Constructing an Aquarium Room

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Bill Schultz

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Nov 30, 2003
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Lawrenceville, GA
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In the first quarter of next year (2004) I will begin construction of my “Aquarium Room” (AR). What I will be doing is converting a 13’X13’ sunroom into the AR. I plan on adding 3 55-gallon tanks across the back wall with a 55-galloon tank on each side (U-shape).

The tanks will sit on a ledge (stand) that I will construct out of 2X4’s and cover with cedar 1X6” tongue and groove boards (rough side out). The under section of the ledge will have doors into storage areas. I will panel over the windows with the cedar boards and insert “port holes” over the existing windows. This will permit limited light and not expose the back of the tanks to a window.

At the present time, the entrance to the room’s 8’ opening is flanked by existing 55-gallon tanks resting on customized cedar stands. When completed, I will have 7 tanks – all freshwater.

Before I start construction, I want to have all of the logistics considered – water removal and tank filling, etc. There is crawl space below the room so I can easily come up through the floor for any water piping that is required. Right now, manual water changes are not too much of a chore. But using the same system with more than twice the number of tanks will be too much. I need to create an efficient method for water changes – any ideas?

Also, the existing tanks are filtered with Eheim 2213’s. I’m not convinced that they are doing the best filtering job available, yet others swear by them. The only reason they were installed on the existing tanks (over a power filter) is that I had to have the tanks sitting very close to the wall. Since I can come away from the wall a few inches in the new room, that isn’t a problem. I’m leaning towards a power filter for the new tanks – any suggestions, including manufacturer and size?

I have sufficient budget and I want to do this right. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bill Schultz
 
Step 1 - beef up the floor. Even if you just sister your joists with 2x4's, you'll be better off.

Is this sunroom on your house because it's a passive solar designed house? If so, expect your heating bill to skyrocket.

I think some kind of pumping system would be pretty handy for performing water changes. I would definitely put in a large double sink, maybe as part of an island in the middle of the room. Maybe run with the idea or a central "care" system?

Have fun with it, do you have drawings of what your planning? Or you winging it, mrbigisbudgood style?

pics pics pics bro
 
What's going to be in the tank?

If the water parameters are the same for each tank, you could build yourself a central filteration system. Water changes would be a heck of alot easier, you'd no longer have to go from tank to tank.
 
I'd setup a flow-through system, where fresh water pumps into the tanks continuously with an overflow that feeds into a storage tank that you could use to water plants. No water changes needed, as the water is constantly refreshed.

One thing to keep in mind--even with panels over the windows, yu can expect quite a bit of heat to build up and radiate to the tanks. Have some fans in place to move the air around and keep it from heating up the water.
 
This is yet another thing I don't know a lot about. However, The Krib has some threads and FAQs about building fishrooms you might want to have a look at. That site has a lot of good DIY info.
 
Why are you sticking with 55 gallon tanks? They are a bit limiting with their narrow 13" width. I've always thought of them as better for the human (good viewing) not as good for the fish. If you want to stick with 48" tanks there are wider ones to choose from.

Here are some nice tank sizes:
75 48x18x20
90 48x18x24
110 48x18x30
120 48x24x24
125 72x18x22
150 72x18x28
180 72x24x24

I have both the 120 and 180. The 24" width is really nice.

Would you consider building the tank supports bigger to hold larger tanks in the future?

What will you have as flooring? I often spill water when working on the tanks. Would be nice to have a floor that you didn't have to worry about.

I am being given two 55s later this month and plan to use a Penguin 330 dual bio-wheel power filter on each. They are on sale at Dr. Fosters for less than $21. I already have two on the 60 (which is overkill, but fish load is high right now) and two on the 120. They are great filters, but they do tend to help the water evaporate a little faster. Maintenance is very easy on them... grab the cartridge, rinse and put it back. The bio wheel does the biological filtration, so the cartridge is mechanical. After a while they will get thin and need replacing. many people then go to a sponge insert in place of the cartridge.

My wife and I have taken to sitting and watching the fish while feeding. Comfortable chairs and maybe a small table would be really nice.

Place the lighting on a single timer...... :)

When I do water changes I connect the syphon vacuum to a hose and send it right out the door (actually into my sump pump). I go from tank to tank and bring them all down 25%, pinching the hose between tanks to not lose the syphon. I then fill them back up by connecting hose to water supply and filling directly, adding chemicles as they fill. This saves a ton of time.

