# Starting a fish room



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

Hey guys. I have built a double stacker stand in the garage. I live in a townhouse with a tandem garage. The previous owners were 2 brothers and they built a seperate room in the back of the garage as a work out room with a door. This room is not insulatex though. Im planning to have 3 20g's / 2 30g's / 1 55g / 1 46g.

I'm wondering what if i will be able to keep these tanks warm enough for discus. If so what type of heating will i need for each individual tank?


----------



## guppygeorge (Sep 6, 2010)

Thaim said:


> Hey guys. I have built a double stacker stand in the garage. I live in a townhouse with a tandem garage. The previous owners were 2 brothers and they built a seperate room in the back of the garage as a work out room with a door. This room is not insulatex though. Im planning to have 3 20g's / 2 30g's / 1 55g / 1 46g.
> I'm wondering what if i will be able to keep these tanks warm enough for discus. If so what type of heating will i need for each individual tank?


No worries about keeping your tanks warm enough with individual heaters. I would suggest that you go to one of the sponsors on BCA and check out prices on ebo jagers.. !00 watt heaters will be sufficient for the 20"s and 30's....and probably 200 watt heaters for the 46 and 55. I know for certain that if you talk to Ron at King Ed or one of the guys at J & L , you will get a good price on that many heaters. 
**As a side note. I have had many "fish rooms" over the years. In one of my homes, I didn't have a spare room to make into a fish room so I used a "portiton " of my garage.....not an enclosed room as you mention....my "room" was just a small area of my double garage In this "fish room", I had 20 + tanks running with individual heaters, and managed to keep a very successful guppy breeding program going. Feel free to p.m. me if you have any further questions or want any assistance in setting up your room. I will give you my mobile # where you can contact me. Good luck in your new venture.....


----------



## cpat83 (Sep 1, 2015)

Are you sure it's not insulated? Most townhouses are built on top of their garages so they would be insulated. I would put the money into insulating it. I guess at the same time, if you had the walls open you could run electrical to where you need it as well as any plumbing for water changes.

I have 6 x 30 gallon in my garage which is insulated and heated but I keep the heat turned down. I have 150watt heaters in each tank and they seem to easily maintain 80 deg


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

cpat83 said:


> Are you sure it's not insulated? Most townhouses are built on top of their garages so they would be insulated. I would put the money into insulating it. I guess at the same time, if you had the walls open you could run electrical to where you need it as well as any plumbing for water changes.
> 
> I have 6 x 30 gallon in my garage which is insulated and heated but I keep the heat turned down. I have 150watt heaters in each tank and they seem to easily maintain 80 deg


You absolutely right. The garage is under my home so i guess it is insulated. Heating may not be a big issue for me then. As for plumbing. I dont think strata will allow me to put a sink in the garage although my water heater tank is right next to the room where I'll have the fish room so I'm still trying to figure out how ill be able to readily fo my wc's.


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

guppygeorge said:


> Thaim said:
> 
> 
> > Hey guys. I have built a double stacker stand in the garage. I live in a townhouse with a tandem garage. The previous owners were 2 brothers and they built a seperate room in the back of the garage as a work out room with a door. This room is not insulatex though. Im planning to have 3 20g's / 2 30g's / 1 55g / 1 46g.
> ...


Thx George! This is gna a fun project and i have a lot ahead of me. Im still trying to decide whether to build a sump or to filter everything individually. If i have any questions ill def pm you.


----------



## cpat83 (Sep 1, 2015)

Thaim said:


> You absolutely right. The garage is under my home so i guess it is insulated. Heating may not be a big issue for me then. As for plumbing. I dont think strata will allow me to put a sink in the garage although my water heater tank is right next to the room where I'll have the fish room so I'm still trying to figure out how ill be able to readily fo my wc's.


You can essentially do whatever you want inside your strata unit for the most part, as long as it doesn't affect the exterior of the building. I was involved as a Strata President for several years with our rental townhouse.

You could probably run hot and cold water into your room like a hose faucet or something (or a laundry type sink....depends on how much room you have available)...as far as a drain I'm not sure, I would imagine you'd have a floor drain in the hot water tank room which you could probably run a pipe to from the fish room that you could just drain your tanks into, or there is probably a plumbing stack in the wall somewhere that you could drain the sink into if you went that route.

