it can get wet and very strong.
Kind regards
Adam
Thank you so much for the recommendation Adam! That's good to know :)
@@Kaityscichlids you're most welcome Kaity, hope that helps you out. Can't wait to see how the rack turns out 😊
Just need to seal the edges. The faces are phenolic impregnated and completely waterproof.
Hi Kaity! I have the Tidal hobs and they are great. I wanted to tell you that because of you, I am venturing out to the pet expo in Melbourne today, on my own. I suffer anxiety, but last night I said to myself, that Kaity sometimes goes places on her own, like expos…so if she can do it, so can I, just minus the camera! I really want to check out the aquascaping and aquatic stands they are going to have. Thanks Kaity ❤
💪
Awwww, you have no idea how happy that makes me to hear!! That really put a smile on my face :) I hope you had an amazing day there. It's definitely a bit scary at first but the more you do it the easier it gets. I go lots of places on my own these days, so you're not alone
Well done. My daughter suffers from anxiety and little steps add up. But yours is a leap ahead. Hope you enjoy yourself.
Well done Kaity always a pleasure having you in our store. The heater holder on the tidal can and will support the Fluval heater if your next in, and not rushing off to produce awesome videos. We would love to show you how they are applied to the unit on your next visit, i believe you will also find it to be a lot neater.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, it's always such a pleasure visiting you guys too!! And that's awesome to hear, I didn't know that it fit a Fluval heater, I'm definitely going to come in and check it out :)
Hi Kaity. I know you see a lot in the comments about the racks. I have experience with this type of rack also. I would place plywood and on top of that a 1/2 inch thick foam. This allows the tank to settle without cracking the glass seal or worse yet breaking the tank. Love your videos.
I would put a sheet of plywood across. Some people said to use Marine board, but that’s ridiculously expensive. You could just use spray paint or some sort of paint to seal it and it will help the water bubble off unless you have a major leak you should be OK
I’ve been looking at similar shelving, and my plan is to get a board that goes edge to edge, and if I have to notch the corners of the wood very slightly to fit, I will just for the peace of mind that the wood is supported by the edge of the shelving.
The price is cheap that the shelving won’t sag in the center
Thank you!! It seems like this is a good choice
Very exciting Katie! Can’t wait to see the expansion!!!
Hi Kaity. As with other comments the tanks need support underneath. I’d cut marine ply to fit and paint black and then poly or something like a yoga mat between tank and ply. Otherwise the point loading on the tank corner could create a situation the end in tears. Good luck.
i bought one of those racks from bunnings and returned it, it was only a 60cm or 90cm long one but i did not feel safe putting tanks on it after building it. if you want to keep it, id suggest getting some marine ply on the shelves and cut a yoga mat to fit under the tank.
Very nice . New tanks. Excellent. Great job
Thank you so much :D
I’m so glad for the comments because I would’ve thought some bending was normal for that amount of water ❤
Love the t shirts and hoodies, i had already looked the other day xx
Great to see you getting some new tanks love it
Thank you so much 😁 I'm very excited!!
I can definitely relate with having to move heavy things by myself! It's a pain, but the result when you're done is usually worth it!
Cool setup, I used the exact same racking system for a while with a few different size aquariums, biggest one of them being a 150L so fairly heavy, I didn't use plywood underneath like a lot of people have suggested but just a yoga mat and nothing bad happened luckily, but the second time I used the racking I did add plywood which made it seem more sturdy than just the mesh, now I am using pallet racking with 18mm plywood and its basically indestructible and pretty cheap too, A while ago while doing research on easy to setup shelving's for aquariums the Bunnings rack it and Pinnacle brand systems popped up and people mentioned how it started slowly sagging over time and causing issues even if it initially seemed to hold the weight fine, you just wont have to worry about that with pallet racking, but hey got to start somewhere and your current setup is great, looking forward to seeing how you evolve your aquariums/fish setup over time. 👍
Katie, you can buy MDF replacement shelves for those racks at Bunnings.
Hi Kaity, i would have defo added a wooden board.
I'm on it!
Hi Kaity, I know so many people said it in the comments but I think it's important to mention it's better to put a board on the base of your tanks, at least for the bigger one, It happened to me that I put a 100-liter tank on a similar wired metal rack and the glass base ended up licking. Fortunately, I emptied the tank on time, replaced the base, and put it on a wooden board to distribute the weight. Anyway, I'm so excited to see how this is coming along. Just Watching your fish swimming around in a new system is totally worth the effort. Thanks for sharing the video. ¡Have a wonderful and blessed weekend🙌💪!!!
