Fishroom input

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ahud

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 15, 2009
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Hello,

I am having a 40x30 detached garage built to use as a shop/storage. Within this building, I am going to build a smaller room for my fishroom. I would love some input if you see something you would do differently.

Here is what I have so far:

The Room:
16'x16' Room - This size seems to allow me enough tanks while leaving room to get around. Around 20-35 tanks. Tank sizes will be 125's, 75s, 40 breeders, standard 20g, and 10g. 4' walkways between racks.

I mostly keep dwarf cichlids, nano fish, and the smaller central/SA cichlids. I like the big tanks for communities and plan to have 4 or 6 125g tanks.

My interest is usually sky high during the summer when it is so hot outside, and then it's little to no interest through fall and winter as other hobbies come into the picture. So keeping the room manageable is important.

Heating/Cooling
Heat and cool the room with a mini split system. Our summers are pretty rough and I would like to keep the room at around 76-78 so its comfy for me to work in. While the building is being constructed, I will add a bathroom fan and vent so that I can keep up with humidity. I am going to price out spray foam insulation. If that is too expensive, then I will use the bats.

Water Changes
An automatic water change system is a must. Each tank will be drilled for an overflow and a manual drain at the 50% mark. Plan to use an Inkbird sprinkler controller plumbed to two carbon block filters. If water source is a problem, I left room for an IBC tote to treat for Chloramine. I won't know until I can test the water.

I have set aside room for a mud sink and water storage as well.

Racks/Stands
I like the metal racks, but not sure how they would work for the larger 125 and 75 gallon tanks. 40 breeders, 20's, and 10's will be stacked three high. The 125's and 75's will be double stands. I'm sold on metal racks for the smaller tanks. Probably do 2x4 construction on the larger double stands.

Filtration
All tanks will be filtered by sponge filters. Plan to call up Jehmco for the linear piston air pump when I have the tank sizes set in stone and get his recommendation. For the filters themselves, I really like Swisstropicals cube filters and matten filters.

Electrical
Paying somebody to do this part. Plenty of power going to the building, so its just a matter of putting in GFI outlets and making sure outlets are spaced appropriately.


Well that is it so far. I will continue to update as I make progress.
 
Last fall I dismantled a basement fish room with about 30 tanks (mostly 10's, 29's and 55's). It just got to be too much work and no longer enjoyable. Things I will do the next time I set one up...
  1. Auto water changers (looks like you got that covered),
  2. insulate and heat room instead of individual tanks
  3. Counter space! Its easy to plop a tank in anywhere it will fit but you have to have a decent work area!
  4. Auto feeders (maybe not every tank as I am a proponent of "fasting" days.
  5. More QT tanks than you think you need. Always came home from auctions wondering where to put everything!
  6. Electrical. This was probably the biggest issue. I kept blowing fuses. ALWAYS happened while I was out of town for work.
  7. Document everything. Measurements, photos, etc.
  8. Develop a good system for recording your maintenance and breeding records. I never really figured out a way that I liked / felt comfortable with.
  9. Most importantly... Remember WHY you got into this hobby in the first place. I lost sight of that and just went for a many tanks and species as I could. Pretty soon they were all "utility" tanks and no longer could I just sit on the sofa and relax watching fish in a display tank. Dont burn yourself out.
 
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B Brent419 has hit the nail on the head. Never lose sight of the fact that this is supposed to be enjoyable.

I'm just going to throw out a few ideas that I wish I had acted upon before setting up my room.

First, I wish I had left more room for a big comfy chair for long-term observation sessions. I thought of the beer fridge :) but the chair I eventually went with (which I love) really needed a few more feet of space for maximum utility.

Second, an on-demand water heater for the fish room is something I should have gone with. As it is, I am still in the middle stages of running both hot and cold water lines to the room, and the capacity of my domestic hot water tank limits the total gallonage of water that I can change at any given time. This is probably my biggest regret.

Third, unless you are on an urban sanitary system, make provisions for the waste water to be pumped directly outside if at all possible. If you are on a septic-bed system and drain your change water into that you will drastically shorten the useable finite life of the system.

