Contemplating fish room - need ideas

[Jasper05]

When I thought I had everything planned out, the great people here give me ideas. So this is my first tank. I am planning a 40 breeder with a 20 gallon sump. My original plan was to put a tank where you see the "kitchen" in the first picture. I was going to make a wider stand to fit the ATO and control panel, as aesthetics are very important for me (read: my wife hates ugly things (I'm leaving myself open for insult here)). But after thinking about my stand design, I'm still not going to be able to fit an ATO with a size of great benefit.

So then I was thinking I have unfinished space on the other side of the wall ( see pic 2 and 3). Maybe I can put the ATO in that space. It's a 12 - 13 foot run. So I opened a thread looking for feedback (ATO thread. ). Now this is where I start going down the rabbit hole... Someone suggested using the space as the fishroom. I avoided the idea in my head in the past because the whole basement is not heated and I was under the impression that the unfinished part was colder because it feels colder. Its not. FYI. It gets down to about 59-60 in the the winter. Everything would be on an external wall.

Now my concerns:
1. How much more is this going to cost me?

2. I really need plumbing advice. I was going with a modular marine overflow (bean animal) with 3/4" drains. Do I need to bump up to 1" drains now? What should the overflow be rated for now? Do the pipes need to be insulated?

3. I was going to go with a Varios 2 dc pump. Rated for 792 gph. I am looking for about 300gph or so flow. Is this pump going to cut it now? Going bigger will be cost prohibitive. Should I go with AC and control flow with gate valve? Still 3/4" return?

4. Should I really go wild and get a bigger sump? Like a 40 breeder? I do want a refugium.

5. It's a tight space. 4 ft wide. But that hall way is about 18 ft long.

Looking at the setup, what else am I missing?

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

 

[Jasper05]

Bump

 

[DeniseAndy]

I am terrible at reading a post and figuring out builds. I can do it from seeing it and talking, but hard time reading.

Lets see if I have this right. You are looking at a 40 breeder for a main display tank?
You are thinking now of putting the sump in the little room that is 18x4 behind the tank. Maybe upping it to a 40g from a 20g.
Now, as far as pumps, I really am at a loss on the one you have. So, get a pump that can handle the flow you want and the headpressure you will create. Think of it this way. Every foot up your pump has to move water plus every 90 degree bend adds 1 foot of head pressure each. So automatically, you need one that can handle 3ft head pressure just to get it up from the sump to the tank. Check the pumps stats on what gph it is at what head pressure. This should be available somewhere.

Costing more, a bit. You will need a possibly more powerful pump. More pvc, pvc fittings, and if you go with a larger tank for sump. Maybe an extra heater if the room stays so cool. Not too much else.

Make sure to get some good layout for your sump with baffles and such. A refugium is great and I would suggest a 40g to have it done properly and handle all the equipment.

Good luck. Keep asking questions.

 

[Cwentz758]

I would stick with DC pumps I feel they handle head pressure much better. I’m using and Ecotech Vectra S2 running about 6-8 ft of head pressure and I’m using it almost near min power. I looked at Varios before but they were to big for my return pump box, which is the reason I didn’t go that route.
Most go with a 1” drain and a 3/4” return using a gate valve (not a ball valve) on your drain line. Since you’re going straight through the wall your plumbing length will be short which is nice, however I would put unions wherever you can or feel like you could or may want to change or add things. I’m no expert on herbie vs bean animal overflows as ice always had a drilled tank.
a fish room is clutch in my opinion makes things so clean around the DT. Flow wise you can buy some powerheads as your main flow and over have your sump turn over 3-4 times an hour.

 

[lolmatt]

Is there water coming in to that unfinished space? If so, I think it's a fantastic idea. I would do it, add a small sink, and put your RO/DI + mixing station in there as well. You can use slim tanks for everything to leave yourself as much of that 4' as possible.

This sounds like the sort of build where you'll want to plan out as much as possible ahead of time. Are you going to be happy with a 40 breeder for many years, or would you prefer a larger tank? A 75 makes a pretty nice size 4' tank and can fit some larger fish.

For the sump, you could always DIY it. I upgraded my diy 40 breeder sump to a real 4' acrylic sump and it was an incredible upgrade. If you do go the DIY route, stick with a tank that's only 12" front-to-back, like the 20g long or a 55g.

If you're looking to do all of this on the cheap, I don't think going through that wall really adds any cost. But do consider if a standard 40b is your long-term tank, or build out your components with something larger in mind. A 20g long also makes a fantastic frag tank, I would plan on having that back there as well.

Heaters will keep the tanks up to temp. 72-74 is really as high as you need to go.

 

[Jasper05]

I am terrible at reading a post and figuring out builds. I can do it from seeing it and talking, but hard time reading.

Lets see if I have this right. You are looking at a 40 breeder for a main display tank?
You are thinking now of putting the sump in the little room that is 18x4 behind the tank. Maybe upping it to a 40g from a 20g.
Now, as far as pumps, I really am at a loss on the one you have. So, get a pump that can handle the flow you want and the headpressure you will create. Think of it this way. Every foot up your pump has to move water plus every 90 degree bend adds 1 foot of head pressure each. So automatically, you need one that can handle 3ft head pressure just to get it up from the sump to the tank. Check the pumps stats on what gph it is at what head pressure. This should be available somewhere.

Costing more, a bit. You will need a possibly more powerful pump. More pvc, pvc fittings, and if you go with a larger tank for sump. Maybe an extra heater if the room stays so cool. Not too

Good luck. Keep asking questions.

You pretty much got it right. Rough calculation, I am looking at 6 ft of head loss. To get 5x DT flow I can operate the Varios 2 pump at 85%. I dont think I want more than 5x, possibly less.