I really enjoyed this style of video (where we get to see your process) because it helped me to feel a bit more normal with my own trial and error projects in the hobby, which I really appreciate
Awesome but them shelves need more support😊
Thank you :D I'm getting onto it!
I'd be putting some plywood or similar on those shelves to help spread the load and provide a solid base for the tank. Furthermore as you have used fishing line and zip ties to hang up the lights, the wood would stop any pressure points on the underside of the tank from these.
You also may wish to consider drilling the rack to the wall.
It's already looking good and I'm sure once fully set up with fish it will look great
I would also place a plywood board across the shelf for the tank to sit on. I would be afraid that the bowing of the wire shelf could put stress points on the glass tank.
I'm definitely going to do this. Better to be safe than sorry I think! Hopefully the plywood will help distribute the weight more evenly
Check the weight limit on the wrack and I would put marine ply under the tank the wire dont look suitable for the pressure sitting on it
The racking system said it was rated for 625kg per shelf but that's if it's evenly distributed. So I'm thinking adding some marine ply might be the way to go to hopefully spread the weight out a bit more
Nice clean up job.
😊 nice set up
May your mother and father always be healthy.
Very cool. Aquariums can be a lot of work. Looking forward to how things develope! 👍
Thank you so much :D I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops too!
Great video . . . .don't worry about the aesthetics while you set up the tank. It is essentially a construction site, you can police the debris later. If you feel guilty, you can always mop the floor later just no wax. Don't want to go skating on a wet waxy floor. 😁😁😁
awesome i love the setup of the new tanks
Great video love it the aquariums look so good came out well can’t wait for updates.
Thank you heaps :D I'm really happy with how they're looking, hopefully I can just get these racks sorted
Not a bad collection in this garage, I have one in the basement. The catch is flying. Regards.
I've used those racking systems for a lot of my aquariums,they're great, but you need to use ply as your base and also i would suggest attaching too the wall so they can't toppel forward. Good luck.
Those neon tetras were so beautiful they almost looked like cardinals. =) Good luck with your rack, we'll be watching with anticipation that it comes out good.
A few people commented saying they are actually cardinal tetras! I didn't actually know there was a difference between them 😅 And thank you so much 😊🙏
For supporting the bottom of an aquarium I always support the corners. As long as the corners have something solid under them it should be fine. I haven't had any problems in the 20 years of fish keeping (fingers crossed)
That's good to know, thank you!!
Nice to see aquarium store like this
I can see you having 6 or 7 tanks in no time 😊…Welcome to the club Kaity. Btw the shallow tank calling for shellDweler 😊
I thought the Same ❤
Yes I think I've opened the gateway now. I'm not sure about the shell dwellers... But MAYBE one day haha
It's so much fun to watch your projects, you really know it, we learn a lot from you, thanks for letting us watch🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
Suck up
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
Your content continues to captivate audiences, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing more....
Thank you so much 😊🙏 You're the best!
Forget the mat under the tank, you NEED a board to place under the aquarium to spread the load evenly on the shelf. Don't risk it, mend it once and for all.
Imma get onto it!
Excellent as always, and I am sure you will make a beautiful aquarium. What good parents who help you.😍😍👌🐟🐠🐬
Hahaha, they are the best and always so helpful! Thank you heaps :)
Hi Kaity what a great idea on converting your garage to fit & set up a nice racking system for your new tanks 🤗🤗
Thank you so much! :D
Hi kaity thank you for sharing another awesome video ❤🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Good afternoon yeahhh ur definitely gonna need some wood underneath tank. I would do both. Just to b on the safe side. Thank you for the video.
Love the Seachem Tidals best HOB filter by far
They seem awesome!! I love how they have the skimmer built in too
Awesome stuff can't wait to see the finished project
Thank you!! I'm so excited to keep on working on it :D
looking good so far.
Awesome video. Love the longer ones.
Nice Rundown…The Tidal HOB are great …. after time they will get noisy ….gotta clean out The Propeller, then back being silent .
This is one of your most entertaining and enjoyable videos Kaity‼️ Such a great idea for that space, excited for all the updates! Definitely get some marine grade plywood under frameless tanks and maybe a thin sheet of rubber or the mat between the tank and plywood ❗️
Consider putting some insulation in the door panels press fit will work no need to glue if your renting. Garages have larger temp fluctuations than in your house so summer can kill fish.
