First Fish Room Planning Ideas?

[Noah_J]

Hi all,

I'll be moving in the coming months, and one of the things I plan on doing is finally setting up my first proper fish room/nook. Yay! For now, I have my 6 tanks just all sporadically placed around my house, and it's rather cumbersome dealing with maintenance all over and hauling my water bucket up and down stairs. I'm wanting to ask you all what should I be most considering in this first fish room?

Of course, I won't be going all out and modeling it after Cory's current one, but I also would like to make sure to put some effort into making maintenance more convenient. What are your suggestions for must haves or things to implement when setting it up? Certainly, I'm thinking I'll setup an air system. What about an auto-water change system—would that be overboard for a first-timer's smallish fish room? It'll be a mix of just personal tanks, as well as breeding tanks for my local fish stores. I'll also be adding a few more tanks beyond the 6 I have now, but I suppose I don't want to go too far right off the bat, and put in more than I can handle. I haven't yet decided on what I want to do for racks, but I'm guessing I'll likely end up buying storage racks over building my own.

Anything I'm clearly missing or didn't mention?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Fish Folk]

Best of luck to you! We've just got a really simple, low, low tech "fish room" that's basically . . . all of the wrong things that need to be simplified / organized to be a "real fish room." Linked a video below anyways. It's really small, and feels just right for us.

But as for PROPER fish rooms! -- here's a bunch of thread to pick through:

 

 

 

 

Here's our wee-room . . .

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Fish Folk

[tolstoy21]

Start simple. But plan for improvements. 

That sounds vague, but I guess what I mean is, don't start with an auto water change system, but maybe just make sure you have a the plumbing either in the room, or you know exactly how you'd do it when you are ready for if.

Have the 'vision' in your mind so that every small choice your make, even the ones you know are just interim steps, brings you closer and doesn't compromise your goal, and so you avoid having to tear everything down to make a single addition or upgrade.

To me, heat is the first thing to tackle. Make sure you heat know how you're going to heat the space and don't rely too much on in-tank heaters, as these can be expensive to run, and create a never-ending, re-occurring expense that keeps going up as you add tanks.

Edited April 18, 2021 by tolstoy21

[Noah_J]

49 minutes ago, Fish Folk said:

Best of luck to you! We've just got a really simple, low, low tech "fish room" that's basically . . . all of the wrong things that need to be simplified / organized to be a "real fish room." Like da video below anyways. It's really small, and fells just right for us.

But as for PROPER fish rooms! -- here's a bunch of thread to pick through:

Ah, thank you for linking those! I had tried using the search bar on the forum, searching "Fish room", but I guess just didn't dig deep enough into the posts.

[Noah_J]

6 minutes ago, tolstoy21 said:

Start simple. But plan for improvements. 

That sounds vague, but I guess what I mean is, don't start with an auto water change system, but maybe just make sure you have a the plumbing either in the room, or you know exactly how you'd do it when you are ready for if.

Have the 'vision' in your mind so that every small choice your make, even the ones you know are just interim steps, brings you closer and doesn't compromise your goal, and so you avoid having to tear everything down to make a single addition or upgrade.

To me, heat is the first thing to tackle. Make sure you heat know how you're going to heat the space and don't rely too much on in-tank heaters, as these can be expensive to run, and create a never-ending, re-occurring expense that keeps going up as you add tanks.

I kinda figured the water change system should wait. But I'll definitely try to put in effort to make sure it's expandable/upgradable, so I can keep making those upgrades through the future. Also, thanks for the mention of heating! You're right, I'd really like to avoid using heaters to whatever extent possible.

[Noah_J]

1 hour ago, Fish Folk said:

Here's our wee-room . . .

 

What a great fish room too, by the way! I love all your stocking selections. I can't wait to move, so I can setup my 55g that's in the garage right now, and get some discus.

[tolstoy21]

14 hours ago, Noah_J said:

I kinda figured the water change system should wait. But I'll definitely try to put in effort to make sure it's expandable/upgradable, so I can keep making those upgrades through the future. Also, thanks for the mention of heating! You're right, I'd really like to avoid using heaters to whatever extent possible.

