Mini Fishroom

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Dego510

AC Members
Oct 22, 2009
66
1
6
Chicago, IL
Hi Everyone,

I've been keeping fish for about 4 years now and currently keep a 75 gallon and 125 gallon with all-male peacocks and haps. I just moved into a new house with a decent sized basement that has a completely open floor plan and was thinking of starting a fishroom. I don't want to do a massive fishroom with a ton of tanks since I don't have a ton of time so I was thinking of building a couple racks and making a "Fish Area" in one of the corners of the basement near the sink and drain area. I want something that would accommodate 5 breeding groups of smaller Peacocks and Haps. I know I will be using sponge filter system and plan on just using individual tank heaters since I hope to not have more than 10 tanks going (plus the tanks will not be in an enclosed area).

Here's where I struggle. What size tanks will I need to start a small scale fish room where I would breed 5 different species of Peacocks/Haps? Can I use a few 33 Gallon Longs, some 20 Longs and a few 10 Gallons? Or do I need some 55G's or 40BR's? Again, I'm aiming for the smallest setup size possible (least number of tanks and gallons) while efficiently breeding 5 species and keeping them healthy.

Thanks!
 

verbal

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May 4, 2010
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Northern Virginia
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Jesse
I think if you pick species carefully you can probably do it with 5 tanks.

I would use 2-75s for your adult/breeding tanks. For new fry I would use baskets in a 20 long. Then for grow outs I would use divided 33 longs.

I would focus the design on having a common drain to make maintenance easier. Auto-refill may be more complexity than it is worth for a smaller set-up.

You could probably get away with smaller tanks than I suggest, but you want to be able to grow fry to a decent size to help defray your costs.
 

Dego510

AC Members
Oct 22, 2009
66
1
6
Chicago, IL
I think if you pick species carefully you can probably do it with 5 tanks.

I would use 2-75s for your adult/breeding tanks. For new fry I would use baskets in a 20 long. Then for grow outs I would use divided 33 longs.

I would focus the design on having a common drain to make maintenance easier. Auto-refill may be more complexity than it is worth for a smaller set-up.

You could probably get away with smaller tanks than I suggest, but you want to be able to grow fry to a decent size to help defray your costs.
1 species for each 75 gallon breeding tank? Also, what do you mean by using 'baskets' for the fry . . . those net basket things?
 

Narwhal72

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Aug 13, 2009
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You don't want to mix different species of peacocks or haps in the same tank to prevent hybridization. If you want 5 different species then I would go with 3 x 40 breeders for the peacocks and either 2 x 75's or you could use your current 75 and the 125 for the larger haps.

For grow out I would use 5 x 5.5 gallon tanks for young fry less than 60 days old and then 5 x 20H or 20Long tanks for growing out juveniles up to about 1-1.5" in size. If you want to grow them larger before moving them out then you are better off with 40 breeders.

Shorter (height and length) and wider tanks will give you more efficient use of space than longer and narrower tanks in most fish rooms.

Peacocks and haps love to eat fry and will harass fry in breeding traps. If you do use one be sure to use a hard plastic one and not a net and paint the bottom of the trap with Plastidip (the rubber coating paint used for tools) so that the adults can't see the fry from below.

Andy
 

Dego510

AC Members
Oct 22, 2009
66
1
6
Chicago, IL
For grow out I would use 5 x 5.5 gallon tanks for young fry less than 60 days old and then 5 x 20H or 20Long tanks for growing out juveniles up to about 1-1.5" in size. If you want to grow them larger before moving them out then you are better off with 40 breeders.
For the 5.5 gallon tanks, what filter do you use? Just an airline bubbler without the sponge?

Shorter (height and length) and wider tanks will give you more efficient use of space than longer and narrower tanks in most fish rooms.
Can you elaborate more on the "efficient use of of space in most fish room" part? Doesn't a longer tank increase the footprint? I understand the shorter in height part. I'm still learning.
 

Dagamoth

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Jan 26, 2010
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Milford, OH
Real Name
Adam
Right now I'm the process of doing something similar with my apartment's spare bedroom. I'm building a rack system that will support 4 - 40 breeders on top and 6 20 longs on the bottom. They'll be side by side so I'll only have a minimal viewing area but that won't matter for the fish. I'm fitting all those tanks in a 8 x 4 x 5-ish high space for the rack. Can't wait to have it done!

I'm planning on having breeding groups in the 40s above and grow out in the 20 longs below.
 

Dego510

AC Members
Oct 22, 2009
66
1
6
Chicago, IL
Dagamoth - That's kind of what I was thinking . . . something small. Maybe I can do three 40 breeders on the bottom and four 20 longs on the top.

As I'm doing more research, I'm a little concerned about heating these tanks and how much electricity will be consumed - $$$. These tanks will be in my basement, which is unfinished. The temperature down there is about 60 degrees and I worry about my electric bill when the heaters try to keep the tanks at 78 degrees. You might think that I should build a fishroom, but the layout is weird and there's so many airducts, water pipes and other things that stick out that putting insulation and drywall would be difficult. It's almost like the basement was built with the intention of never being a "finished basement" in the future. Anyways, back to the point. Besides insulating individual tanks, can I build a rack and insulate the back, sides, top and bottom of the rack. It would almost be like a huge cabinet without a closing door. The only heat loss would be through the front of the rack, but it should help the tanks retain some heat and provide some relief for the heaters. Has anyone done this or seen someone try this? Would it not work?
 
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