Starting a shrimp rack need opinions

[Victorp]

Alright so I will have a shrimp rack of 4 -40 breeders and maybe a fifth one as well. The only problem is my house has some foundation problems so I'm not sure if it will hold the weight. I was thinking of putting it in my 1 year old concrete base shed. The only problem is it doesn't have any outlets and during the summer's it get's too hot, the winter's should be fine due to the heaters that I will have in each tank. One way I think I could get electricity is I can run an extension cord to the shed but not sure if that's safe to be running 4 tanks. Your opinions and advice will help a lot thanks

[Chris.d514]

An electrician should be able to connect a new breaker in you box if you dig a trench and run a new line in pvc yourself. Then you can add a window unit as well to keep the temp in check during the summer. It isn't the cheapest way of doing this but it is definitely the most stable and effective way to do this that I can think of. Running the lines yourself and letting the electrician make the connections let him make sure it is code and saves you a pretty penny just make sure all of the connections on the pipe are sealed including the ends which can be filled with silicone.

[Fancyfish]

How thick is the concrete base in your shed? Even with foundation problems in the house, you may be better off in the house as that base is probably much thicker than the shed's.

[Victorp]

I'd say 3-5" I filled one of the tanks up in my house just to find out that the foundation is so bad one side of the tank's water is about .5" higher then the other side and its slanted so makes me very worried

[Totenkampf]

you would probably need more than one circuit going out there from your panelboard if you intend to add a window or portable a/c unit. if you have a 20A breaker then you should try to have a safety factor and use no more than 14-15 amps on that circuit. total the amperage from all your intended lighting, heaters, and filters. i personally think that shrimp will not do well in an uncooled shed in texas but i depends on the roof insulation and if you have overhanging trees.

[Victorp]

The shed is pretty small would a normal fan work to keep it cool? The shed is covered by a tree would a window unit be too much though? Getting an electrician to create outlets in the shed will cost a few hundred. unless I did it myself but I am inexperienced and don't know anything about wiring and stuff of that sort.

[Vigilante]

Starting a shrimp rack need opinions

In my opinion an air conditioner would be a must. I would not even consider running shrimp tanks without air conditioning. Shrimps are really sensitive to parameter change and probably would not do well with significant temp fluctuations. I think that setting it up without having a plan for temperature stability is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Just the money lost by killing off you're entire stock once would probably cost more than setting up dedicated circuits and air conditioning.

[mistahoo]

I would go with the ac unit instead of the fan. What all are you using (filters, lights, heaters)? I'd try to find out the total Amps that everything is going to be using before planning everything else.

[Totenkampf]

fans just circulate air, if the air is hot then it wont cool much unless it is mixing with a cooler air source. they actually add some heat load to the shed due to their motor. you can buy inexpensive digital thermometers that will record high and low temps so you can see what the range is in there. an aquarium would be a little cooler do to water evaporation, which could be another issue if you dont stay on evap then water pH and hardness could swing. an uncontrolled environment is just that, i would hate to see your obvious enthusiasm curbed by a bad experience and this has a good chance of ending up that way if you dont take precautions

[LordBarron7692]

well I'm an AC tech and the guys are right you should sit down and simple add up the amprage for eveything that you plan on using and also if you want to add the window unit type ac you gonna need to know the sq footage of your shed because you get one to small and you will burn it out quickly get on to big and you turn your shed into a freezer and I have a very good friend that is a licensed electrician if you need one.

[HERM]

You could make a leave base in the house,then set your stand on that and all your tanks will be leave.

[bikeguru]

Reading this you should ask yourself do I want to spend the money on a shrimp farm or should I just fix my foundation??
To me that's a no brainer!!
Your house is a investment a shrimp farm not really.
Btw, I know.
On a other note my shrimp farm is for sale.

[Victorp]

I found a nice even part of my house where I have placed my rack we plan on either tearing this house down or moving in a few years so to me fixing the foundation is not that great of an investment. how come you are selling your shrimp farm?

[bikeguru]

I found a nice even part of my house where I have placed my rack we plan on either tearing this house down or moving in a few years so to me fixing the foundation is not that great of an investment. how come you are selling your shrimp farm?

That will make sense.
I'm selling cause I'm starting in 2013 to build my Ranch.
I own 150 acres in the hill country and cause of a lack of time that I gonna have it just have to go.

[TexSun]

Re: Starting a shrimp rack need opinions

I'm starting... to build my Ranch.
I own 150 acres in the hill country...

Very cool!