Look at the ink bird temp controllers linked to a fan and heater to keep temps in check.
I have a 10w crappy fan pointed at water surface and when it gets 2 degrees hotter than desired temp it turns on the fan to get temp back to desired temp level. Prior to putting the inkbird linked to fan the temps were often over 30. I lost a 16” pleco as a tank heater cooked him. I drop half the water when I realized and temp was still reading over 30. He lasted about a week before passing.
Since I’ve had inkbird and fan temps max at 28. Even on 44degree day we had recently.
I’m in Perth. Our garage is north facing so temps get horrible in garage even with insulation.. anyway something to consider.
The inkbird is the ITc-308-WiFi which can also send alerts to phone.
Aragonite is good. And last forever. I’m a leave it be aquarist as I often did the weekly water changes etc and alway lost fish. Started with tetras and went to mbuna as they are rock solid vs the tetra.
Thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful, and super relevant for my garage too. It gets super hot in there with the sun hitting it morning and afternoon, so I'm definitely going to look into the insulation and ink bird controller now you've mentioned it
Hi Katie, no worries happy to help. Saves being devastated by lost fish. The inkbird controller I got from a brew shop. They use them to control the yeast fermentation of the wort in fridges (with heater hands) but works just same forfish tanks. Plug heater in hot plug and set its thermostat then put a fan in the cool plug and it will bounce around in the zone you set. Ie 26 with 26-28 range, my alarms are at 30 and 22 I think. Because it would indicate somethings cooking or freezing. But but death zone in death zone too long.
I wish I had in place on my long tanks as my 16”+ pleco would still be with us. As alarm is loud enough it would have brought house down with the alarm. You can set up email or text alarm but I haven’t set that up as I wfh 100% so pretty much always here.
Hi Kaity, Love the idea. Always fun setting up new tanks. But you should put some plywood under the tanks. As the metal bows over time it could crack may crack the glass
Love your racks Kaity ❤🐟!!
Thank you :D
I love the gloves. Funny😂
Definitely need some boards below the tanks.
Everything gonna be perfect with your new project 😊 congrats Kaity, i love your channel.
Great video tanks look ace
Thank you heaps :)
Very Well Done Kaity, Must be Really Hectic for Yourself at the Moment.
Hope those Shelves as one Person observed is going to be able to take the Weights on it.
Just be Careful when doing this work.
Very Well Explained and Educational to Myself and look forward to setting up my systems when I return from Los Angeles Monday.
Good Luck to you, You deserve many accolades.
Regards
Hi Kaity! You are awesome and I love your videos. You definitely need good, strong boards under the tanks to distribute the weight and help protect them from cracking. I would also anchor the rack to the wall just to be on the safe side.
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏 I'm definitely going to try that out! Hopefully that'll make it a lot sturdier
@@Kaityscichlids I'm excited to see everything when it's all finished! 😊
Awesome aquarium ❤😊
Thank you :)
I would suggest adding a thick board on top of the wire cut to the same dimensions as the shelve ledges. Also I'm into cichlids but also cars and use alot of those racks for parts in my shop and they do bow but I found the manufacturers usually offer additional support braces/slats that you can slide in under the wire. Love tha vids!!!
14:28 fluval internals rock. I had them dry out and filled up tank and thankfully they start back up. Bullet proof!!
eheim prof 2 and prof 3 for external canisters are awesome too. Running both of mine for near 20yrs now.
Eheim heaters are junk now. I’ve had 2 cook fish one I caught one I didn’t. And had 2 others die. Using aqueal now and seem okay.
In other post said I have inkbird monitor now to eliminate the heater issue in future. it has a alarm and if you set it up it can email or text you.
For the rack. Consider some plank wood (200x25 or 35) or 3/4” (19mm) marine ply and some foam under the tank. To spread loads and eliminate point loads especially if you have tempered glass.
Wow, 20 years on those canister filters is awesome! Thank you for sharing the brands you've found reliable :) And I'm definitely going to be getting some marine ply for the shelves now
@@Kaityscichlids I think the prof 2 might be 23 or 24yr and the prof 3 would be 16-18ys whenever they came out - Maybe 2006 or 2008. The prof2 I had to replace the o-ring once. The clips need replacing (as the part that clips to the pivot busted but still clamps the lid okay. I have a 3d printer and have printed off somr replacements in ASA that I’ll put on when I next clean it.
