Fish Room Ideas

[KentFishFanUK]

Ok so I'm going to be getting a shed built as a small fish room. It's only going to be 7' x 8' as that's all I have room for. 

Seeing as I'm having it built from scratch, is there anything I should take into consideration to tell the carpenter?

I've mentioned a solid foundation, insulation, ventilation and electricity but is there anything else I should mention now or make him aware of? I've mentioned it's for a fish room but I expect it will be the first fish room specific build he's done. 

As an aside, is it possible to provide enough lights for plants just from overhead room lights in the shed without having a light on each tank? I'm worried about having enough outlets. It will mostly be epiphytes and pothos I think. 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:00 PM, Tankseeker said:

I would get a temperature heater to keep the room at nice temperature so you don’t need heaters also ya overhead light will work

Thanks! I thought about this but wasn't sure if it would be super expensive to run all winter? Plus some of the fish I plan to keep prefer different temperatures, would I just set the room heater fairly low just to stave off too much cold and then just only put tank heaters in the tanks that want to be warmer? 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:02 PM, Tankseeker said:

Oh and get a more waterproof flooring like concrete there is bound to be spillage once in a while 

Oh good idea I think they usually do wooden flooring which probably wouldn't be so great, noted! Thanks

[ARMYVET]

WATER IN THE BUILDING AND DRAINAGE OUT OF THE BULIDING!!!!  

 

I put a fish room in a garage without either of them and a solid concrete floor....ask what what a nightmare it was for me to figure out how to get water in and water out.🤬

 

New construction like you ....I would have a floor sump drain. So I could have tanks almost sitting on the floor and still have auto water change drains.  I would also install a sink so you can wash all of your stuff(brine shrimp hatcheries sponge filters etc.) without having to go outside all the time.  I put one in my garage and it is a godsend! put electrical outlets at the sink!!

Electrical...make sure you have much more than what you think you need....I was an electrician...trust me on this one you will need it!

Also have them put a shelf around the top of the entire room.  In such a small room storage will be almost non existent because you will want every inch of floor space for tanks...LOL.  

 

Please feel free to ask me any questions.  I am happy to offer insight to what has worked for me😁 and what didnt😱.

[Jimmy]

On 8/24/2021 at 3:56 AM, KentFishFanUK said:

Ok so I'm going to be getting a shed built as a small fish room. It's only going to be 7' x 8' as that's all I have room for. 

Seeing as I'm having it built from scratch, is there anything I should take into consideration to tell the carpenter?

I've mentioned a solid foundation, insulation, ventilation and electricity but is there anything else I should mention now or make him aware of? I've mentioned it's for a fish room but I expect it will be the first fish room specific build he's done. 

As an aside, is it possible to provide enough lights for plants just from overhead room lights in the shed without having a light on each tank? I'm worried about having enough outlets. It will mostly be epiphytes and pothos I think. 

Make sure to check my build I’m working on now it’s 7x7 on the interior. With a room this small the layout is very critical and a lot of forethought needs to go into it.

ambient light is good enough for some less demanding plants but it really limits your overall success in my opinion. 
 

How much electricity are you running to it? You need to know this and also calculate the total watts you plan on consuming.

what’s your average temperatures like and how will you heat the space? In tank heaters will eat up your consumption and efficiency. 

how will you filter the room?

outlet placement is dependent on your layout. Make sure you gfci 

how will you manage humidity?

these are some considerations. I’ve leaned heavily on the forum. Check out my build thread in my signature  and keep update.

[ARMYVET]

Well said @Jimmy Im sure your going to have a great fish room when your done. Cant wit to see the pics!

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

If your building it from scratch the sky is the limit (other than your wallet of course) if I was custom building a fish shed I would want concrete floors, plumbing and air going to each tanks, and skylights to provide natural sunlight 

[Hobbit]

Exciting! How many tanks are you going to put in there? Are you going to have a few, or stuff it as full as possible?

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 2:25 PM, Hobbit said:

Exciting! How many tanks are you going to put in there? Are you going to have a few, or stuff it as full as possible?

Just a few really but a lot by normal people's standards haha I have three sort of 'biotopes' planned, plus another 4 or 5 species tanks, leaving 5 or so more tanks for quarantine/live food cultures/in case I see anything special (or manage to get hold of my dream fish lol). 

However they will all be small, the biggest being around 30 gallons then a couple 15 gallons then the rest are about 6-7 gallons even a couple 3 gallon ones.  

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 1:43 PM, BlueLineAquaticsSC said:

If your building it from scratch the sky is the limit (other than your wallet of course) if I was custom building a fish shed I would want concrete floors, plumbing and air going to each tanks, and skylights to provide natural sunlight 

Yeah my wallet is definitely the limit! Trying to do as much as possible on the cheap (other than the shed itself) everything else will be second hand and stuff like that. 

