Man Cave

redfishbluefish · Dec 10, 2016

Something else just hit me.....it appears the front of the tank, the partial wall above the tank is going to be solid wall. I'd suggest you remove this and instead put in trim work and doors (swinging up or out...either way) so that you can access the tank from the front. A tank this large is difficult to get to the front glass and lower front portion of the tank solely from the back of the tank....especially it being 36 inches deep.

I think you where going for this look:

But instead, I'd suggest something similar to this were the upper portion hinges open to allow access to the tank:

George Burbano · Dec 10, 2016

Thank you for the insight Mike, I have considered an exhaust fan with a humidity sensor, what are your thoughts on that?

SantaMonicaHelp · Dec 10, 2016

Hi Jorge, welcome! And yay to the wife's approval! ;)

Good luck & lots of fun with the build!

Sandra

George Burbano · Dec 10, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
Welcome Jorge to R2R! You've found a great fish/coral forum.

First off I love seeing new builds. Thanks for sharing. It appears you're going big from the start...and I'm liking it. You mention you're from Columbia, but don't mention where you live now. If here in the USA, a couple code issues I can easily see:

1. seams on duct work need to be taped with metal tape (NOT Duct tape).
2. Your boiler room needs to be vented to allow fresh air to get in for combustion. The size of the vent is dependent on the size of the room. Any other walls blocking entry of air to this furnace room also need to be vented.

As far as the fish room....here's my preferences:
It looks rather small. I don't like the position of the slop sink, leaving you little room between the sink and the tank stand. If you need to get a step stool in there to get into the tank, it won't fit. Instead of the large slop sink, I'd consider a small wet bar sink to allow you to dump water down a drain. This would take up little room and still allow water in, drain out.

I also don't care for your heating unit and water heater that close to the tank. (Again, can you fit a step stool between the boiler/hot water heater and the stand?) Saltwater and metal don't like each other. I've had metal objects (a stainless steel cooler) six to seven feet from my tank that never got wet with tank water, but started to rust. I had to move this cooler out of the room. I think having these metal objects in the room with the tank will cause for them needing replacement before their time.

Again, welcome @George Burbano to R2R.

Hello Paul,

Thank you for the information. I am from Colombia but currently live in Maryland, I will use metal tape on the seams, good catch!!! Please see the attached file, I have some room around the stand of about 12" . I also made the opening larger than the tank that I am planning to use. I am thinking about a 210 Gal tank ( 72 1/2"x 24 1/2"x 29 5/8") but the wall opening is slightly larger than that.

Mike_J · Dec 10, 2016

George Burbano said:
Thank you for the insight Mike, I have considered a exhaust fan with a humidity sensor, what are your thoughts on that?

That seems like a great solution to the issue of humidity and moisture. Perhaps also consider using a heavy duty antirust spray where you can as an extra precaution. Best of luck!

George Burbano · Dec 10, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
Something else just hit me.....it appears the front of the tank, the partial wall above the tank is going to be solid wall. I'd suggest you remove this and instead put in trim work and doors (swinging up or out...either way) so that you can access the tank from the front. A tank this large is difficult to get to the front glass and lower front portion of the tank solely from the back of the tank....especially it being 36 inches deep.

I think you where going for this look:

But instead, I'd suggest something similar to this were the upper portion hinges open to allow access to the tank:

You got that right, I love the look of the first picture but definitely see the value of making plans to access the fish tank from the other side of the wall!

cginter · Dec 10, 2016

I have a similar set up with my furnace and water heater in the same room as the fish room. You'll definitely want a fresh air for your tank. I had to run my skimmer line outside. And you'll want space behind the tank. Keep in mind the amount of room you'll need if you need to remove your sump at some point. Reef on!