Fish room do's and do not's

[jeepboy]

I have a spare bedroom that I'm going to convert into a fish room. I will have a 240-300g tank and 2-3 smaller tanks. I would like to run all the salt tanks on a central sump. Since I'm at the beginning stages of planning I'd like some ideas of things to avoid and things to definitly include.

 

[boomper]

I would say first calculate the total weight of all your equipment, rocks, sand, water and tanks to make sure the floor can support everything.

 

[jeepboy]

The house is on a slab. I'm sure concrete slabs have a specific load bearing capacity, but who knows what quality of pour the slab on this house had. I should be ok since I'm not getting a tank any deeper than my current one, so psi should be equivalent.

 

[golfish]

fresh air in and hot humid air out is a must. I have a large fan suckingblowing air into my small tank room (in wall tank) I also run a large exhaust fan, like the kind used in bathrooms that sucks the air out of the room and out of the house.

 

[chris17]

I would have some shelfs for all your fish stuff or one big cabinant for it all. I think it would be a good idea to have a dehumidifier in the room also. Maybe a small fan to circulate the are real good. . . ....have a spot for towels that you can get to easily , never know when you will need them. I think that is all I can think of right now, if I think of anything else I will post it. . ...hth

 

[moraym]

Get some thick curtains if there's a window in the room. You don't want natural light hitting certain tanks and creating algae blooms, temp issues, and other problems.

 

[robchuck]

I'm in the planning process for an in-wall tank and fish room behind it. Like the others have said, a big concern is good ventilation. Other ideas I plan to put into my room are a slop sink, an old dorm fridge (for tank food and tank watching beer), lots of shelves, and enough space left over for future expansion. Also, I've found that Rubbermaid stock tanks are a very economical way to have large sumps and refugiums in fish rooms, especially because their inefficient shape doesn't restrict their placement in a fish room like it would underneath a stand.

 

[neoreef]

Waterproof flooring, and if possible, a drain!

 

[osufarker]

One room in our basement is wall to wall aquariums. I suggest a sink close by, a freezer close by for frozen food, and a dehumidifier. Shelving is nice also for test kits, dry food, equipment, etc. Comfortable furniture is a must so you can relax and enjoy the fish.