Costs

[Jeff king]

Good morning. 

Recentlu my wife suggested we add a master bath onto our bedroom. I said can I put a fish tank in it?   She said yes.  So my plan is to add 2’ to the end wall and build either a 125 or a 180 gallon planted tank into the wall. My plan is to surround the tank with cabinetry which would work as both storage for linens as well as storage for tank components. Any thoughts?  Any reasons why it’s a bad idea?   Any ideas on what the tank and plants could cost?  An I crazy for thinking I could do it for under $2000?  

 

 

Thanks jeff

[ThomasLC]

You can do it under 2000 depending on where you get what you need.  For example, getting a used tank can save you huge.  

How do you plan to filter?  Sump?  Canister?  Sponge?

What type of fish will be in there, how many?

Need wiring for lights heaters and such.

[Jeff king]

I have a new canister filter from an old tank  I’m always leary if used tanks. I’m thinking heavily planted tank fish are secondary maybe schooling tetras and altums 

 

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 10:57 AM, Jeff king said:

I have a new canister filter from an old tank  I’m always leary if used tanks. I’m thinking heavily planted tank fish are secondary maybe schooling tetras and altums 

 

The tank will be in an addition to our house so I’ll be able to do all wiring for lights and filters relatively inexpensivly 

[lefty o]

the tank, lighting, and substrate/decor are going to be the most expensive part. even with the larger tank i think you can come in well under 2 grand. plants, and fish dont have to be bought all at once if the budget gets tight, but i imagine you can stock up pretty well and stay under budget.

[Jeff king]

Am I crazy to consider buying a couple 40 gallon tanks to set up in my basement to grow plants in till my addition is ready.  I am thinking I wanna go for the “lawn” look in my tank so I’m considering buying plants now and dividing them and growing out    I’m guessing I’m about 18 months from when I’ll actually be ready to install the tank but I’m hoping to have enough plants and materials ready by then to put together an impressive display right away 

[lefty o]

not crazy. good idea to get plants ahead of time. you can get them to grow out nicely in that time. my thoughts depend on if you desire multiple tanks down the road buying 40b's, or for cheaper you can usually pick up 35-40 gallon plastic tubs cheaper. throw some substrate in, fill with water, add plants.

[Jeff king]

hoping my skills have improved since my last planted tank 

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 12:05 PM, lefty o said:

not crazy. good idea to get plants ahead of time. you can get them to grow out nicely in that time. my thoughts depend on if you desire multiple tanks down the road buying 40b's, or for cheaper you can usually pick up 35-40 gallon plastic tubs cheaper. throw some substrate in, fill with water, add plants.

I’m not against having extra tanks. Petco has a buck a gallon sale where I can get 40 gallon breeder tanks for 40 bucks 

[lefty o]

On 8/23/2021 at 11:09 AM, Jeff king said:

I’m not against having extra tanks. Petco has a buck a gallon sale where I can get 40 gallon breeder tanks for 40 bucks 

i think you have a good grasp on what you need/want to do.  when you build this tank out, take pics. always interesting to see  start to finish progress.

[lefty o]

oh yea,. go with the 180!😈

[Jeff king]

I love the way things progress 

[Guppysnail]

On 8/23/2021 at 11:58 AM, Jeff king said:

40 gallon tanks to set up in my basement to grow plants

It would be cheaper to use plastic totes for this. Get clip on plant lights relatively inexpensive much easier to store when finished with them. I think some folks even use 5 gallon buckets with success 

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 1:04 PM, Guppysnail said:

It would be cheaper to use plastic totes for this. Get clip on plant lights relatively inexpensive much easier to store when finished with them. I think some folks even use 5 gallon buckets with success 

Thank you 

 

I may or may not have told the wife the tank would be about a grand. Now trying to cut corners where ever I can 

[Patrick_G]

I think I couldn’t do a 180 with plants and stocking for under $2000 unless you already have lighting and hard scape. But, you know what? I’d do it anyway even if it’s double the cost it’ll get absorbed into the cost of the addition right? 😀 Plus since is a new custom build you can set up auto water change! 

[lefty o]

On 8/23/2021 at 12:09 PM, Patrick_G said:

I think I couldn’t do a 180 with plants and stocking for under $2000 unless you already have lighting and hard scape. But, you know what? I’d do it anyway even if it’s double the cost it’ll get absorbed into the cost of the addition right? 😀 Plus since is a new custom build you can set up auto water change! 

he says  right next to master bath, so water source, and drains will be very close by.

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 1:13 PM, lefty o said:

he says  right next to master bath, so water source, and drains will be very close by.

The tank is going to be IN the master bath!!! 

[lefty o]

On 8/23/2021 at 12:15 PM, Jeff king said:

The tank is going to be IN the master bath!!! 

even closer to the drain pipe!

[CalmedByFish]

I'd totally start growing plants. 

The only thing I haven't seen mentioned is that you'll need to construct it all in a way that if there is a leak, you can pretty easily get the tank out of its "hole." Leave good space around it to be able to get hands in there and remove it, just in case.

[Littlefish]

I removed a never used 200g acrylic tank from a remodel job.  The tank is the shower wall.  2nd pic with tile is from inside the shower looking out.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Have you considered going with the larger size and building it out of wood? This would work great if you are only having the front panel as display. It is a lot easier than it looks, I considered it before I built my SW tank.

This is the guide I was using:

http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/eng_diy/2200litre/2200litres.html

Edited August 23, 2021 by eatyourpeas
Added link.

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:42 PM, Littlefish said:

I removed a never used 200g acrylic tank from a remodel job.  The tank is the shower wall.  2nd pic with tile is from inside the shower looking out.

 

That’s AWESOME!!!  

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:58 PM, eatyourpeas said:

Have you considered going with the larger size and building it out of wood? This would work great if you are only having the front panel as display. It is a lot easier than it looks, I considered it before I built my SW tank.

This is the guide I was using:

http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/eng_diy/2200litre/2200litres.html

My son (26) is always trying to talk me into building a tank. My wife is not a fish person (yet) so if this thing springs a leak in her dream bathroom my clothes will be on the lawn before I get home 

 

but now I’m gonna revisit the idea.  

[lefty o]

here's a thought i had earlier. since you are building it near plumbing, you could craft a drain pan to put under it with a hose routed to the drain pipe in case it ever developed a leak. sort of like the catch cans they make to put under water heaters in case they leak.

[Jeff king]

On 8/23/2021 at 5:33 PM, lefty o said:

here's a thought i had earlier. since you are building it near plumbing, you could craft a drain pan to put under it with a hose routed to the drain pipe in case it ever developed a leak. sort of like the catch cans they make to put under water heaters in case they leak.

That’s a great idea.  It will actually have a 4’ foundation full of stones under it so the pan could just direct the water to there