Dedicated fish room ideas

[Gundy]

I am building a dedicated fish room that is 10x12 that is included in a game room and theater project we are building. The framing is currently being done and I will be doing electrical and plumbing soon. I have done a lot of research on how I should build it but I don’t want to miss anything important. I am asking for any suggestions on what I should be sure to include or do, or not do. Anything from plumbing, electrical, flooring, walls, ventilation, specific equipment or cleaver ideas to make things easier. Tell me your thoughts and ideas. Thanks

 

[danreef55]

I am not going through with this but here is an idea.
Going to do a basement sump with tank on first floor. I have about 12 of these designs so keep massaging your ideas. Sounds like it is going to be great!

 

[Solo McReefer]

Drains in the floor

Move the big water tanks in before the walls go up

Ventilation to the outside, for skimmers

An AC unit on it

 

[shcrimps]

i’m not a planning person by any means but an in wall tank if doable would be super cool
but one thing i will say is any room with excess electrical make sure to include a dehumidifier (or for your A/C unit look for one that has a built in dehumidifier)

 

[Extremeengineer]

If you are hanging lights from ceiling, install outlets in ceiling at each drop point so your cord management for lights becomes very easy. If you want them included in a controller, could for instance use a single Hydros wifi at each outlet.

I second the floor drain, maybe a trough style slit, they look clean, and an ocean blue fleck white epoxy coating on floor.

 

[Gundy]

Elaborate on the need for outlets in the ceiling. Would the outlets be next to a vertical wall?

 

[danreef55]

Build a stand for the sump which in this case was 72x24x18. Just about 2' off the ground. This will make maintenance easier. You gain storage under the sump. Wires can be run underneath the sump to the control panel.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Depending on the size of the tank and what's beneath it (a basement, crawlspace etc) you're gonnq want to make sure your flooring can hold the weight. In addition, you may want to consider tile flooring. With my next build, I'm getting rid of the carpet and going with tile. Solo mentionedcoutside ventilation to the skimmer. Great idea. That'll take care of.CO2 issues. I gotta tell ya, I'm a Liiiiiiiiittle jealous!!! You've got a most excellent project going!!!

 

[vcnt]

Ventilation to the outside, for skimmers

What do you mean by ventilation outside for skimmers?

 

[Knight420]

I've thought about this just recently. I developed a system to do auto water changes. Have a small dedicated room (closet would work) to house a container for your fresh saltwater mix. Must be big enough for 2 weeks worth of water to make it worth the work. Add your water line in to your RODI filter, to the container. This will make it easier to fill. Have a drain for your waste water. Dosing pumps from the container to the tank and from the tank to the drain. All equal settings.

This would work with just about any kind of tank, but I designed it for a red sea reefer.

I'm still working on a delivery system for the salt. To eliminate the need to add salt yourself. First thought of using a more concentrated salt mix then dilute it in the water, but the issue is the salt mix normally only keeps for about 2 weeks.

 

[Knight420]

What do you mean by ventilation outside for skimmers?

I think he is worried about the smell. I would recommend using some carbon fiber sponge material over the air exhaust. I did it because sometimes my skimmer would spit out foam, found out an added bonus was it didn't smell as bad.

 

[Knight420]

Depending on the size of the tank and what's beneath it (a basement, crawlspace etc) you're gonnq want to make sure your flooring can hold the weight. In addition, you may want to consider tile flooring. With my next build, I'm getting rid of the carpet and going with tile. Solo mentionedcoutside ventilation to the skimmer. Great idea. That'll take care of.CO2 issues. I gotta tell ya, I'm a Liiiiiiiiittle jealous!!! You've got a most excellent project going!!!

Did you think of the vinyl floor panels? They are durable, waterproof, and easy to clean. Tile is fragile, and the grout is a pain to clean.

 

[vcnt]

I think he is worried about the smell. I would recommend using some carbon fiber sponge material over the air exhaust. I did it because sometimes my skimmer would spit out foam, found out an added bonus was it didn't smell as bad.

Probably

 

[danreef55]

• Efficiency: High CO2 levels can affect the performance of the skimmer by altering the chemistry of the water. This can impact the skimmer’s ability to remove organic waste effectively.
• Bubble Formation: The presence of CO2 can influence bubble formation and stability within the skimmer, affecting its efficiency.

 

[JGT]

You’ll want a laundry room type slop sink with running water and sprayer. Priceless.
Chest high stand for sump makes maintenance much easier.
Couple of dedicated circuits.
Floor drains for any major floods and good flooring for spills. I used perforated plastic tiles over concrete slab which works well.
Put your RODI down there along with your WC station. Your wife will thank you.

 

[danreef55]

Consider linoleum. There would be limited seams. Epoxy coated put down by a professional is also very viable. I have it on my garage floor and it is awesome.

 

[Uncle99]

I am building a dedicated fish room that is 10x12 that is included in a game room and theater project we are building. The framing is currently being done and I will be doing electrical and plumbing soon. I have done a lot of research on how I should build it but I don’t want to miss anything important. I am asking for any suggestions on what I should be sure to include or do, or not do. Anything from plumbing, electrical, flooring, walls, ventilation, specific equipment or cleaver ideas to make things easier. Tell me your thoughts and ideas. Thanks

Number 1-All power outlets GFCI for safety.

 

[Knight420]

Consider linoleum. There would be limited seams. Epoxy coated put down by a professional is also very viable. I have it on my garage floor and it is awesome.

Epoxy by itself makes a fun floor. You can add all kinds of dye or mika powder to color it. You will probably want to texture it somehow or it will become slick when wet. Also be careful with types of Epoxy because a lot will yellow under UV light.