Josh Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Ok people the fish room is back on again. My tropheus are settled, and now I am allowed to continue the room. So far I have gotten this far I know its a mess now , but give it a few weeks, I had to take 4 ute loads to the tip to get in this far. At the moment the three walls are packed with foam, about 100mm thick. I am giong to build a false wall that will close the room in, and then put a roof on it all. the room all up should measure 2.4x3.6 now electrics is sorted, Ive got a mate who is sparky. another mate who's a boilermaker and his doing my stands. I am planing on 12 four foot tanks and 6 three foot tanks all on racks three tiers high. Filters will be mostly air driven either undergravel or corner/sponge typefilters. Heating hasn't been sorted yet but were hoping that a small heater in the room should be fine in winter. Open to suggestions on this one. I still have room for two 200L water containers and shelving along one wall. I have the room sorted A few questions -Do i need to line the inside walls to cover the foam? I know it will look better, but do i need to do it? -I am thinking of getting a LP60 or a LP100like this. should I just get the biggest one? Also are these a good pump? I think, but I am open to suggestions on anything I have missed or anything I have got wrong. Josh and Evelyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Looking like it will be a nice setup.. As for lining the walls it would look much better, maybe use that pine plywood looking stuf, or just plain ol 3mm ply, or maybe mdf (but not really good in a high humidity area) and paint it light blue.or prefered colour... so no need for backgrounds..I think it would contain th efoam better aswell, and foam looks really grotty after a few months of humidity and dust has settled in on it. Lining the room would also stop any vermin getting into the foam, up here i find the ants love to dig tunnels in it, even under the tanks, and iot creates heaps of foam dust and mess, so I would get some sort of serious pest control done before the tanks goin aswell, just to be safe.. As for heating ,and cooling, with the degree of insulating you have, a reverse cycle aircon would be the best bet, cool in summer warm in winter, for you and the fish!! It makes watching them more enjoyable, and slightly more compulsive...lol...also it cuts down on the need for heaps of power boards and cables loooking daggy!, and dangerous.. will you eventually sump it , or keep it all seperate? Just my suggestions hope it helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 Lining the room would also stop any vermin getting into the foam, up here i find the ants love to dig tunnels in it, even under the tanks, and iot creates heaps of foam dust and mess, so I would get some sort of serious pest control done before the tanks goin aswell, just to be safe.. Good point I didn't Think of that Thanks Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Hey Josh, Your room looks great already. I wouldn't worry about lining the inside unless it bothers you or you think it will need to be done later.. Its just another expense IMO. With 100ml foam as insulation I dont really think heating is going to be a huge issue. An oil heater works well.By the time your tanks are at operating temperature everything seems to work with each other to maintain the heat to a certain degree. Just make sure you have ALL the gaps sealed with silicon or sika. I used Liquid nails for the large gaps because it was a little cheaper. It took a little longer to dry though One thing I regret not doing and will the next time is treating for ants before anything goes in. I haven't had a problem with vermin but I have with ants. Any food not cleaned up will attract ants and then they start taking over your house. Maybe not that bad but they do nest close to a steady supply of water,warmth and food. Just a little something to keep in mind Look forward to the progress shots. I'd also seriously consider doing the roof as this will be a major expense with lose of heat and excess heat in summer Chuck Oh and I'd keep the fridge in a Cnr, well stocked with beer to relax with after the hard work is done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Hi Josh, I wish i could convince my wife that i need a fish room! How did u manage to pull it off? How many Tropheus colonies r u planning to keep? DAve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetfish Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 looking good !! should end up to be a great room. i find that i loss alot of heat through the roof, so insulating the roof would save u alot on heating cost. something i havent gotten around to yet. but its on the list cannt wait to see a pic of it complete Wetfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Hi Josh . That gable roof looks like colourbond ? if so it will need insulating or the fish will cook in summer ! Idealy reverse cycle air is the most efficient in my opinion, (i will be installing one soon) but an oil heater is fine . Cooling is not really a factor if your room is insulated properly. My room never goes above 26dgrs,even in the hottest periods. If your filtration is to be all air driven ,i would go the LP100 .......i am running 2x LP60...where as a 100 would do the same job . You can never get enough air.lol I am running dropside corner filters ,and i think they are the ants pants, so it is better too much air than not enough Get plent of power points put around the wall ,you never know when you might need them in the future ! Also i'd reccomend puting the air pump outside , and run 25mm conduit around the top of the room with droppers of airline to the filters . hth cheers Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Josh It is loking good. I am in the process of building a room and I am going for a LP60 with corner filters and sump filtration for the bigger tanks . It will be running a heap of 2x18x18 and some 3 footers down the track. The sump will be running 2x 6x2x18 and possibly a 3 2x18x18. If I were you I would do the ceiling and cover the walls but that is just my opinion. I am covering the walls with fibre cement and insulating with R4.0 bats but it can get down to -8 here in winter and up to 40 in summer. And then I will paint it with mould proof paint due to the humidity that I will produce. I am going to use an electric oil filled heater that is controlled by a wall mounted thermostat expenive to install (I don't know a sparky) and a heap of 2 and 4 socket power points. My fish room won't be as big as yours but it will do for know Any way I hope that helps cheers Rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlid_KB Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 I just had an aircon man over to advise me on how to heat/cool my fishroom 7mx4mx3m. He suggested an inverter air con unit. It is suppose to be alot cheaper to run then normal reverse cycle air con. The reverse cycle peaks and drops whereas the inverter runs at a constant idle. More expensive to put in but cheaper to run. This is not my opinion just want the guy said, i am still researching the most efficient yet cheap way to heat/cool my room. KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Thanks for the comments. the roof will be covered in at the beams, and i will insulated it. Dave, she been on my back about it, I love her . She's gotten over her dummy spit from when I sold all her fish and she wants some more now I might fit one more colony in.......or maybe two kevin, thanks for the air system tips. Me mate the sparky is getting power points as we speak. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrdog Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Good luck with it Josh, sounds like it will be a ripper! Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 G'day The LP100 ! No question in my mind. You will use up whatever capacity you get I assure you. Nope you don't need to cover the foam, but it will look a lot better and last longer if it is properly covered. My old room had visible foam, and the new one is fully lined. Cansider putting in a timer circuit so that the lights turn off and on without you needing to pop down to the fishroom. Put in all of the plumbing / water / air circuits before you even think about placing tanks in the room. Carefully plan out exactly where each tank/stand will go. Power points are a wonderful thing! Seal the entry door properly! An automatic closer is the best method. Consider installing a fan that way the warm air circulates easily around the room. "Sidedrop" filters are wonderful Remember water change day, have you installed a drain or perhaps a small access door for the pipe carrying the waste water to exit the room. Lots of planning makes it lot easier than when the fish tanks have already been installed (I assure you ) Can't wait to see it finished, lokking fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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