Marine ply glue is more durable than regular ply (the cost is a bit more as a result). If you want some good stuff get formply as very stable and has that black laminate that would be easy to wipe up messes. Use in conjunction with the mesh.
Under my tall tank I have 150x25mm planks the width of tank 36x14x24(lxwxh).
Just on stability someone mentioned the rack not have a diagonal braces - it maybe s good idea to get some steel wire so eye bolts with a turn buckle to do a cross each way. Tighten till it’s taught and it will ensure It never flops over. Although it may not be an issue as I have the super heavy duty one and they have a shed load of stuff on and don’t look wobbly in the slightest.
Nice racks 😊
Good work Katie, always good to clear old stuff out. MAD Aquariums is amazing btw went there yesterday. What great staff!!
Thank you!! I loooove them there, they're so awesome and such lovely staff! I always have a great time when I visit :)
@@Kaityscichlids hope you got the rack all sorted.
Be good if you had some help with lifting stuff.
Watching you on the step ladder with a 120mm tank was a concern.
Good on you though.
Get it done now kinda person. I feel you. I’m the same.
Awesome video! Looks like a pretty neat setup, can't wait to see the progress on the rack system! Like how you set the lights up on it especially! Rack systems are pretty fun to use, I used a rack recirculation system with 15 aquariums for my dissertation which was a feed trial using carp and barbel kept either individually or mixed at different stocking proportions. These has a sump with a moving bed filter at the bottom and an overflow/trickle tank at the top which would filter water across all the aquariums which worked really well.
Whoaaa, that is awesome!! I was thinking about how cool it would be to have something like that with a sump down the bottom and all the tanks connected. I think it's definitely going to be lot of fun to use :) I hope your dissertation went well, that sounds like fun research!
@@Kaityscichlids A sump could certainly be a setup to consider if you're going to be running a decent number of aquariums on it! Would make keeping the water parameters the same across all the systems easy plus would save on space with needing individual filters for each setup! The only issues I can think of is if you require different water parameters for different aquariums and the risk of disease spreading, though as you've got a quarantine aquarium which would be set up separately you'd probably be ok with that! Could always put a UV filter on the outflow before you get to the sump perhaps to help mitigate that risk? Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it! Thanks! It did go relatively well, I ran the trial for 3 months and produced a fair bit of data. The carp grew well regardless of whether they were on their own or mixed with barbel. The barbel did grow in all systems, however they grew best on their own without carp. The main issue I had was barbel jumping out, even when all of the gaps in the aquariums were plugged and taped down! Was a lot of fun though, and pretty rewarding to run :)
Id be putting some plywood underneath your tanks. If you go back to Bunnings you can buy a big sheet and they will cut it to size for you
I think this is fine. Wouldn't worry - correction, i just actually watched the video, and i would definitely get some boards under that tank.
Love the channel
Thank you 😊🙏
If you’re not going to put a tank on the very bottom. I would move both shelves down a bit, so you have more room above each tank to work. And leave the bottom at a height that you can still use the bottom rack for storage.
Every extra room you have to do water changes or to move stuff in and out. Will pay off later.
Wow. That looked really difficult. I'm looking forward to seeing you when you're finished. Best regards from a fish perch friend from Germany. Great videos.
Thank you so much!! It was a big job but I got there in the end :) And from Germany, how cool!
I would personally put a 1/2 or 3/4” thick board under that tank. Uneven pressure could definitely break the glass.
I think you should get some plywood for under the tanks, give the glass more support than the wire mesh. Bunnings will cut to your measurements.
First thought I had when I saw the shelving. "Kaity cleaned the garage" :P
Thankfully there’s plenty of warnings before I post. I’d drain that tank straight away and get extra support in there.
I drained it and took the sand out! Now I'm just going to try add some boards to support those racks better, thank you to you and everyone else for your help :)
Bunnings sells the rack it series, which has mdf boards to fit on top of the wire shelves.
You could also ask the staff to cut to size some panels.
Dont use MDF with water, you are asking for trouble asap, use Marine Ply, 16mm Marine ply still will sag a little but better than MDF - it goes to crap even if you mention the word "water" anywhere near it
Brad
I had a look at those ones too originally, but I liked the look of the wire better than the MDF boards. I guess it's not practical using the wire on it's own, so hopefully adding some boards will help
Yes I've definitely noticed that with MDF, it swells like crazy!
