Fish tank room

[Aaron Hobaugh]

Hi all,

Just built a house and am building a room in my basement to be my designated fish tank room. I am going to have all my plumbing from my 135g on the first floor, come down to the fish tank room into my 110g sump(rubbermaid).

For those of you that have them, I am wondering what size your fish tank rooms are. I want to allow enough space for a few large water containers for my RODI and such. I will have a few small tanks set up in their for frags and such, like 30 gallon tanks.

Any other ideas would be helpful. Thanks!!

 

[TK_KW]

Mine is about 8' x 14' (also have back side of display in room) and sometimes I wish it were bigger if I had the choice. But it does the trick, with good walking room.

 

[ReeferBud]

Mine is 8’ x 13’ and also wish is was bigger

 

[ihavecrabs]

Mine is a similar size to those mentioned above and while I wish it was bigger I’m glad it is not...

If it were, I’d have more tanks and more of a mess! Haha.

 

[Jay Z]

Mines in my basement. Whole basement is open but I operate the fish corner. About 10’ long and 8’ wide is comfortable for me to work and set stuff around me.

Biggest recommendation I can make is ventilation.

A fresh air in vent w/filter for skimmer air, air pump air, and fresh air in the room.

Make preparation for a dehumidifier also. You may or may not need one, but better to leave a space, plug, and drain point just incase. Can always set a rubber maid container in its space if not needed.

Power exhaust vent to deal with humidity, co2, and smell. Doesn’t need to be anything more than a bathroom fan. I cannot stress enough the benefits of a air exchange unit if you can swing it. Covers all the ventilation issues with one unit. You can pull fresh temp controlled and filtered air from it and the exhaust will cover the removal of stale air from the room and skimmer if you tap into it.

Small air circulation fan also help with keeping and spilt water and such to dry up quick with no dead air spot in the room.

Proper electrical ran to the room. I prefer a couple individual 20 amp lines or 15 just to distribute the load. Proper lighting so you can see just fine, in cabinet lighting (cheap led tape strips) to make things easier.

Some table top or bench space to work off of. Plus a stool if you find it more comfortable to sit while working/tinkering.

Waterline in and drain line out. I didn’t have a option for a floor drain in my corner so I ran a pvc drain on the wall to the utility tub. My ato and ro water pump up into then run to the tub.

I know most recommend what equipment and skip the stuff that will make the quality of your house and life easier.

Equipment is easy to swap and change. Plumbing, electrical, and venting are usually a easy project if done off the get go, and a bear when trying to integrate after set up.

To me setting up a proper usable fish room is this biggest challenge you can do in this hobby. It takes the most time and planning.

If you plan on running multiple tanks off one sump (I run 3 around my house, soon to be 4) plan for the plumbing on that also. I planned my whole basement set up to handle 1 6 gallon closed top tank in my kitchen. It also handles my 45 in the guest bedroom and 40 in my bedroom. It’s kind of a no brained for remote tanks. All you need for them is light and a water mover and some waterlines.

Just some thoughts for you on the start of the new room.

Keep us posted with pics and ideas! Love seeing what other come up with!

 

[lapin]

Mine is 8 x 11
It does have to house the 5 x 5 tank so space is a bit limited

 

[paulweck]

Mine is 8x10 and has my 220 display in it. Its the perfect amount of space for me. Any bigger I would just pack more tanks and clutter I dont need.

I definitely agree with others above. Plumbing, electrical and ventilation are key. You cant see it in the picture but there is a slop sink, desk and a wall cabinet on the right side of the door that I couldnt live without.

 

[klesel]

Mine is just a small laundry room its 8x5 but took some time to plan out everything I wanted or could put in the space if got a 125 in wall with 40 breeder and 20 all run off same sump . Put a drain in the floor and water was easy since the washer water heater and water softener is all there