In my garage, I have a hot water tank for the coach home above that I ran hot and cold for to a hose bib that I can easily adjust temperature to do w/c and I just shove my hoses into the floor drain in the utility room when draining a tank. Pretty simple.


----------



## guppygeorge (Sep 6, 2010)

Hi Thaim. I should have added to my earlier post. If you wanna check a "fishroom in a garage" locally, get in touch with "plummerboy", who live in North Delta. He has a good system with several tanks set up in his garage. He is a great guy....very knowledgable, and always welcomes anyone interested in any aquaria-related "stuff". You might also want to pick up some of his awesome plecos while you are there :bigsmile:


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

guppygeorge said:


> Hi Thaim. I should have added to my earlier post. If you wanna check a "fishroom in a garage" locally, get in touch with "plummerboy", who live in North Delta. He has a good system with several tanks set up in his garage. He is a great guy....very knowledgable, and always welcomes anyone interested in any aquaria-related "stuff". You might also want to pick up some of his awesome plecos while you are there


Coincidentally, I was there a few days ago to get some pleco.


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

cpat83 said:


> Thaim said:
> 
> 
> > You absolutely right. The garage is under my home so i guess it is insulated. Heating may not be a big issue for me then. As for plumbing. I dont think strata will allow me to put a sink in the garage although my water heater tank is right next to the room where I'll have the fish room so I'm still trying to figure out how ill be able to readily fo my wc's.
> ...


This is great news! I just need to figure out how to tap into my hot water system with a hose.. i was taking a look at it and there isnt a way for me to attach a hose to the hot water. A friend of mine is a plumber so ill be reaching out to him about this.


----------



## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

If your garage door is not insulated, you might want to do that too. That should help. I'm looking to insulate mine and there are some fairly inexpensive ways of doing it with foam.


----------



## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

tony1928 said:


> If your garage door is not insulated, you might want to do that too. That should help. I'm looking to insulate mine and there are some fairly inexpensive ways of doing it with foam.


If your door is like mine, it's a very easy project that produces great results. I used a couple of 4x8 sheets of insulation cut down to size and friction fit. It really helps to keep the heat in, in the winter, and the heat out in the summer.

The other thing you'll have to be mindful of is moisture, even if you cover all of your tanks. I had to add an exhaust fan, on a humidistat switch, to the garage to pull out the moist air (in the winter). I'd have mildew all over the garage if I didn't exchange the air.


----------



## cpat83 (Sep 1, 2015)

Yes be aware of humidity/moisture. My garage door is insulated but I can feel the moisture, slightly, from my 6-7 tanks. The only issues I have is some condensation on the joints of the garage door where there is a temperature differential, I am not sure when it would become a problem and when I would require a fan or dehumidifier. The walls (all dry walled) and everything else seem fine (normal).

As far as water goes, you'd have to run a line of hot water and a line of cold water into your fish room and then you'd need either a sink or a mixing valve to adjust temperature. The hose would come off of a faucet or garden style bib. 

Feel free to send me a PM and I can show you what i've done. I am not a plumber by trade so there may be easier ways, of course.


----------



## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Metal attracts moisture. Ir garage door .
A dehumidifier helps . I have a hose on mine into a closed bucket or over a sink to run continuous.
If tanks and room are all the same temp less evaporation.
You need a laundry tub and a drain as lots of wcs and cleaning filters etc . And a work counter . 
Make your tanks a good level to work on or it becomes a chore and less enjoyable. Not too low and not too high. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

I didn't even think about the humidity. This may be something i will have to invest in. Lots of great advice guys. Thanks. Anymore advice is welcome!


----------



## stratos (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a dehumidifier which I use in the summer months when humidity goes way up. Keep in mind it uses about the same amount of electricity as an air conditioner, so they are not cheap to run.


----------



## Plumberboy (Jun 2, 2014)

Lol. Tell me about. I run my dehumidifier 24/7 in my fishroom.


