My fishroom

[Noddy65]

Hi all
Well after moving to Sydney from Perth a year or so ago and then deciding to try and buy a house over here...one criteria was that there NEEDED to be somewhere that could be turned into a fish room.

I put in the last of the tanks today and did the plumbing...while the room isnt completely finished (theres still the odd thing to do) the money has now run out and I cant afford to do anything else until I breed some fish....I became a dad for the first time three weeks ago as well so funds are now a bit low :D

Forgive some of the text in the post...Im basically cutting and pasting it...

The following very long post is that journey........

Well settlement was today and the wife and I went up to the new house tonight...we moved a few boxes of things in and of course I checked out the garage/fish room....

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/garage.jpg

Well...its going to be a lot more work than I originally thought. I cant move any fish from the old house until this is done....and theres a few weeks work involved here....I wish I had some holidays owing :)
The walls are lined but theres no insulation in so all the lining will have to come off and insulation put in......Ill then hold the batts Ive got in place with roofing or wall foil.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom2.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom3.jpg


The roof is an issue, Im not sure how Im going to put the insulation up and keep it in place....I may just use the roofing or wall foil and support it with battens....but the joists are going to cause me some grief and the lights are awkwardly placed.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom4.jpg

Theres a really nice welded shelf right along one wall....but its no good for me in here so that will have to come down...it weighs a tonne.

This weekend Ill strip the inside of the shed and have a friend do the electrics for me...luckily it appears the shed is on its own circuit...but of course the circuit board is in the wrong place (it will be behind a rack of tanks)...so Ill have to see if that can be moved.

The wife thought I just looked confused and a little overwelmed...she might be right :)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom5.jpg

[Noddy65]

I managed to find about 100 sq metres of second hand insulation. It was used under a factory roof. I got enough to put a double layer in. You can see all the fluoro lights I managed to pick up as well (in the background)
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom8jpg.jpg

Internal cladding is off.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom11.jpg

The friend gets started on wiring the room up
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom12.jpg

The new power points are all in. He rewired the whole room actually...Much safer I think
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom13.jpg

The room is on its own circuit...he popped a new one in for me with breakers rather than fuses. The timer for the lights will be going on here as well soon.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom6.jpg

The new power points...all are double. The single one is for the lights and will be timer controlled, the double is for power
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom9.jpg

Slim Shady in his sperm suit getting ready to put in the fibreglass. The wife thinks we will be raided by the local police soon. New neighbours mived in, putting in lights and insulation adn dressed in protective gear, looks like Im boiling up something illegla in the shed.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom7.jpg

All the insulation batts is in. I had no chance of being able to double it up. Its just too difficult to work with when your doing this by yourself.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom10.jpg

and the final layer is on. I used some of the wall/roofing foil to hold the batts in place. Im going to use strapping to help support the batts in the roof space. That job is for later when I have some feeling back in my finger and shoulders.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom14.jpg

Problems?: so far very few. The weight of the batts is a pain and I really wish the wife could have helped me...Id be happier if I had a double layer up in the roof.

The are some gaps between the edges of the roofing foil and the ceiling. I need to some how closed those gaps. I might have to get some of the foil tape and close the gaps up.

The roller door is still there and not insulated. Thats for another day.

Next job?: in this order really
1. Move the tanks form the old place
2. Pallet racking
3. New tanks
4. New fish
5. Have a nice rest

[Noddy65]

Ok...its been an intensive few weeks and Im just about out of steam. I took very few pics during the move, I really just couldnt be bothered really.....its almost time for a little break.....Ive been going back to the old house every day to feed the fish and pack stuff every day after work...sometimes I dont get home until after 10.00 pm...so Im pooped.

The fish were moved into the almost complete room this weekend. I caught the fish, popped them in buckets, drained the tanks (well as much water as I could) and left most of the substrate in the tanks. I removed all rocks, heaters, filter material etc...but the sand stayed in the tanks

Heres some pics:

The existing tanks and racks were put onto a trailer..
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom15.jpg

Buckets were in short supply....styrofoam boxes worked a treat...some of the shellies just refused to come out of their shells, so I worked out that if I covered the bottom of the bucket with sand and part buried the shells into teh sand they stayed nice and still. One male signatus that had been left in the big tank by mistake survived the trip by hiding in a shell with a bit of water in it...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom-18.jpg

The room with the tanks in it...its a mess and the air lines are in the wrong spot but it was more important to get fish in tanks and air into the tanks than making things look organised...that can come later

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom-16.jpg

So far so good...theres been a few fatalities (very few) mostly fry and one of two rainbows but thast about it.

