Well, as many of you have probably seen, I am apparently a bit of a mover and a shaker when it comes to fish tanks, fish rooms and plumbing. I'm a bit of a tinkerer and I'm always wanting to try something new. This causes me a lot more work than I should really have, but hey, it's what I do.
In July of last year, the wife and I moved back to the south side of town. I decided that after the move, I would design the fish room to be a breeding setup as I have recently began serious participation in the breeding program through out local club. Of course, the fact that I am the chair might have something to do with it. Any who, this gave me the opportunity I wanted to start from scratch with the setup and expand.
Our new house is a tri-level, meaning that half of it is a two story and the other half is on a crawl space. The "basement" as I call it contains the laundry area, some closets, and a bathroom. Other than that, it is mine to control for fishy business. I don't have a whole lot of room, but I think I can deal with it....for now.
Here is a quick shot of the space I was starting in. Not a very good shot, but a little taste of what's to come. In the photo, we tore up the carpet on one side of the room and were putting down vinyl flooring.
Tanks:
I decided to setup most of my racks with 20g high tank. I know 29s are more of a preferable tank size, but since the ACA was in town this last year, I got a great deal on them. I had a few 40 breeders lying around, so I figured them into the room as well.
Filtration:
Since I was going to a full scale breeding setup, I decided that sponge filters and a large air pump were the way to go. I couldn't imagine my energy bill if I had run power filters on every tank. But overall, the setup is simple. PVC around the room with air valves tapped it; all powered by a moderately sized air pump. for the sponge filters, I went with Swiss tropical sponge filters. If you haven't used them before, I highly recommend them. There's something about the up tube design that works really well. Other than that, the filters are pretty basic.
Next installment... Setting up the filtration
In July of last year, the wife and I moved back to the south side of town. I decided that after the move, I would design the fish room to be a breeding setup as I have recently began serious participation in the breeding program through out local club. Of course, the fact that I am the chair might have something to do with it. Any who, this gave me the opportunity I wanted to start from scratch with the setup and expand.
Our new house is a tri-level, meaning that half of it is a two story and the other half is on a crawl space. The "basement" as I call it contains the laundry area, some closets, and a bathroom. Other than that, it is mine to control for fishy business. I don't have a whole lot of room, but I think I can deal with it....for now.
Here is a quick shot of the space I was starting in. Not a very good shot, but a little taste of what's to come. In the photo, we tore up the carpet on one side of the room and were putting down vinyl flooring.
Tanks:
I decided to setup most of my racks with 20g high tank. I know 29s are more of a preferable tank size, but since the ACA was in town this last year, I got a great deal on them. I had a few 40 breeders lying around, so I figured them into the room as well.
Filtration:
Since I was going to a full scale breeding setup, I decided that sponge filters and a large air pump were the way to go. I couldn't imagine my energy bill if I had run power filters on every tank. But overall, the setup is simple. PVC around the room with air valves tapped it; all powered by a moderately sized air pump. for the sponge filters, I went with Swiss tropical sponge filters. If you haven't used them before, I highly recommend them. There's something about the up tube design that works really well. Other than that, the filters are pretty basic.
Next installment... Setting up the filtration