Fish room owners: Things to consider when building a fish room/closet?

[smartwater101]

So i'm turning the nearby closet (6' x 5') into a fish room with a 4' frag tank. The wall will have a 1' x 1' opening into the living room. The plumbing goes into the DTs sump/stand, right next to the wall. So it will have some ventilation.

Obviously things like in-floor drains or sinks are out of the question. My main curiosity is other things I need to bare in mind. Is humidity a concern? (kind of concerned about smell building up.) Is putting a chiller in a small room like this a good idea? What are some random things you hadn't considered when building your fishroom?

 

[JoshH]

So i'm turning the nearby closet (6' x 5') into a fish room with a 4' frag tank. The wall will have a 1' x 1' opening into the living room. The plumbing goes into the DTs sump/stand, right next to the wall. So it will have some ventilation.

Obviously things like in-floor drains or sinks are out of the question. My main curiosity is other things I need to bare in mind. Is humidity a concern? (kind of concerned about smell building up.) Is putting a chiller in a small room like this a good idea? What are some random things you hadn't considered when building your fishroom?

Enough electricity for my needs, a floor drain (sink/drain for WCs), and a ceiling fan with a humidistat (sorry for the spelling) are at the top of my concerns with my fish room build. I would definitely be concerned about moisture and heat in a room that size so I would try and come up with a plan to mitigate those issues...

 

[smartwater101]

Enough electricity for my needs, a floor drain (sink/drain for WCs), and a ceiling fan with a humidistat (sorry for the spelling) are at the top of my concerns with my fish room build. I would definitely be concerned about moisture and heat in a room that size so I would try and come up with a plan to mitigate those issues...

I've been on the fence about the chiller anyway so I'll probably just keep the frag tank and lights in there. Even with the wall opening (and a fan blowing out... or in?) I'd like to avoid too much heat. Especially since I'm doing a radion/T5 hybrid.

I had an electrician come check out the closet since I wanted an outlet in there. I currently run everything from one 20a breaker and don't quite hit 12a at peaks. But, I have another line on the other side of the closet (that he is going to expand into the room) that is also 20a. I'm super happy I'll finally get to divide up some of the strain on the breaker. (not that it was a huge deal anyway, but adding another tank/lights and more powerheads ya know)

A thermometer/humidistat is a great idea. Looks like they aren't too pricey either.

 

[rocsec1]

A drain and a fan a necessity. In my fish room i couldn’t image not having them. Shelving for all the stuff you’ll put in there.

 

[smartwater101]

A drain and a fan a necessity. In my fish room i couldn’t image not having them. Shelving for all the stuff you’ll put in there.

I wish I could do a drain. But I'm in a second floor apartment.

Although, I could just drain it into the neighbors living room lol

 

[JoshH]

I wish I could do a drain. But I'm in a second floor apartment.

Although, I could just drain it into the neighbors living room lol

I'm sure they wouldn't mind could you potentially run a drain through the wall to a bathroom or sink of some sorts?

 

[smartwater101]

It's on the far corner of the living room. Too far from both the kitchen and bathroom. Although it is an outside wall. And the gutter drains along side it. I could drill through the wall and have water drain right down the gutter haha

I'd never do that but would be interesting.

I put vinyl wall base/trim along the base of the wall. So that should at least keep any spills in the room instead of leaking down the wall.

 

[lapin]

Humidity is always a concern. In Calif they dont usually account for that in housing construction. Consider it as you would a bathroom with a shower and you keep the door shut all the time. A chiller needs to vent heat so that can become an issue in an enclosed space.

 

[smartwater101]

Humidity is always a concern. In Calif they dont usually account for that in housing construction. Consider it as you would a bathroom with a shower and you keep the door shut all the time. A chiller needs to vent heat so that can become an issue in an enclosed space.

Yeah, I think the chiller is a no go for the room. My apartment holds in heat like a pizza oven, so that's always been an concern for me. Hopefully T5s aren't too crazy hot :/

I'll definitely keep a box fan by the hole in the wall, to push hot air out. And probably a 6" fan above the T5/hybrid fixture to help there as well.

Too bad I just fried my portable AC unit. Was going to hide it in a cabinet and wheel it out during the summers. Probably have to get a new one since it stays so hot in here and most are also dehumidifiers iirc

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I took a lot of time considering how to mitigate moisture and heat for my equipment room, the main points seem to already be covered... being in an apartment on the 2nd floor limits your options. You're on the right track with creating circulation through the room, by moving air through the closet you should be able to easily keep the heat down as well as the moisture, the only downside is that you're blowing all of that into the rest of the apartment, you'll still need to figure out a way to remove it from the there.

You mentioned a portable a/c unit, which would be the best of both worlds, not only does an a/c unit cool it also dehumidifies. If you can put a big enough unit in the room adjacent to the closet (new fish room) it should help keep the apartment comfortable.