Next step is to finish the lining, theres still some nails to put in and holes to fill.
Ill be getting the pallet racking in the next two weeks and then will be ordering some new tanks soon after that.

[Noddy65]

Picked up the pallet racking today. Got a great deal on it and the guy even had it all dismantled and the supports cut so the end frames are 600 mm deep (I want them to be around 2 foot deep for the tanks) for me.....I didnt ask him to do it for me so Im pretty happy with it. It also means that I was able to get all the bits and pieces in one trip.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/stand-2.jpg

I ordered all the bulkheads, elbows, tee pieces etc Ill need for most of the tanks yesterday...wow that was a surprise on how expensive it was and I used an online store that had discount prices.

When its all finished Ill probably put up a list of costs for the various bits and pieces....Im not sure I really want to know but some people might be interested.

Next phase:
1. Order the tanks. One of my LFS has the best prices Ive found so far in Sydney so Im lucky (and Ive called them all pretty much :D )

[Noddy65]

Things are coming along slowly

One wall of racks is up, just waiting for the tanks now...once that side is done I can move onto the other side of the room.

I ordered a big box of pumps, filter material etc recently.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom-19.jpg

[Noddy65]

The first lot of tanks were delivered yesterday. Fifteen 24 long x 18 wide by 12 high tanks....theyll be used to house small shelldwellers.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom21.jpg

The tanks are drilled at the back right and will have 32 mm bulkheads draining to a common sump.

The backs are painted. Prepared by removing as much loose silicon as possible, cleaned with warm water and detergent and then primed with ESP.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom20.jpg

Three coats of paint applied with a roller was enough. I left 3 hrs between each coat. The dog in the background was a constant companion.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom22.jpg

Todays job is to move them down to the fishroom, adjust the pallet racking shelves and start on the plumbing...Im still waiting for the sump to be made

Ok...I spent the afternoon working on the plumbing...I thought it was going to be difficult but as it turns out it was pretty straight forward. A wise member here once told me to put do the plumbing BEFORE you put the tanks on the shelves so I layed the tanks out, front down, oriented how they would be setup on the rack

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom29.jpg

I attached the 32 mm bulkheads Ive gone a bit overboard on the piping, maybe a little too big but my thinking was that if I want, I can reduce the pipes, I cant really increase the pipes if I decided the flow was too slow. I also really wanted to move some water through these tanks. All the smaller tanks have holes drilled for 32 mm bulkheads and plumbing, the larger tanks will have 40 mm bulkheads.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom31.jpg

I then screwed on an elbow.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom30.jpg

and then a male piece, threaded on one end only
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom28.jpg

and then either a tee piece or an elbow
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom27.jpg

I then simply joined them all up with the correct size pipe
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom26.jpg

I then pulled off the completed piping, moved the tanks to the rack and then popped the plumbing back on again. I havent glued any of the fittings yet, that will be the last thing I do when Im happy its all going to fit.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom24.jpg

I left about 30 cm or so behind the tanks for me to squeeze into. Im pretty tall, I wish Id left a bit more space as it was difficult getting my arms and legs in there...the wife cant help as she's preg and cant fit behind there at all :D

Heres a pic of the inside of one of the tanks...Im using stainless steel bulkhead strainers
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom25.jpg

And finally of the almost completed rack...Im just waiting for the sump now, it will be going on the ground tpo teh left of the rack. Ive got a little space on the rack on the right hand side, just enough to squeeze in a 16 inch wide tank on each row....
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom23.jpg

[Noddy65]

Small update
One rack of 15 tanks is plumbed and running with the sump (Ill take pics and post when finished)

I finally finished (well, almost) the insulation of the room on the weekend.

Heres the garage door that needs to be insulated. I made a frame out of pine.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom32.jpg

and I used some of the same fibreglass insulation I used for the roof and internal walls.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom33.jpg

Im not very good at being a carpenter
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom34.jpg

and the finished product
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom35.jpg

a coat of paint (eventually) will make the room look great. And repair that dodgy light to the left of the door.