Definitely going for concrete floor now @Tankseeker pointed it out for me. 

Not sure how feasible plumbing is going to be really or if in budget. Maybe that's something I can do at a later date but for now it will probably have to be hoses and buckets etc.

Will get an air system going though won't have enough outlets for a dozen separate air pumps. 

Edit: I hadn't thought about a skylight, I like the idea but would that be too much light for algae etc?

Edited August 24, 2021 by KentFishFanUK
Extra question

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:36 PM, ARMYVET said:

WATER IN THE BUILDING AND DRAINAGE OUT OF THE BULIDING!!!!  

 

I put a fish room in a garage without either of them and a solid concrete floor....ask what what a nightmare it was for me to figure out how to get water in and water out.🤬

 

New construction like you ....I would have a floor sump drain. So I could have tanks almost sitting on the floor and still have auto water change drains.  I would also install a sink so you can wash all of your stuff(brine shrimp hatcheries sponge filters etc.) without having to go outside all the time.  I put one in my garage and it is a godsend! put electrical outlets at the sink!!

Electrical...make sure you have much more than what you think you need....I was an electrician...trust me on this one you will need it!

Also have them put a shelf around the top of the entire room.  In such a small room storage will be almost non existent because you will want every inch of floor space for tanks...LOL.  

 

Please feel free to ask me any questions.  I am happy to offer insight to what has worked for me😁 and what didnt😱.

Unfortunately getting water plumbed in probably isn't really feasible/in budget for me, will have to stick with garden hoses and buckets I think. Luckily for me I'm a small tank guy lol.

A shelf around the room is a fantastic idea though I'll be adding that to the list! Thanks

Oh and thanks for the offer of questions, will definitely take you up on that when the time comes!

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by KentFishFanUK

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:39 PM, Jimmy said:

Make sure to check my build I’m working on now it’s 7x7 on the interior. With a room this small the layout is very critical and a lot of forethought needs to go into it.

ambient light is good enough for some less demanding plants but it really limits your overall success in my opinion. 
 

How much electricity are you running to it? You need to know this and also calculate the total watts you plan on consuming.

what’s your average temperatures like and how will you heat the space? In tank heaters will eat up your consumption and efficiency. 

how will you filter the room?

outlet placement is dependent on your layout. Make sure you gfci 

how will you manage humidity?

these are some considerations. I’ve leaned heavily on the forum. Check out my build thread in my signature  and keep update.

Thanks will be checking out your build thread! 

When you say how much electricity am I running to it, do you mean how many outlets? 

I'm hoping the shed guy will be able to build in decent enough ventilation for the humidity. 

 

[Hobbit]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:37 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

Not sure how feasible plumbing is going to be really or if in budget. Maybe that's something I can do at a later date but for now it will probably have to be hoses and buckets etc.

Can you make a trough in the concrete floor that drains into to a simple pipe? Like they do in Peru?

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 5:55 PM, Hobbit said:

Can you make a trough in the concrete floor that drains into to a simple pipe? Like they do in Peru?

That sounds doable but where would it go? It would be a huge job to get it connected to the municipal waste water system. I worry if I just let it drain into the garden it would affect the foundations or something! 

[ARMYVET]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:47 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

Unfortunately getting water plumbed in probably isn't really feasible/in budget for me,

Its alot cheaper than you may think.  I was able to put in a sink, and ran all the plumbing for water and drains for under 500 bucks.  Now yes I did all the work myself ...I mean, how hard is it to glue pvc lol but the rewards far outweigh the cost. Cut every other corner you have to but please I beg you find a way to make that a reality and you will truly thank me later. 

If you want to pm me I will explain in detail how I did everything with some pics if that will help you in any way!

On 8/24/2021 at 1:00 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

I worry if I just let it drain into the garden it would affect the foundations or something

If you let the waste water drain into your garden you will have the best looking plants there are.  Mine drains into a grassy area and its the greenest part of the yard!  You would have to have constant huge amounts of water at the foundation line puddeling to have to worry about that.  As long as it doesn't puddle and sit your gold.  You can even dig a small 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft  drain field if your really that worried.  That was what I was going to do until I saw how well the drainage just into the grass was and it was a non issue.

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 6:11 PM, ARMYVET said:

Its alot cheaper than you may think.  I was able to put in a sink, and ran all the plumbing for water and drains for under 500 bucks.  Now yes I did all the work myself ...I mean, how hard is it to glue pvc lol but the rewards far outweigh the cost. Cut every other corner you have to but please I beg you find a way to make that a reality and you will truly thank me later. 