 

[Jasper05]

Is there water coming in to that unfinished space? If so, I think it's a fantastic idea. I would do it, add a small sink, and put your RO/DI + mixing station in there as well. You can use slim tanks for everything to leave yourself as much of that 4' as possible.

The Main water line is on that back wall. The other good thing is if I ever have a flood with the sump, I have the house sump right there that can take care of the water. Also the drain/sewer pipe is right there. If I do AWC down the road, I was thinking I can plumb into the down pipe of the house sump that goes into the main drain line.

Are you going to be happy with a 40 breeder for many years, or would you prefer a larger tank? A 75 makes a pretty nice size 4' tank and can fit some larger fish.

Now youre really opening up a can of worms! Part of the reason to go for the 40 was because of true maintenance, but if intergrate AWC down the road, along with rodi on that floor, it would certainly cut down on things. With that being said I really like the size of the 40 breeder and the fish that can fit in it. I think I'll be happy with that size for many years.

For the sump, you could always DIY it. I upgraded my diy 40 breeder sump to a real 4' acrylic sump and it was an incredible upgrade. If you do go the DIY route, stick with a tank that's only 12" front-to-back, like the 20g long or a 55g.

I already bought a 20 long but I can use that for a quarrantine. Why dont you recommend DIY for tanks >12" width?

 

[lolmatt]

I just meant to keep any tanks in your unfinished area as narrow as possible to avoid taking up any of your 48" of floorspace.

 

[Jasper05]

The more I think about it the more I am convinced this setup is the way to go, although it requires more research and planning. I have a toddler, so I like the idea of having the sump away and it makes ATO and water changes alot easier. And I think I am definitely going with a 40 B sump. This setup also allows me to keep the lights and powerheads on different circuit. Speaking of which...

I definitely need to run a new circuit. The existing outlet is on the other side of the wall and is shared with the house sump pump. I only have limited experience with electric - just replacing light fixtures and outlets. The proposed outlet would be about 10 ft away from the panel, same wall. Everything is exposed. Is this easy enough to do DIY? I'm a little weary of electric.

I see home depot sells 10ft schedule 40 pipe. I think thats perfect for the main run. And then just attach unions? Is that how this all works? Lol

Where can I find slim fitting water storage containers? 18 inches wide or so?

 

[Ucyibd1]

The more I think about it the more I am convinced this setup is the way to go, although it requires more research and planning. I have a toddler, so I like the idea of having the sump away and it makes ATO and water changes alot easier. And I think I am definitely going with a 40 B sump. This setup also allows me to keep the lights and powerheads on different circuit. Speaking of which...

I definitely need to run a new circuit. The existing outlet is on the other side of the wall and is shared with the house sump pump. I only have limited experience with electric - just replacing light fixtures and outlets. The proposed outlet would be about 10 ft away from the panel, same wall. Everything is exposed. Is this easy enough to do DIY? I'm a little weary of electric.

I see home depot sells 10ft schedule 40 pipe. I think thats perfect for the main run. And then just attach unions? Is that how this all works? Lol

Where can I find slim fitting water storage containers? 18 inches wide or so?

If you are already a little weary of electrical, get a pro. Doesn't sound like it would be to expensive by your description.
I have unions in quite a few critical spots on my plumbing, makes for easy repairs/additions if needed.

 

[Cwentz758]

Unions you just give you options to change things without having to cut or take apart all of your work down the line. I’ll find a link to some water containers. I was looking at some on amazon.

 

[Cwentz758]

Class A Customs 5 Gallon Fresh Water Holding Tank NSF Approved T-0500
they go upwards of 30 gallons

 

[Amado]

I have always setup my fish tanks in the basement. Water will leak so setting up a tank in the main part of the house is crazy in my mind. The amount of damage that you can do is too much to risk. Tanks also look really bad for a long time. So if your tank is having algae issues and it’s a focal point in the house it’s a problem. If it’s in a basement then it’s out of the way.

I had a 125 gallon tank in my old home in the basement and water changes was easy.
I was able to setup a floor drain and I had a fan to exchange the air in that room. Everything that was fish related was in that room/closet.

I moved and in the new house I took 1/2 the basement to setup my new 210 gallon tank and some frag tanks.

 

[Jasper05]

Class A Customs 5 Gallon Fresh Water Holding Tank NSF Approved T-0500
they go upwards of 30 gallons

Those are pretty cool. I need to see a visual how they would get hooked up.

 

[Jasper05]

Tanks also look really bad for a long time. So if your tank is having algae issues and it’s a focal point in the house it’s a problem.

Great point!

 

[Jasper05]

Would a 40 gallon sump be a major concern for humidity? I do have a dehumidifier in that area now during the summer.

 

[gabrieltackitt]

Looks like this is shaping up to be a seriously cool build! Following along!

 

[Cwentz758]

Those are pretty cool. I need to see a visual how they would get hooked up.

Just have to install bulkheads.

 

[Jasper05]

Looks like this is shaping up to be a seriously cool build! Following along!

Thanks! Its going to be a little while so dont follow yet haha. Im probably a year out. Finishing some home projects, more planning, and I want to spread the cost out on equipment.

But I think it will be a cool small tank build. Im going to catch up on your build.

 

[Cwentz758]

I did just see Skimz has a new DC algae reactor. I was impressed with the price only being 230$ for the small one. Not cheap but not insanely expensive. Could save some space in your sump

MBR127 Macroalgae Reactor

Grow macroalgae without a refugium! Growing algae like chaetomorpha will greatly help your reef aquarium with nutrient issues like nitrate and phosphate. The Skimz MBR127 Macroalgae reactor is designed to be placed in any sump and includes a LED lighting system designed for algae growth...

www.bulkreefsupply.com