Ok...heres the sump

Its pretty high (50 cm) but this means theres plenty of space for overflow in case the pump goes off. There is also plenty of space for extra media if I need it.

Its essentially a 6 chambered sump. The last one housing just the pump. Eventually each compartment will hold (starting from the top). Fine filter wool, coarse sponge, clay balls, coral pieces, matrix (if I can afford it). A bit of overkill but hopefully the water will be really clean.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom37.jpg

Heres the plumbing....gravity fed into the back chamber (white pipes) and then pumped back into the tanks (clear pipes and black pipes). Theres not really enough water left over to adequately feed the very top tanks so Ill pop another smaller pump into teh sump to service the bottom row, leaving the 11,000 lph pump for just the top two rows.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom38.jpg

and a fishroom without a whiteboard and cork board behind the door is just a room really

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom36.jpg

[Noddy65]

Received a few more tanks the other day...thee are all 24 x 12 x 12 inches....
Theyll be fry grow out tanks, no substrate. All plumbed into a single sump

Theres enough room on the rack for some expansion :D
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/DIY%20Fry%20Saver/fishroom39.jpg[/IMG

Ok...just a small update...Im really just waiting for the tanks to be delivered and the sumps to cycle but today was a big day....I put the first fish into the new tanks...yipeeeeee

[img]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom41.jpg

More shells will be going in

A nice young pair of caudos

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom40.jpg

This is how Ive setup the UV steriliser for the sumps....the water goes in one end and runs out the other....Im using a slow powerhead to push the water through it.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom42.jpg

[Mattzilla]

mate it's looking AWESOME!

can't wait to see the finished product

[Noddy65]

Ok....some 3 x 2 tanks have gone in
All using a sump.....the top shelf is being used for storage at the moment but will have 3 three footers on it eventually

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom43.jpg

Just need to teach him how to open the jar and lift his hands above his head...then Im home free

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/connorfishroom.jpg

[OwNz2009]

stunning set ups mate well done ! given me some great idea's when i start my fish house !

[Robdog]

I love it Mike. Great setup.

You definitely are a man of many faces and talents! :lol:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fishroom34.jpg


and who could forget...


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/DSCN2453-1.jpg

[TW]

Great looking fish room. Plus an even better looking baby boy!

Congratulations. What's his name?

[Noddy65]

OK...here goes

Fry tanks
All 24 x 12 x 12.
Plumbed into a single sump
UV unit on sump
Room for another 6 tanks as money becomes available
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/fry-2.jpg

Back wall
Left side is 24 x 12 x 18
All plumbed off single sump
Houses various shellies
Space on the extreme right for another three tanks
UV unit on sump
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/backleft.jpg

Right side all 36 x 24 x 18 high
All plumbed of a single sump
Houses all tangs
Top shelf is used for storage but will eventually have 24 x 12 x 12 tanks for apistos and natives run off individual sponges
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/backright.jpg

Overview of complete wall
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/backwall.jpg

Front wall
Two 6 x 2 x 20 inches
Run off a sump
Houses all tangs
Top shelf has some 24 x 12 x 12 for apistos
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/front-left.jpg

Six 36 x 24 x 18
One 6 x 2 x 20 inches
Run off a sump
Will house mostly malawis
Space for another 3 footer on the bottom row
(Only finished this today. No water in the bottom tank yet)
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/frontright.jpg

[Robdog]

Not sure when you started all this Mike but how did you go with temps during winter? Surely you score some pretty cool mornings around your place.

[TW]

I love it Mike. Great setup.

You definitely are a man of many faces and talents! ..... and who could forget...


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a378/Noddy65/DSCN2453-1.jpg


Now, I for one, would like a bit of background info on that shot !

[xrboy_85]

WOW mike

That is a serious home job!!! are their any plans for an express teleport truck for bringing fish to brisbane!!! :lol:

Great work
Justin

[darren burgess]

Mike,
great looking room ! look forward to more pics,congrats on the new edition !



cheers

[BigDaddyAdo]

Best thread ive read in a long time..... Congrats all round.... :)

[Ben75]

Hi Mike,
Awesome looking room !
Very neat & tidy :thumb

[LMAN]

That's one of the best fish room's I have ever seen.
Would love to see more photo's.
Cheers LMAN

[swampy1972]

Great job! The pallet racking is an excellent idea. It would have saved you heaps of time.
Well done!

[SLS]

Nice!! :thumb