Man Cave

George Burbano · Dec 5, 2016

Hello Guys,

My name is Jorge, I'm from the beautiful land of Colombia in South america. I have always dreamed about a nice saltwater fish tank and I am happy to announce that my plans have been finally blessed by my wife. I have no experience wish saltwater tanks so I am here to seek your advice and expertise in the matter. Any piece of information is welcome. I will be framing the space where the fish tank will be and I am looking for info regarding filtration systems, Reverse Osmosis, set ups etc. Any good books/articles that you guys can recommend?

helen ann · Dec 5, 2016

Hi Jorge!!!

Nice start here ...
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

melypr1985 · Dec 5, 2016

Welcome to R2R! That's a great article linked up there. You may also want to look through the articles tab at the top of the forum for more great reads.

my advice is to take it slow... read tons.... ask as many questions as you can come up with... read some more... keep taking it slow. Oh and never buy a fish or coral just to have it... do research on each addition and QT EVERYTHING!

George Burbano · Dec 5, 2016

Yay! Thank you for the article and the prompt response.

Mike_J · Dec 5, 2016

Yay to the wife's approval!

Now you have a lot of researching to do! That article is a great starting point. There are a few R2R articles that might be helpful to you in the beginning stages of planning. Then there are all the forums to read through too

Welcome to R2R! Best of luck in all your research, planning and when you eventually get wet! Happy reefing, Jorge!

kschweer · Dec 5, 2016

Welcome!!

dbl · Dec 5, 2016

Welcome to R2R and your new hobby. Slow and steady wins this race. As others said, do a lot of research and take your time.

cromag27 · Dec 5, 2016

Welcome!

Coastie Reefer · Dec 5, 2016

Welcome to R2R!

KJ · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome to R2R Jorge.

Ljaus · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome to R2R and good luck with the build. This site had plenty of info and great reefers to help you.

Ty Hamatake · Dec 6, 2016

Success! It's always good to have the SO on your side

Welcome to a great place filled with great people!

Salty1962 · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome to R2R!

Vincent100 · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome to R2R , so many good people on the site that you'll never be alone with your build
Ask , ask and ask some more

revhtree · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome to R2R!

kingdieselfish · Dec 6, 2016

Welcome!

George Burbano · Dec 10, 2016

Hello guys. SO... I finished framing my basement and framed the wall where the fish tank will be. Do you see any potential problems with the furnace and water heater so close to the tank?

Chrisfish · Dec 10, 2016

Welcome to R2R, and awesome addiction

Mike_J · Dec 10, 2016

George Burbano said:
Hello guys. SO... I finished framing my basement and framed the wall where the fish tank will be. Do you see any potential problems with the furnace and water heater so close to the tank?

Wow, looks great! If both the furnace and water heater will be exposed to the tank in such close proximity, there may be the potential of rust at some point due to moisture. You may want to consider this further.

redfishbluefish · Dec 10, 2016

Welcome Jorge to R2R! You've found a great fish/coral forum.

First off I love seeing new builds. Thanks for sharing. It appears you're going big from the start...and I'm liking it. You mention you're from Columbia, but don't mention where you live now. If here in the USA, a couple code issues I can easily see:

1. seams on duct work need to be taped with metal tape (NOT Duct tape).
2. Your boiler room needs to be vented to allow fresh air to get in for combustion. The size of the vent is dependent on the size of the room. Any other walls blocking entry of air to this furnace room also need to be vented.

As far as the fish room....here's my preferences:
It looks rather small. I don't like the position of the slop sink, leaving you little room between the sink and the tank stand. If you need to get a step stool in there to get into the tank, it won't fit. Instead of the large slop sink, I'd consider a small wet bar sink to allow you to dump water down a drain. This would take up little room and still allow water in, drain out.

I also don't care for your heating unit and water heater that close to the tank. (Again, can you fit a step stool between the boiler/hot water heater and the stand?) Saltwater and metal don't like each other. I've had metal objects (a stainless steel cooler) six to seven feet from my tank that never got wet with tank water, but started to rust. I had to move this cooler out of the room. I think having these metal objects in the room with the tank will cause for them needing replacement before their time.

Again, welcome @George Burbano to R2R.