@@Kaityscichlids Just make sure it is either forming ply or Marine ply - like I said before that is heavy and would be easy half a tonne or more, lot of weiight to be trusted on those shelving - I have the same ones in my workshop and I know that they are limited
Well done Kaity, I assume you made sure your Shelf System is now Ok for Use.
Really Interesting watching.
Take care of yourself Girl.
Regards
Thank you so much 😊🙏 it is much safer now!! 😁
Great idea but I would definitely add some 25-30mm board cut to size for strength. I'd be worried over time the glass would flex and break.
It’ll be fine
i would secure the racking to the wall also as they tend to be a bit wobbly. On mine i have a sheet of plywood ontop of the wire shelves but otherwise great job getting that garage tidied :)
Thank you so much for the tips! It was a big job but I'm so glad it's all done (almost lol)
I have a very similar rack from bunnings, 3 teirs.
I have 2, roughly 120 litres plus a 60 litre on each rack, my tanks are different from normal sized 120 ltr tanks. Sure I'm over capacity but has held up for over 2 years now.
I put chipboard and Styrofoam on the racks, now I wish I'd gotten a harder woodshelf. Next is sump
Awesome!!!!
Thank you :D
Hahaha i knew it,i knew it,i just knew it!!! That garage would become a fishroom !!😂😂😂 It looks so cool already!!! But i'm afraid the bending of that rack is going to be a problem in time. It's important to have your tank leveled and supported equally.i had a tank standing on a cabinet that started to bend over time and the eventually the seams started to leak.so i decided to build my own (extra strong) cabinet, just to my own likings.it's been standing for years now and I'm still verry happy with it.i would suggest you put some boards on that rack (it's not to late yet) before you start decorating your tanks . they can become very heavy! keep in mind 1l of water= 1kg +sand ,decorations+the tank itself all ad up in weight.other from that,i love watching you doing this and my respect for you grows once more!! you're no longer the empress of junk,but the queen of the fishroom!!!😂👍👍
Hahaha, yes I have moved to new heights now!! The junk empire so now gone and I wish I did it sooner, it's crazy the amount of space that was just sitting there. So funny you called it too lol. And I definitely agree with you on the support for the racks, hopefully adding some boards will help
As always, another amazing video! Definitely smiled a lot during that one :) I would definitely throw some plywood on those shelves and screw them to the shelf with self tapers. Love your content, Kaity! Hope you’re doing well! Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much Travis :D I'm definitely going to take heed and add some plywood and a better soft mat
I would replace the wire with 1/2 inch or 5/8 painted plywood. Or marine plywood as mentioned below.
It looks awesome! I wish I had a garage... but I think I'm going to build a TIKI Hutt with solar power, tanks, a bar and a grill. Later on, I will add a small pond for Koi. You did a really nice job with your set-up. The sand is so nice, I want sand in my75 gallon tank now. Thanks so much for this video! I love it!
Thank you so much :) And honestly a Tiki Hutt with a bar sounds WAY cooler than a garage haha. That would be awesome
I love the Tidal filters. I have the Tidal 75 and it is amazing. 😻 not thing I don’t like is the blue accents. And I just picked up the T300 heater lol
That's so funny, I was thinking the same thing! I was like why did they have to add that blue on there haha. It seems like they're going to be really good :) And so funny you just got the new Fluval heater too, I really like the T150 one I added in
I agree with the boards/plywood/etc. The closer the fit, the better. If there is a way to support it attached to the frame, all the better. Definitely a Dad project. Are you going to use concrete block and rebar for the cassowary enclosure?
its been mentioned several times, you really need to add support on the shelves, before your tank cracks , your doing well and we know it will suck to clean out the tank but its either that or clean up the mess after, , the rack system works cause i have several and holding 75gl tanks ,
Great video love how real you are but yes agreed defo boards on racks
Thank you!! And I'm definitely going to get onto that!
I love your content and have been needing new Tshirts so I ordered 2 to the US :) they look so cute great job designing them! I have an all Mbuna tank and learned a lot from your videos while setting it up
As stated you need to empty the tanks or they will crack. Get some a sheet of plywood 1/2 inch or thicker. I don't know about in Australia but in America the stores will cut the sheet to the dimensions you want. Then you can either stain it or not, finally you will want to seal it with a urethane to waterproof it. Could make some good content for your channel!