If you want to pm me I will explain in detail how I did everything with some pics if that will help you in any way!

If you let the waste water drain into your garden you will have the best looking plants there are.  Mine drains into a grassy area and its the greenest part of the yard!  You would have to have constant huge amounts of water at the foundation line puddeling to have to worry about that.  As long as it doesn't puddle and sit your gold.  You can even dig a small 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft  drain field if your really that worried.  That was what I was going to do until I saw how well the drainage just into the grass was and it was a non issue.

Well just some pvc pipe to drain into the grass I might be able to do myself but to actually get a water supply from the mains in the house I think would be a bit too difficult for me! Not to mention my wife wouldn't let me run a pipe the entire length of the garden so it would have to be underground. 

Couldn't I basically achieve the same thing with a python water change thingy?

[Patrick_G]

It’s labor intensive to run a line from the mains to an out building and can be very labor intensive to tap into the drain. I helped a friend put a small bathroom in his shop. The trenching and getting the correct slope is the worst part. 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/24/2021 at 7:06 PM, Patrick_G said:

It’s labor intensive to run a line from the mains to an out building and can be very labor intensive to tap into the drain. I helped a friend put a small bathroom in his shop. The trenching and getting the correct slope is the worst part. 

That's kind of what I figured so I hadn't even considered it until now. I've seen 100 ft python systems for like £100 on eBay I might give that a go first

[Hobbit]

On 8/24/2021 at 1:49 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

Well just some pvc pipe to drain into the grass I might be able to do myself

That’s what I was picturing. Basically make a French drain using something like this buried just under the ground. Or not buried. Up to you!

[kammaroon]

You can drain into a large water container and use the water for your plants. Depending on the level of your drains, you can bury the container or have it above ground.

[Odd Duck]

On 8/24/2021 at 11:47 AM, KentFishFanUK said:

Unfortunately getting water plumbed in probably isn't really feasible/in budget for me, will have to stick with garden hoses and buckets I think. Luckily for me I'm a small tank guy lol.

A shelf around the room is a fantastic idea though I'll be adding that to the list! Thanks

Oh and thanks for the offer of questions, will definitely take you up on that when the time comes!

 

If you can put drains in now, it’s a lot easier to add water later than drains.  Using a hose to fill isn’t that big a deal, but sooooo much easier if you have a floor drain.  You can actually hook up a hose to a faucet, then detach and drain it during any freezing weather.

[Odd Duck]

On 8/24/2021 at 5:55 PM, Tankseeker said:

@Odd Ducki see no reason to get something with limited benefits, I have gone without a drain since forever with no problem,

And I wish soooo many times that I had a giant sink and running water in a proper fish room.

[Odd Duck]

On 8/24/2021 at 5:58 PM, Tankseeker said:

@Odd Duck bear  in mind money is needed to buy tanks and fish later on, so why spend money on these less important things

It just isn’t that expensive to put in a drain while in the building stage, even if it only goes to a small leach field (a hole with gravel in it).  It doesn’t need to connect to sewage for tank water.  So maybe $30.00 in PVC and the same in gravel - it would be well worth it to me.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Odd Duck

[Patrick_G]

On 8/24/2021 at 4:19 PM, Tankseeker said:

@Odd Duckthat wouldn’t help with anything 

 I think she means it’ll be easier to have a diy drain that feeds into the back garden than toting buckets of old tank water. 

[Odd Duck]

On 8/24/2021 at 6:25 PM, Patrick_G said:

 I think she means it’ll be easier to have a diy drain that feeds into the back garden than toting buckets of old tank water. 

Yes, exactly!

@Tankseeker I was hauling a barrel on wheels around the house to both drain and refill my tanks.  I still haul to refill since I just can’t make myself put water with chlorine and chloaramines directly into my tanks so I premix my water for a few minutes while I’m draining tanks, then pump it into the tanks.

Using a python generic to drain has made life easier, but it’s slower than a straight siphon. If I had a drain in a concrete floor and I could just drain directly onto the floor, what a water and time saver!  Plus it gets crazy hot in Texas and I don’t want to be rinsing stuff outdoors in the hose, yet that’s what I have to do since I don’t have a fish room with a sink or a drain.

It would definitely make my life much easier if I had most of my tanks in one room with water and a drain.  I would install auto top offs, auto water changes, all the things.  Then I could sit back and do what is the happier part of fish keeping for me instead of hauling a barrel around, siphoning water, refilling, etc.

It isn’t that hard to add the more expensive “auto” stuff later if you plan ahead with your drains.  Adding drains after the concrete is poured greatly increases the total expense.  Doing it before the concrete is poured is cheap and easy.