Keep it as simple as possible. IMHO, the more complex the systems you install are the more that can go wrong.
 
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Direct Questions Answered

Mrbigisbudgood
1. Beef up the floor – This was the first consideration and is being handled by a contractor who is also running more electricity to the room.

2. Passive solar designed house? – No, no problem there.

3. Winging it, mrbigisbudgood style? – Absolutely. I’m making too many changes as I go along to do it differently. Also, you folk are giving me ideas that must be considered.


Chefkeith
Central Filtrations System. I thought of this but I’m not so sure that I have the technical skills to pull it off. Also, while I’m considering all tanks to be community fish with the same standards, I really want to have the flexibility to go to keeping a tank of Discus.


Oriongirl
1. “Flow-through system” – Sounds like a neat idea but again, I’m not so sure that I have the tech skills to pull it off. Do you have a URL or something that I can look at? I’m not so sure that I fully understand the logistics.

2. Heat through the windows – I have put reflective film on the windows and will put insulation between the window and the faux wall.


Mogurnda
Thanks for the URL to The Krib – I checked it out and it seems to be a great resource.


SayersWeb
1. Why are you sticking with 55 gallon tanks? – You have caused me to reconsider. My thinking was based on cost of the tanks as my LFS has a great deal on them. However, when I consider the total cost of the room, the tanks are a pretty small bite. BTW, why is a narrow tank not such a good deal for the fish?

2. Flooring? – No problem. It’s a vinyl type with throw rugs to be placed in the spill areas.

3. Water changes – I had a system of pumping the new water from a 60-gallon potable water tank that I stored on my patio. The problem is the winter in Atlanta while not really cold is too cold to be pumping into my tanks. How are you handling this? Isn’t the water coming from the source too cold? I’m considering piping the old water through the floor and out of the room and installing hot and cold water taps in the room in order to pump in water close to the temperature of the tanks.

Also, I set up the tank on the patio in order to let the water company chemicals dissipate and in order to treat the water before putting it into my tanks. Is it really OK to take it right from the tap and into the tanks and treat it there?

4. Canister vs Bio-Wheel filtration – I noticed that you use both. For me, unhooking the canister filter for service is a pain in the rear. I don’t like for two tanks and I know I’ll hate it for seven. When I look at a Bio-Wheel, I notice that the water is being sucked in just a few inches away from where it’s being dumped back into the tank. Conversely, you can set up a canister filter’s goesinta on the other side of the tank from the goesouta. Any thoughts?


Thank you all for your help – so far.

Bill Schultz
 
Hi Bill -

Glad you are considering building for possible larger future tanks. :)

Tanks Size -If you are doing smaller fish, then aquarium width is not as much of a problem. But, any fish that is territorial will not be able to setup a territory that is removed from the main swimming area in a narrower tank. A wider tank also allows for more layers of plants and rocks throughout the width of the tank instead of them all being across the back glass. It gives the fish (and the viewer) more of a 3 dimensional space rather than just going left and right.

Hmmmm.... How about replacing those three 55 gallons on the back wall with two 180s! It would take up the same 12' length, but will double the tank volume. :dance

Water Changes -I use the cold and hot water taps. I mix the chemicles in the tank as the water is added. Has worked well for me, but others may not agree. The fish I have are not overly sensative. Tetras and and Corydoras are probably my most sensative and they have done fine. Most of my tanks are cichlids.

Canister/Bio-Wheel Filters -The canisters are way more work at cleaning time. Becuase of this I tend to put off cleaning them for too long. That is why I am gravitating to the bio wheel filters. It is so easy to grab and rinse the cartridges. Must be done more often, but only takes a few seconds.

I still have two large canisters on the 180. It is an acrylic tank, so HOB power filters are not possible.

The penguin 330s come with an extender tube so that the intake strainer can be located lower in the tank near the gravel bed. The output of the filter does a good job of rolling across the surface and down the front glass of the aquarium. So, the circulation is very good in this respect. When I had a single 330 on the 60 gallon (which is also 48" long) I placed a long airstone on the opposite side of the tank along the back. It rolled that side of the tank nicely and helped cross water between the two ends. I really didn't need a second 330 on the 60 gallon, but at $21, I figured there was no reason not so.
 
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