Fourth...and I actually thought of this one ahead of time and incorporated it!...have your electrical outlets mounted high up on the walls rather than at the traditional level near the floor. Easier to see and reach in a room full of racks and tanks, and it prevents or at least decreases the odds of water splashing and/or dripping into a receptacle. GFCI's are, of course, a must.

No matter how much thought you put into it...you're going to miss something which will have you slapping yourself in frustration later. Good luck!
 
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jjohnwm said:
B Brent419 has hit the nail on the head. Never lose sight of the fact that this is supposed to be enjoyable.

I'm just going to throw out a few ideas that I wish I had acted upon before setting up my room.

First, I wish I had left more room for a big comfy chair for long-term observation sessions. I thought of the beer fridge :) but the chair I eventually went with (which I love) really needed a few more feet of space for maximum utility.

Second, an on-demand water heater for the fish room is something I should have gone with. As it is, I am still in the middle stages of running both hot and cold water lines to the room, and the capacity of my domestic hot water tank limits the total gallonage of water that I can change at any given time. This is probably my biggest regret.

Third, unless you are on an urban sanitary system, make provisions for the waste water to be pumped directly outside if at all possible. If you are on a septic-bed system and drain your change water into that you will drastically shorten the useable finite life of the system.

Fourth...and I actually thought of this one ahead of time and incorporated it!...have your electrical outlets mounted high up on the walls rather than at the traditional level near the floor. Easier to see and reach in a room full of racks and tanks, and it prevents or at least decreases the odds of water splashing and/or dripping into a receptacle. GFCI's are, of course, a must.

No matter how much thought you put into it...you're going to miss something which will have you slapping yourself in frustration later. Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
Yes! A comfy chair to sit and WATCH the fish!! That was probably really my biggest mistake. I made it an all “work zone” and totally burnt myself out. After tearing it down and setting up a couple display tanks I was able to sit, chill and remember the “good old days” of fish watching! ?

you’re suggestion of higher outlets is spot on. I was lucky as most of mine were in the open ceiling but had one in the wall at “normal” height. What a PITA it was to try and access it with tanks in front of it
 
All Good points!

I like the idea of categories. All of the smaller tanks are not ones that I would watch so it would make sense to group those together. I'll make sure I can get a comfy seat in front of the bigger tanks.

On the hot water heater. We are in the country, so the tankless option would have to be propane or electric. Propane is expensive and I have heard mixed reviews on electric. As such, I will probably be using a dedicated water heater in the building. But with the overflow system, I don't think the cold water will be as big of a deal since I will probably be doing something in the neighborhood of 10-15% per day.



Good point B Brent419 . I am caught up in keeping it all right now, but I tend to burn out quickly. I THINK the auto water change system will alleviate a lot of the burn out, but I will still have to feed. I can look into auto feeders, will add that to the list.

I have a few species that I buy over and over again. I hope to finally have enough tank space that I can maintain those species.
 
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What my experience has taught me:
- Put in floor drains if you don't want water drainage pipes crossing walkway aisles. If your unsure where your racks will go, add in extra as they can be capped or cemented over.
- Use a dedicated electrical circuit for airpumps only. Nothing else uses this circuit so it can't get tripped. It's also easier to backup powee for one circuit. I use Medo linear piston pumps. Two pumps per central air circuit for redundancy as its cheaper and neater than having 2 sponges per tank. I try to have the same model airpump everywhere so it's easy to swap out and keep spare parts as well as a spare pump.
- use high ceilings if possible. You can rack 5 tiers high if expansion occurs. Additional storage is always good. The main cost is floor area. Room heating is similar.
- I use one overflow drain per tank and waterchange by displacement. Much simpler, cheaper and reliable than a drain & fill system.
- put your steel stand legs on 15mm HDPE blocks to keep them high and dry. Water sits under the steel for weeks otherwise.
- put in an oversized water line if you need to fill big tanks. Could put a tap at each end if you don't like long hoses everywhere.
- place your main aisle in front of the door with branching aisles to tanks perpendicular off this. You will need to wheel in tanks, tubs, fish boxes etc so plan door size and access accordingly. The dead ends are perfect for nets, food, equipment shelves.

Just my suggestions.
 
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