Zenzo's Fish Room (Tazawa Tanks) Photo Journal

[Zenzo]

I thought that it would be fun to share photos of my fish room and various tanks that I have around my home. My goal is to share photos of tanks, fish, and other cool things, and be able to answer questions and interact with other forum members. Here are a few photos to kick things off. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Zenzo, I've always admired your beautifully decorated fish room! 

 

I've always loved the bottom dwellers and am about to start a very large community tank, do you have a recommendation for a "beginner" goby I could take a look at? One that will get along with small fish that will share its space?

Edited November 13 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[TOtrees]

@ZenzoAs someone who is currently refitting my small fish room (and failing on many levels 😭), I'm always impressed when someone is able to create "clean and tidy". I love the flat black wall coverings, is that fabric or paneling? Is it hung like a curtain (I think I'm seeing rings at the top)? It looks like the protective fabric panels you see in elevators to protect the metal/glass. And what's the ceiling? Insulated panels? 

[Zenzo]

On 11/13/2024 at 10:08 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Zenzo, I've always admired your beautifully decorated fish room! 

 

I've always loved the bottom dwellers and am about to start a very large community tank, do you have a recommendation for a "beginner" goby I could take a look at? One that will get along with small fish that will share its space?

Stiphodon gobies might be good to try. They stay relatively small and are primarily aufwuchs grazers. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Thanks Zenzo, I'll look them up and see if they're a good fit, appreciate the recommendation!

[Zenzo]

On 11/13/2024 at 10:17 AM, TOtrees said:

@ZenzoAs someone who is currently refitting my small fish room (and failing on many levels 😭), I'm always impressed when someone is able to create "clean and tidy". I love the flat black wall coverings, is that fabric or paneling? Is it hung like a curtain (I think I'm seeing rings at the top)? It looks like the protective fabric panels you see in elevators to protect the metal/glass. And what's the ceiling? Insulated panels? 

Thank you! To be honest, it looks cleaner and tidier in photos and video than in person. I struggle like everyone else! LOL

 

The black "curtains" are heavy sound panels used for recording studios, etc. They are quite heavy, and are hung from metal hooks (2x2 wood goes around the entire perimeter behind the panels). Because I film a lot of videos down in the fish room, we put these up to eliminate sound bouncing around. They also help with insulation since I heat the room rather than tanks. The ceiling is just painted drywall.

[TOtrees]

19 minutes ago, Zenzo said:

The black "curtains" are heavy sound panels used for recording studios, etc. They are quite heavy, and are hung from metal hooks (2x2 wood goes around the entire perimeter behind the panels). Because I film a lot of videos down in the fish room, we put these up to eliminate sound bouncing around. They also help with insulation since I heat the room rather than tanks. The ceiling is just painted drywall.

Nice! Thanks. I have bare walls behind my racks, and I like the 2x2 hanger anchor idea. Maybe just heavy fabric for me since I don't produce content, and am not yet at the "heat the room" level. 

[mrPickles]

Beautiful fish room! Are those mudskippers? They look awesome.

[Chris]

I've been looking for Indian Mudskippers pretty much ever since you put up your first video on them, and have never found them through a source I'd actually trust. Plenty of Africans, but I want the little guys!

[Zenzo]

On 11/13/2024 at 6:56 PM, mrPickles said:

Beautiful fish room! Are those mudskippers? They look awesome.

Thank you! Yes, I keep both African and Indian mudskippers. 

 

[Alex B]

Awesome fish room, Zenzo! Do you have any saltwater tanks, too?

[Zenzo]

On 11/14/2024 at 10:12 AM, Alex B said:

Awesome fish room, Zenzo! Do you have any saltwater tanks, too?

Thanks! I don't have any saltwater tanks at the moment, but I do have a few brackish tanks. I took my last saltwater tank down 3-4 years ago. I never really had a passion for saltwater, but maybe one day I will setup a reef tank (again). 

[NoCo tap water]

@Zenzo

Love your fish room. Super clean!! What are your mechanicals like? They are hidden so well!

[Zenzo]

On 11/14/2024 at 12:02 PM, NoCo tap water said:

@Zenzo

Love your fish room. Super clean!! What are your mechanicals like? They are hidden so well!