I have tanks in an unheated basement with in-tank heaters. I monitored electricity consumption / cost for a single 20 gallon tank during a winter month where the basement's ambient temp was about 60 degrees (probably dipped lower in the middle of the night), and it cost me approx. $9 to heat that single tank for the month. 

Obviously, this cost will go down in the summer, etc., and the final expense is dependent on local rates, and your own ambient room temps, but I think it illustrates the ballpark costs (for me) to keep a 20 gallon tank approx 15 degrees above room temps in my area. Knowing this number actually made me pull back on adding additional tanks for time being.

Many times we just plug stuff in and pay the total bill without understanding the costs to those things. But it's important to understand these costs as they offset any profit we might be getting out of a breeding project.

For me, this means in a single tank of fry that take 3 month to grow out, I need to make at least $30 profit to cover my heating expense. But then if I factor in the costs to keep the adults tanks heated, the actual cost I need to recoup is actually higher to avoid running the setup at a loss.

Edited April 19, 2021 by tolstoy21

[Struggle]

Measure twice cut once 😀. Spend a lot of time planning the build before you start, blue painters tape and string are great tools in helping lay out. If you’re going to do a auto water change pay special attention to how you will drain the water and where it needs to go.
 

Prioritize tasks in least favorite to not so bad and figure out a way to make them not such a chore. For example, performing water changes with 5 gallon buckets is a definite no go for me and drilling a hole through the front of our home is definitely a no go for my wife. So I use a pump / python hose to remove the water and then a different pump / python hose from brute trash cans that store water to my aquariums.

I’d suggest you put twice as many air outlets as you need. I installed (2) outlets per 10G, (2.5) outlets per 20G, (4) outlets per 40G, etc. I also have them in the main loop for water storage containers, bbs hatcheries or just whatever. This has worked pretty well for me.
 

Same with the electricity as with the air, the more the better and use GFCI outlet(s) to protect yourself.

Depending on qty of tanks and where you’re at you may need to have a plan for humidity.

Hopefully the above will help out and ask questions if you get stuck or want to share ideas before jumping in. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and there are several ways to accomplish your end goal.

[gardenman]

Attached garages tend to make pretty good fish rooms. They have a concrete floor, electricity, sometimes running water is already there, or at least nearby. That big garage door can make moving larger tanks in and out very easy. They're also pretty easy to reset back into a garage when you move down the road. 

[Andy's Fish Den]

The two things I would consider first is heating the entire space rather than individual tanks, and having a central air pump and air loop. Figure out how you are going to do water changes, how close are you to water and a place to drain the tanks? If you are very far away, you may want to run water and drain lines into the room, which depending how handy you are, can be a DIY project or you may have to hire a plumber. 

There are lots of good ideas between here and on YouTube on building out a fish room, Good luck with your build, make sure to take pics and document, you never know how much it could help someone else down the road.

[Munkyaquatix]

Good luck with your fish room I think everyone has pretty much said what I’m about to say...I’d say go with what’s easiest for you.if you comfortable with drilling tanks and all that good stuff go for it. I think a python and a barrel on wheels is pretty easy too and there’s no worries of cracking the a tank with drilling. And I would say for the racks if you decide to buy a storage rack I would make sure that it could hold like double the weight of what I would put on it.( i guess I’m paranoid lol) but I would consider just building your own. 
looking forward to seeing pics when it’s all set up and again good luck

[tolstoy21]

57 minutes ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

The two things I would consider first is heating the entire space rather than individual tanks, and having a central air pump and air loop.

Agree with the air loop.

When I started a small breeding setup in my basement, I didn't want to set up an air solution because I didn't' know how committed I was to the whole thing and didn't want to outlay that expense of the pump. However, I found I quickly spent maybe half the price of a the centralized air pump in individual tetra Whisper pumps before upgrading the setup. So in the end, I wound up spending more by equivocating and using individual pumps as an interim solution. I guess I can sell the pump used if I decide to break down the whole setup.

On the other hand, heating the space for me would cause the expense of partitioning off and insulating that corner of my basement. I'm fine with the construction aspect of that, but before I put time and money into modifying my basement, I'm hoping to get a longer-term analysis of both my long-term interest and the cost/effort of fish breeding as a hobby. The basement modifications aren't something I can sell used on Craigs List!

