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Old 09-29-2017, 11:01 AM   #1
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A fishy question....

Does anyone have an aquarium in their conversion? I am talking 55 gallon, not a little gold fish bowl.

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Old 09-29-2017, 03:07 PM   #2
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It would have to be completely sealed. Probably on some kind of shock absorption platform. Design it. Your probably the first.
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Old 09-29-2017, 03:08 PM   #3
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Anything is possible thats for sure
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Old 09-29-2017, 03:16 PM   #4
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Thanks...yes, and it would probably have to be completely air free, i.e. no air pockets with a stout cover that latched securely.
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Old 09-29-2017, 08:15 PM   #5
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Salt or fresh water?
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Old 09-29-2017, 08:23 PM   #6
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Does anyone have an aquarium in their conversion? I am talking 55 gallon, not a little gold fish bowl.
Nothing like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer. Feels so good when it quits hurting.

Sure you can but why? I can imagine as you travel down the highway you eventually come to that one bump and frame twist and then suddenly you hear the explosion!

What kind of shampoo do you recommend for chickens?
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Old 09-30-2017, 05:12 AM   #7
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Sure you can but why? I can imagine as you travel down the highway you eventually come to that one bump and frame twist and then suddenly you hear the explosion!
My first thought would be to build a frame out of angle iron for the tank to sit in and then suspend the frame from a couple inches of strong chain or heavy duty tension springs. (attached to whatever is strong enough to support the weight - maybe a support frame of angle iron or unistrut type stuff) Some tension springs from the corners of the tank to the vertical supports at each end could keep the tank from swaying as the bus moves.

The idea behind the setup would be to support and protect the tank while also keeping it somewhat isolated from torsional stresses. Obviously the nuts and bolts of the setup could be hidden behind some woodwork or cabinetry for the sake of aesthetics.
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Old 09-30-2017, 07:44 AM   #8
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Mobile aquariums have been done many times. I'm sure there is a Forum like this one for crazy fish people.

Looky here


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Old 09-30-2017, 07:49 AM   #9
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Hell yeah man. Thats awesome. Not only can it be done but can be done on any scale it looks like wow
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Old 10-06-2017, 06:25 AM   #10
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I've been playing with the idea myself since I'm in love with my aquaponics system. Essentially you're just moving a pretty looking water tank inside of the bus. My idea was to keep an eye out for large weather/air sealed plastic tubs and then drill holes in the lid for air/water pump tubing, just add rubber gaskets so that when in motion you can fully seal the tank from leaking, then remove the lid when parked. You'll lose some transparency as compared to glass, but not much. Perhaps it's just paranoia, but I'd be nervous for the road stress cracking a regular glass aquarium. I imagine the mobile aquariums shown above are made of very thick acrylic. You might custom order one if cost isn't a concern, otherwise I believe the container store sells 30 gallon weather proof tubs for between $40-60. I'm holding out for a 40 gallon myself, but haven't found one yet. I'll post it to the thread if I do. It'll be a little hillbilly but to be honest, so is living in a bus ;)

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Old 10-06-2017, 08:32 AM   #11
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I'd be nervous for the road stress cracking a regular glass aquarium. I imagine the mobile aquariums shown above are made of very thick acrylic.
I wouldn't worry if the glass was thick enough. I have a car and it has a bunch of glass on the sides above the doors and in front above the hood, it seems to be holding-up quite well.

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If they can build walkways with glass, fishy would be fine. Bulletproof glass comes up on Craigslist , is laminated and has funky green tint so no need to sweat tank cleaning.

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Old 10-06-2017, 11:29 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by smit6738 View Post
I've been playing with the idea myself since I'm in love with my aquaponics system. Essentially you're just moving a pretty looking water tank inside of the bus. My idea was to keep an eye out for large weather/air sealed plastic tubs and then drill holes in the lid for air/water pump tubing, just add rubber gaskets so that when in motion you can fully seal the tank from leaking, then remove the lid when parked. You'll lose some transparency as compared to glass, but not much. Perhaps it's just paranoia, but I'd be nervous for the road stress cracking a regular glass aquarium. I imagine the mobile aquariums shown above are made of very thick acrylic. You might custom order one if cost isn't a concern, otherwise I believe the container store sells 30 gallon weather proof tubs for between $40-60. I'm holding out for a 40 gallon myself, but haven't found one yet. I'll post it to the thread if I do. It'll be a little hillbilly but to be honest, so is living in a bus ;)