----------



## Rjjm (Jan 1, 2012)

One thing to keep. In mind too is. If the tank is warm but outside of the tank is really cold combine with the water pressure from water means disaster.


----------



## cpat83 (Sep 1, 2015)

I guess my question is whats the trigger for when you need to make an adjustment to humidity in the room? I've got no condensation on the walls, only on the door handle of the garage man door and at the seems of the panels of the garage over head door (which I believe would condensate in any event - warm air meeting the colder outside air)


----------



## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I believe it's not so much moisture from humidity condensing but rather just general moisture that you need to be concerned about. Moisture will slowly deteriorate things like drywall, wood, particle board, mdf, you name it. If you insulate your house properly you won't have condensation but you'll still have lots of moisture. 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


----------



## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

You can also install an exaust fan with a dehumidifier control to run as needed.

You can also control a lot of humidity by covering the tanks with lids.

I have a roll of sheet vinal I use for sealning the top of tanks.

examples Robot Check


----------



## stratos (Apr 21, 2010)

mikebike said:


> You can also install an exaust fan with a dehumidifier control to run as needed.
> 
> You can also control a lot of humidity by covering the tanks with lids.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information/link Mike. I did not know about "dehumidifier control plugs". I just ordered one and I will tell other serious fish keepers I know about them too.


----------



## poiuy704 (Nov 6, 2010)

I have a fishroom in a corner of my garage and dehumidifier is a necessity if you ask me, I'm running 21 tanks about 600 gallons total in my fishroom and the dehumidifier takes about 3 gallons a day out of the air. I had lots of problems with moisture on the walls, floors and door prior to getting it, the only time I see it now is if I have a hob filter overflow and it takes a day or two to dry up. 
Insulate well and you'll save a lot on your heating of the tanks.
I heat my whole room with a 1500 watt baseboard heater rather than individual tanks and will add a heater to breeding tanks if I need it a bit warmer.


----------



## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

I installed a:

Home Hardware - 5" Booster Duct Fan

And control with this:

Dehumidistat | RONA

In a way, it's not quite as good as a dehumidifier, but at 36 watts it's way more efficient to run. The exhausted garage air is made up with house air heated with natural gas. Your typical dehumider uses 200-500watts/hr and will only last 5-7 years (if you're lucky).


----------



## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Fan with humidstat is a great option. Even a fan with a timer would help a lot. 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


----------



## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

cpat83 said:


> You can essentially do whatever you want inside your strata unit for the most part, as long as it doesn't affect the exterior of the building. I was involved as a Strata President for several years with our rental townhouse.
> 
> You could probably run hot and cold water into your room like a hose faucet or something (or a laundry type sink....depends on how much room you have available)...as far as a drain I'm not sure, I would imagine you'd have a floor drain in the hot water tank room which you could probably run a pipe to from the fish room that you could just drain your tanks into, or there is probably a plumbing stack in the wall somewhere that you could drain the sink into if you went that route.
> 
> In my garage, I have a hot water tank for the coach home above that I ran hot and cold for to a hose bib that I can easily adjust temperature to do w/c and I just shove my hoses into the floor drain in the utility room when draining a tank. Pretty simple.


This. That's exactly what I was thinking for the drainage. And although a sink would be ideal, some valves running from some extra copper off the cold\after the hot water tank may suffice. Just make sure you leave enough copper so it can be reverted back easier for when you want to sell your place.


----------



## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

If you have room a barrel or tub containing 'make up /top up water' for water changes
can help maintain the temp.

I kept a clean/new plastic garbage can in my fish room.
it has a tight lid so no evaporation

I keep a submersable heater in it and a air stone to keep the water an even temp and release the chlorine so you can use the water in normal conditions after 24 hours.
I cut a 2" hole in the lid for the airline and heater cable and plug it wiha piece of filter foam to allow off gassing of the Chlorine.

The thermal mass helps regulate the temperature and the water is availible to use in the tanks.


----------



## Thaim (Feb 6, 2015)

This is also a great idea. If i age wayer in barrels/tubs for 24 hours with an air stone will i still need to dechlor the water?


----------



## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I never had a problem using aged tap water.

The air stone I feel is critical to adjitate the water to enable the off gassing.


----------