Thank you! The room operates on a central air pump (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/linear-piston-air-pump). Behind the black "walls" (these are sound panels to help mitigate sound bouncing around - helps with filming), there is insulation as well as PVC tubing along the top, where the airlines drop down to supply air to each tank. I primarily use Aquarium Co-Op sponge filters for filtration. I heat the room via a 70pt dehumidifier, which helps keep the room relatively dry as well. Water changes are done manually, as I don't have an auto water change system. That is probably my only regret, and if I were to ever build another fish room , I would plan for this and install drilled tanks with overflows. 

[NoCo tap water]

On 11/14/2024 at 1:11 PM, Zenzo said:

Thank you! The room operates on a central air pump (https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/linear-piston-air-pump). Behind the black "walls" (these are sound panels to help mitigate sound bouncing around - helps with filming), there is insulation as well as PVC tubing along the top, where the airlines drop down to supply air to each tank. I primarily use Aquarium Co-Op sponge filters for filtration. I heat the room via a 70pt dehumidifier, which helps keep the room relatively dry as well. Water changes are done manually, as I don't have an auto water change system. That is probably my only regret, and if I were to ever build another fish room , I would plan for this and install drilled tanks with overflows. 

I just found your write up https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/fish-room-central-air-system.

 

Super clean install. I really like your false wall/acoustic material, completely changes the vibe of that room ( your paneling reminds me of my childhood) Definitely took some ideas away from this, thanks!

Edited November 16 by NoCo tap water

[Zenzo]

Quick update. I have been filming a new fishroom tour and will be editing it for a release next weekend. 

 

[Maximus]

25 minutes ago, Zenzo said:

Quick update. I have been filming a new fishroom tour and will be editing it for a release next weekend. 

 

 

[Randy]

@Zenzo Hello sir.  Which tank is your favorite and why?  Also, can you post a closeup pic for my viewing enjoyment? 😁

[Zenzo]

On 11/22/2024 at 11:53 AM, Randy said:

@Zenzo Hello sir.  Which tank is your favorite and why?  Also, can you post a closeup pic for my viewing enjoyment? 😁

@Randy My favorite tank is hard to choose, so I am picking two. One would be my saulosi tank. It's a 75 gallon acrylic tank with a rock decor, with a bunch of Pseudotropheus/Chindongo saulosi. My other favorite tank is my Indian mudskipper paludarium. It's a 40 gallon tank with brackish water and a waterfall, and houses my Indian mudskippers, along with some bumblebee gobies, Amano shrimp, and Nerite snails. 

[Randy]

@Zenzo

oh that mud skipper tank is looking super cool!

[Matt B]

That Mudskipper tank is awesome!  I'm attempting a scaled down version...10 gal.🤔

I'm slowly seeing if I can convert Java Fern to brackish water, any advice?  Is the moss in your tank a live plant?

Even with just algae, duckweed and some snails,  I'm haveing a lot of fun playing with this tank. 🤓

[Zenzo]

On 11/26/2024 at 6:26 AM, Matt B said:

That Mudskipper tank is awesome!  I'm attempting a scaled down version...10 gal.🤔

I'm slowly seeing if I can convert Java Fern to brackish water, any advice?  Is the moss in your tank a live plant?

Even with just algae, duckweed and some snails,  I'm haveing a lot of fun playing with this tank. 🤓

I actually cover the plants in my latest video. I’ll post it below. Nice setup by the way!

 

[NoCo tap water]

1 hour ago, Zenzo said:

I actually cover the plants in my latest video. I’ll post it below. Nice setup by the way!

 

Your fishroom is amazing!! So many cool tanks and fish! Thanks for sharing your entire fishroom, including your storage and mech.
 

I’ve been torn using this corrugated material for covers mostly because I’m worried it’ll really impact the PAR. Have you noticed any of that or am I overthinking this?

 

[Zenzo]

On 11/30/2024 at 10:24 AM, NoCo tap water said:

Your fishroom is amazing!! So many cool tanks and fish! Thanks for sharing your entire fishroom, including your storage and mech.
 

I’ve been torn using this corrugated material for covers mostly because I’m worried it’ll really impact the PAR. Have you noticed any of that or am I overthinking this?

 

 Thanks! I haven't measured, I don't really keep any plants that have high lighting requirements. I know there is some loss, but it should be fine with most lights and most plants.

@Matt B My only recommendation for your tank is to have more island space. Mudskippers like to be out of the water more than in it. 

[Zenzo]

@Matt B As far as my Java ferns, I keep relatively low salinity levels in my brackish tanks (maybe around 1.004 to 1.006 on average). I just put them in and they did fine. I also tried susswassertang as a moss on areas where the salt doesn't touch. They have been great as more terrestrial style plants (see my video).