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We love hydroponics...we have already wondered about a area in the bus for a few vegetable plants with a small grow light...that is until we find the land we want in Missouri to park the bus on and leave it...lol
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Old 10-06-2017, 12:02 PM   #13
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seems to me like one of the biggest obstacles would be that youd have to keep said aquarium super clean.. perhaps too clean for good life..

when you drive, the water would be sloashing and constantly pickup up any sediment and such from the bottom of the tank and making the water cloudy.. unless you cleaned it all the time..

my one friend says you dont want to over-clean an aquarium.. at least not salt water..

also wondering how you keep the temerature constant with the interior of the bus constantly changing temperature whether parked or driving..

I do think its a really neat idea as there is something super peceful about sitting at night watching an aquarium to relax !
-Christopher
im only going on what happens wh
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Old 10-06-2017, 02:03 PM   #14
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Thanks for your creativity and concerns. I posted this question on a physics forum there are two issues. The first is weight, the second is motion. If the 55 gallon tank is completely full of water, there will be no motion in the tank. It can be treated like a 500 pound block of wood or concrete, and, yes, will go flying through the air if not properly secured. If the tank is not completely full, the sloshing water inside can cause the glass to break, the seams to split or the tank itself to come loose from the mountings. Baffles put in the tank will reduce the sloshing and damage, just as the baffles put into the gas tank will do.

Fwiw
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Old 10-07-2017, 01:28 PM   #15
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seems to me like one of the biggest obstacles would be that youd have to keep said aquarium super clean.. perhaps too clean for good life..

when you drive, the water would be sloashing and constantly pickup up any sediment and such from the bottom of the tank and making the water cloudy.. unless you cleaned it all the time..

my one friend says you dont want to over-clean an aquarium.. at least not salt water..

also wondering how you keep the temerature constant with the interior of the bus constantly changing temperature whether parked or driving..

I do think its a really neat idea as there is something super peceful about sitting at night watching an aquarium to relax !
-Christopher
im only going on what happens wh
That's an excellent point. Agitation would definitely cloud up your water depending on your substrate. If you used gravel instead of sand that should help.

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Old 10-07-2017, 03:49 PM   #16
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Here are your issues.
+Flex in the tank base causing the silicone to fail.
+Slosh, causing water everywhere.
+Vibration, failed seals again.
+Weight.

Here is what I would do. Build a rigid flat base out of thick wood. 4 inch tall retaining edges couple of inches wider than the aquarium. This reduces flex.

Then a 1/2" layer of silcone gel/rubber from mcmaster.
Then put a thick wood board with retaining edges. The board floats on the silicone and keep a lot of vibration/ high frequencies out.
Thin,1/8" sheet of rubber and then goes in the Aquarium. The Aquarium needs to fit snugly in this package.

Aquarium needs to be covered on top so water cannot spill.
You will need tie downs, kinda like battery hold down clamps. They will help stabilize the tank IF you get in a wreck or a large bump. You cannot make them too tight!
Might want to add some floating foam pieces or barriers in the aquarium to keep water from sloshing too much.
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Old 10-07-2017, 03:51 PM   #17
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Put some SERIOUS consideration into how you will secure that 440lb beast.

I have seen other wise benign objects turn deadly in the event of an accident.

Anyone see the Prevost for sale on govdeals a while back that had the couch sticking half way out of the passenger side windshield?

Where did the passenger seat wind up????
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Old 10-07-2017, 04:18 PM   #18
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Put some SERIOUS consideration into how you will secure that 440lb beast.
Good point. They sell fake aquariums that may be more suitable for travel.

Lightahead Artificial Mini Aquarium Fish Tank Multi Color LED Swimming Fish Tank with Bubbles
3.8 out of 5 stars

Sale: $21.99



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Old 10-09-2017, 07:14 PM   #19
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I strongly advise against it. Those fish will be the most stressed out creatures in your state. That constant vibration from the road and turning will ultimately lower their immune system resulting in stinky floaters. Dead fish in a hot summer bus would not be pretty-lol.
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:22 AM   #20
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I strongly advise against it. Those fish will be the most stressed out creatures in your state. That constant vibration from the road and turning will ultimately lower their immune system resulting in stinky floaters. Dead fish in a hot summer bus would not be pretty-lol.
I agree.
But I'll confess- I hate keeping fishes or birds in cages.
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