Mastering Liquid Storage with the SimpleFluidTanks Mod
Vanilla Minecraft gives you the trusty bucket and a few cauldrons, but when your factory demands thousands of buckets of lava or you need a colossal reservoir for your steam boiler, the standard tools fall short. That is where SimpleFluidTanks (often abbreviated as SFT) steps in, transforming the way you think about fluid logistics. This mod introduces true multiblock tanks that you can shape to fit your base, no matter how cramped or sprawling your build becomes.
What Exactly Is SimpleFluidTanks?
SimpleFluidTanks is a fork of the original mod created by Zarathul, maintained with the primary goal of keeping the project alive and compatible with modern Minecraft versions. The core promise is elegant: build fluid containers of virtually any size and shape using a handful of specialized blocks. Unlike single-block tanks that cap your capacity, SFT lets you expand horizontally, vertically, or even in irregular L-shaped patterns, as long as the structure remains a contiguous rectangular prism. The mod respects the sandbox spirit of Minecraft, giving you the freedom to design storage that blends seamlessly into your industrial halls or hidden underground bunkers.
How Multiblock Tanks Work
The magic lies in the tank controller and tank blocks. You assemble a frame using Tank Blocks, which form the walls, floor, and ceiling of your container. Then, you place a Tank Controller on one face of the structure. Once the controller detects a valid enclosed space, it transforms the entire hollow interior into a single fluid inventory. You can then pipe fluids in and out using any standard modded transport, from BuildCraft pipes to Mekanism tubes. The tank calculates its total capacity based on the number of empty blocks inside the frame, so a 5x5x5 cube holds exactly 125 buckets, while a 3x10x3 corridor holds 90 buckets. This simple math makes planning your storage a breeze.
Key Features That Set SFT Apart
- Limitless Scalability: There is no hard cap on tank size beyond world height and your willingness to mine resources. A single controller can manage a tank spanning chunks if you have the patience to build it.
- Fluid Compatibility: The tank stores any liquid from vanilla or other mods, including water, lava, oil, liquid experience, and even gaseous fluids from tech mods. The tank renders the stored fluid inside, giving a visual indicator of how full it is.
- Shape Freedom: You are not locked into cubes. Build a tank that wraps around a staircase, fills a curved cavern, or sits as a massive rectangular prism. As long as the frame forms a complete, sealed box without internal protrusions, it works.
- Retention on Break: When you break the controller, the tank remembers its contents. Replacing the controller on the same frame restores all stored fluid instantly, preventing catastrophic loss during renovations.
- Simple Crafting: The blocks require basic materials like iron, glass, and stone, keeping the mod accessible early-game without overshadowing more complex tech mods.
Installing the mod is straightforward, especially if you use a modern launcher that streamlines the process. For instance, you can grab SimpleFluidTanks directly from the in-app mod browser of the foxygame.net launcher, which lets you search, install, and manage mods without ever leaving the menu. This kind of convenience is perfect for players who want to jump straight into building colossal tanks without wrestling with manual file placements.
Building Your First Tank
Start by gathering at least 24 Tank Blocks and one Tank Controller. Lay out a hollow frame—imagine a 3x3x3 box with the center empty. All six sides must be completely filled with Tank Blocks; you cannot leave gaps for windows unless you use transparent Tank Blocks, which are also available. Place the controller on any exterior face. If the structure is valid, the controller will light up and the interior will begin to render the fluid you pump in. You can expand the frame later by adding more Tank Blocks to any side, and the controller will automatically recalculate the new volume without losing the stored liquid.
For automated systems, attach a fluid pipe to the controller block. It accepts input from any side and can output to any side, making it simple to integrate with machines. You can also use a Tank Valve (if the mod version includes it) to extract fluids from specific points, but the controller itself often handles all I/O. Redstone comparators can read the fill level, enabling you to set up alarms or shutoff switches when your reservoir reaches capacity.
Comparing SFT to Other Fluid Storage Mods
Many tech mods offer their own multiblock tanks, such as the Railcraft Iron Tank or the immersive Engineering Tank. What makes SimpleFluidTanks stand out is its agnostic design. It does not depend on a specific power system or progression tree. You can use it as a standalone solution or alongside any modpack without worrying about balance conflicts. The fork’s maintainer focuses on keeping the code clean and up-to-date, ensuring that even older worlds can benefit from bug fixes and performance improvements.
Tips for Creative Engineers
- Use Glass Tank Blocks for the walls to create a stunning visual display of your liquid wealth.
- Build a tank array with multiple controllers for different fluids, color-coding each one with stained glass or wool markers.
- In survival, lava tanks make excellent fuel buffers for furnaces and generators; a 7x7x7 tank holds over 300 buckets, enough to smelt stacks upon stacks of items.
- Combine SFT with a fluid storage mod like Fluid Drawers to create a centralized liquid hub that keeps your base tidy.
Staying True to the Original Vision
This fork remains faithful to Zarathul’s original concept while introducing necessary compatibility patches and occasional quality-of-life tweaks. The maintainer has expressed a desire to continue development if time permits, so the community can look forward to potential new features like upgraded controllers with faster transfer rates or integration with modern fluid APIs. For now, the mod stands as a reliable, lightweight addition that solves a fundamental problem without overcomplicating your game.
SimpleFluidTanks embodies the Minecraft ethos of building with blocks and letting creativity dictate function. Whether you need a humble water cistern for your farm or a gargantuan reservoir of molten metal for your megabase, this mod delivers exactly what its name promises: simple, flexible, and endlessly expandable fluid tanks. Grab your Tank Blocks, sketch out a frame, and watch your liquid empire grow one bucket at a time.