In any event, every step of my process is building towards the final project so I don't waste more effort and money in things I'll tear down or replace. As with many endeavors like this, infrastructure costs seems to be that first initial "gulp" one has to take the plunge into, or you risk winding up wasting money on interim stuff. 

Edited April 19, 2021 by tolstoy21

[tolstoy21]

29 minutes ago, Munkyaquatix said:

I think a python and a barrel on wheels is pretty easy too

Absolutely. In fact, I still do this, even though I do have an auto-water change system setup. Some limitations of my current water change system force me to do the rolling Brute can method for a couple of tanks. Unless you have a billion tanks, it's not hard at all to do changes with this method.  In doing this however,  I would recommend a utility pump to get water in and out of the barrel fast and easy, something like the Sicce ultra zero.

[Biotope19]

I’m in the planning stages of a a fish room build. I’m building a 9’ x 9’ space in my barn into a fish room. My goal is to have a gallery type set up (biotopes from around the world) but then have some tanks to move potential breeders or fry/eggs into and out of their respective display tanks. All the barn has at this point is electric, but as I said, I’m in the planning stages. I’m wondering if it’d be okay for me to share my four potential plans for set up’s and get everyone’s opinion on them? 

[Biotope19]

Which of these do you like best and any input and feedback would be appreciated 1, 2, 3 or 4?

[Streetwise]

@Biotope19, the second design allows for a nice recliner, and perhaps a media setup as well.

[Biotope19]

Sweet! Thanks Streetwise! Great points! Thanks one vote for #2.

[StevesFishTanks]

I like option 2 for keeping the entryway at door width. You can put a pc/desk or hang a tv on the right wall between the sink and top rack. It could also be room to grow with another rack. 

[Odd Duck]

Option 2.  It’s not a big deal to have a fairly narrow walkway (normal doorway width - the 2’ 6” spots), but you put that distance between stacks and you will be constantly bumping the stack behind you as you try to work or observe or anything.  Try standing in a standard doorway and bend over towards the other side.  It’s going to be awkward.  Yes, you’ll mostly be at an angle, but not always.  A hallway is usually at least another 6” wider than a doorway and that’s about as narrow as you want it to be between stacks.  It will make all the difference in the world working in there with buckets, barrels, boxes, coolers, etc, that come along with a fish room.

[Biotope19]

Thank you so much s1 and Odd Duck! Seems option 2 is the favorite. I appreciate your input and feedback!

[ChemBob]

@Biotope19 i agree with the comments above. At 2' 6" id be worried about knocking into the other stack. I'm big and clumsy, so I like to have a bit of room to move, as I know I'm going to hit something thats too close. 

[Biotope19]

Thank you Chem Bob. I got the 2’6” (30 inches) from Greg Sage and his recommendations on building fish rooms. You are making great points though as that space in reality may be an issue. I only have 81 square feet of floor space (9’x9’) so I’m trying to make the best of it while still being manageable. Thanks again, I’m humbled by you all that are taking time to give feedback.

[tolstoy21]

I'm all for option #2 as well, but mostly because if you have plumbing behind the tanks for water and drainage, you'll see all that as you open the door to the room. 

So from an aesthetic standpoint, I'd choose #2. But also, from a function purpose, #2 seems like it would be easier to get things in and out of the room without needing to navigate past a rack against the left wall. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by tolstoy21

[Biotope19]

Thank you Tolstoy. Good point. I think in the beginning I will be running a large air pump and sponge filters with manual water changes. Also planning on heating the room. 
Sounds like plan 2 is the winner. Anybody else have input that likes any other set up?

Thanks a ton!

 

[ARMYVET]

On 4/18/2021 at 4:42 PM, Noah_J said:

I kinda figured the water change system should wait. But I'll definitely try to put in effort to make sure it's expandable/upgradable, so I can keep making those upgrades through the future. Also, thanks for the mention of heating! You're right, I'd really like to avoid using heaters to whatever extent possible.

I am currently building my fish room and there is no way in hell I would want to "go back" and try to install the auto water changes system after the tanks are set up and running.  I also have a very small space to work with and doing it from the get go is hard enough let alone trying to do it later.   Just my 2 cents.