One thing to also consider is how to mitigate spills, does the closet have carpet? Will the owners allow you to rip it out and put something down in its place?

I did something similar, converting a closet into a fish room, however I wasn't on the 2nd floor and I own the home, meaning I was able to go crazy with it. I added plumbing but my biggest regret was not adding a floor drain.

Here 8s my build thread, peruse through it, maybe it will give you more ideas.
My rendition of 300 | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum

Large Build - My rendition of 300

Please bear with me, I'm about to transfer my tank build over to this forum. Be prepared for mass data overload. This all began February 2018 After a bit of a hiatus, I’m ready to finally get started on a 300 gallon in wall tank. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a very long...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[smartwater101]

I took a lot of time considering how to mitigate moisture and heat for my equipment room, the main points seem to already be covered... being in an apartment on the 2nd floor limits your options. You're on the right track with creating circulation through the room, by moving air through the closet you should be able to easily keep the heat down as well as the moisture, the only downside is that you're blowing all of that into the rest of the apartment, you'll still need to figure out a way to remove it from the there.

You mentioned a portable a/c unit, which would be the best of both worlds, not only does an a/c unit cool it also dehumidifies. If you can put a big enough unit in the room adjacent to the closet (new fish room) it should help keep the apartment comfortable.

One thing to also consider is how to mitigate spills, does the closet have carpet? Will the owners allow you to rip it out and put something down in its place?

I did something similar, converting a closet into a fish room, however I wasn't on the 2nd floor and I own the home, meaning I was able to go crazy with it. I added plumbing but my biggest regret was not adding a floor drain.

Here 8s my build thread, peruse through it, maybe it will give you more ideas.
My rendition of 300 | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum

Large Build - My rendition of 300

Please bear with me, I'm about to transfer my tank build over to this forum. Be prepared for mass data overload. This all began February 2018 After a bit of a hiatus, I’m ready to finally get started on a 300 gallon in wall tank. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a very long...

www.reef2reef.com

So the closet itself does not have carpet. Its some cheap linoleum. The living room itself does has carpet. I've had my current tank up for five years, and part of the reason I want a fish room is to do things like acclimation and water testing without having to sit (and spill crap) on the carpet. Even though I know the landlord tears up the carpet when people move, I don't know if replacing it with tile is worth the headache.

Here is an older photo but gives you an idea of what I currently have:

So the new tank will actually be to the left of this. In front of the window (ew. I know. But I need to open up this space for a table and I need the tank closer to the closet.) I'm not too worried about algae from sunlight, I'll just have to be more vigilant with nutrients and cleaning. (I love natural light so there is no way I'll block it.)

Anyway. Here is the current mockup of the future tank and room. The one on the right is the tank you see above. It will be gone once I set up the new tank/room.

The yellow box will mainly be a shell with a door, to let airflow through. And its also where I want to hide an AC/Dehumidifier.

Pardon the mess, I've been prepping a lot of stuff for the build. But here is the space:

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Right on, the cad is great for a visual. You're on the right track. Is air flowing from the closet right into the compartment with the dehumidifier? That's probably a good idea to grab the moisture asap before it fills the main house. Given the spacer to work with, space saving techniques are a must, looks like you have it under control.

 

[smartwater101]

Yeah that yellow box would be where the unit is. And there will be a box-fan inside the closet pushing air out.

As for space saving... I'm literally gearing up for some of that as I type this. I might be able to keeping things organized lol:

This doesn't include all the ones I already have set up at home. haha

 

[Peace River]

In addition to heat and humidity which have already been discussed, a small counter space, shelving, and places to put the things that you always need within reach are very helpful (based on the CAD this appears to be covered). Good luck!

 

[krash7172]

This may not be an option for you specifically but this has worked well for me for 2 yrs in my converted closet. I put a washer drain in the wall to save space. I have a return air vent in there with no other mechanical ventilation but the door is cut a bit short on the bottom to allow air flow. I have all LED lights. No heat or moisture issues.

 

[Bruce60]

I agree with the comments above. It is a shame you will be unable to bring water and drains into the space. Ventilation is a must!

Since you can't have a floor drain, you might want to consider some type of a spill tray for the floor. You can typically find them in farm supply stores. Just one example: https://www.grainger.com/product/ULTRATECH-Spill-Tray-3FTZ6

You might be able to find something in a size that will work for your closet/tank/equipment. This way if there is a leak, it can be contained until the issue can be addressed. Combine that with some type of flood alarm, and you have something that, while not perfect, deals with 80%+ of scenarios and meets your restrictions.

I hope this is helpful. Best wishes!

 

[krash7172]

+1 on flood alarm. I failed to mention that. Flood alarm + water resistant floor + water resistant trim and caulk will go a long way if you can't have a floor drain.