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Thread: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

  1. #1
    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Sonoran Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Folks,
    It's been years since I've had a proper fish room. When SimplyDiscus began, I had "Pete's Skanky Basement O' Fish" for a time. Life happened and we spent 14 years between Mexico and the USA. Fishkeeping was limited to a 5 or 20 gallon aquarium; setup and taken down every 5 months. It was a great phase of our life. We had so much fun. However, life has happened again, necessitating that we stay in the USA (likely won't return to our Mexican Pueblo for many years). One concession to this change was that a fishroom would be built, here in Arizona. So, work has begun on the "Sonoran Desert Fish Nook".

    We have a modest 1400 sq ft southwestern pueblo style townhome. Our's has a 3-season Arizona room that was converted into a small 4-season den/office. I work out of it. It's 8x14, but also has a 8x3 closet. That closet has become the 'Fish Nook'.

    Pictures:

    The tiny home office in the converted Arizona room:
    ArizonaDenOfficeCloset.jpg

    Let's start, door and frame removed:
    OfficeClosetDestructionBegins.jpg

    Inside of closet, start taking out the sheetrock:
    GettingCommitted.jpg

    Decided at this point to kill the circuit labled 'Arizona Room' in our breaker box. Suddenly, had no lights nor outlets in both bedrooms, a hallway, and part of the den/office. While my house has excellent wiring, it appears the bedroom circuits were robbed to power the Arizona Room den/office. The planned outlet expansions for the office (too few at present) and the fish nook would be too much. So, a detour:

    A southwestern pueblo style home has no basement, and no attic. So bury electric conduit outside and run the circuits. Might as well run a 2nd run of conduit to encase a Cat5e cable to bring a wired connection from the switch at the front of the house to add a 2nd switch there in the Den/Office.

    LayingAllWeatherConduitForNewFishRoomCircuit.jpg

    New circuits run. Depending on where I was in the process, 4 different mediums (abs conduit, emt, bx, and romex) were used to transport electrons. (this is why we have so many tools guys!). I'm pleased that the bedrooms no longer have the Arizona den/office stuff on them. Re-labeled the panel accordingly.

    DenFishNookNewCircuit20A.jpg

    Quite a diversion. Back to destruction of the arizona room closet to finish up the 'Fish Nook'

    Entry widened, without disturbing the venetian plaster that is in every interior wall of my home. I got lucky here as the closet used to be a very fortified seperate structure. So it was T-11 with the sheetrock laid on top. That meant it was very forgiving as things were cut up with a SawZall. Plaster never cracked, even when cutting squares for the new outlets and data ports that would go in the office. Zero venetian plaster repair necessary.

    OfficeClosetEntryWidened.jpg

    Here you can see the 60" bi-fold doors that will go in to close off the 'Fish Nook'. Like the idea of being able to close the nook off from the office on occasion. (also like the idea of maintaing that space as a closet, more or less, should we sell the home).

    OfficeClosetEntryWidenedDark.jpg

    The tile repair from where the wall plates were cut back was minimal, just pieced in. Floor bolts cut and grinded flush. Space was leveled out to receive new tile pieces:

    LevelingTheBase.jpg

    Tile repair looks okay. Challenging to match decades old tile and grout. It's flush and the bi-fold doors will cover most of it anyway.

    ClosetTileSimpleRepairDone.jpg

    Again, pleased that so much work was done without damaging that office facing sheetrock. Old phone lines, old lighting circuit, new den/fishnook circuit, cat5e data lines, new header...

    CircuitWorkDataLinesNewHeader.jpg

    The work on the boxes for the den is okay. Tried to use existing cuts in the sheetrock to avoid repairs. I dont' care that the alignment is a little funny at times. 2 new quad outlets and 4 cat5e data ports were installed in the office. Fish nook ceiling light switch was located to office side of the wall and made dimmable. Existing outlet brought into new Arizona den fish nook circuit. Once the doorway trim is on, minor imperfections will be less noticeable. Cat5 keystone jacks will be installed soon.

    OfficeDenOutletsDataPorts.jpg

    Sheetrock work inside the fish nook is done. Photo shows a very small part as it's a tight space. Something about measuring twice and cutting once. Oh well, taping skills should fix those mistakes. The fish nook has 2 twin outlets and 2 quad outlets. (way more than enough for the fish equipment, as most of it will be wired into my homebuilt controller.). There is also an accessible splice box used to re-route the old light circuit. Good number of cut-outs in so little sheetrock.

    SheetRockDone.jpg

    There are just two corners and one small seam to tape. Then the messed up faces on the older sheetrock will be repaired. Should be done over the weekend, as well as priming. Old shelf glue needs to be cleaned from the rear brick wall before the final color is applied.

    This fish nook will contain just 2 36X72 fish racks that will have 4 display tanks and the 2 chamber sump. No space for water prep equipment, so the following is a sneak peak of where the RO Filter and Storage will go.
    There is a nice closet (bodega) off of the carport at the front of the house. Hot water heater is there, so hot and cold water are available for a thermostatic mixing valve to keep that RO Filter working at it's optimum:

    FrontBodegaInCarport.jpg

    That space will hold this equipment and a mag pump.

    QuickWaterPurificationSetup.jpg

    The front bodega in the carport inherited the door that was removed from the office closet. A nice unintended benefit as it matches the style of all the doors in the house now. Need to paint it the spanish white of the carport.

    OldClosetDoorReployedToFrontBodega.jpg

    Remember, the carport bodega is in the front of the home and the fish nook is at the back of the home. How will RO water from the storage tank get to the fish nook? How will the RO waste reach the Citrus trees out back? How will wire pairs for level indication and pump control get from the fish nook to the water storage? With no basement, nor attic, a raceway needed to be created to run a 1/2" clean water hose, a 1/2" waste water line, and wire pairs for level sensors and pump control. This raceway will pass through 3 closets, but be exposed for 13' along the ceiling of the guest bedroom. So, it has to be pretty.

    CopperLikeChaseForWaterElectric.jpg

    3" Black PVC pipe painted with bronze hammer coat paint, so that it looks like an aged copper pipe. Hey, Arizona is the 'copper state' so it will look decent enough. A 3 5/8" hole saw will be used to make the penetrations through the sheet rock as it travles, 6 in total. I'll take pictures once I undertake that project.

    The other project will be to remove waste water from the RO unit and fish tanks and drop it in the garden to water citrus trees. Just outside of the fish nook is the back convered patio that has a nice storage bodega, perfect for concealing pipe to transport the waste. A 2" drain line will run along the floor of the fish nook, pass through a wall to the rear patio, travel behind a storage bodega, and exit to the garden for the trees. Thankfully, this part of Arizona only has about 10 hard frost nights each winter, so this should be a viable means to dispose of the water without sending it down the sewer.

    I'll keep this thread updated and include more 'fish elements' once the construction phase is over and stuff is moved into the water prep and fish nook areas. Attending to a few family things for the next 10 days, but will get back to it on my return.
    Last edited by FischAutoTechGarten; 10-23-2020 at 03:24 AM. Reason: mispellings and grammar
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

  2. #2
    Registered Member coralbandit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    It sure is fun being handy when working on fish stuff !
    Looks like you are off to a great start on the little fish nook .
    Having it in the office is bonus ..Something about all work and no play ??
    Well done so far Peter !
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFp68wjRUU
    ^^ My fish room tour by Richsfishes ^^
    Got rams ?

  3. #3
    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Tom,

    Thank you. Yeah, it's amazing as you age all of the skills you've been exposed to and retained throughout your life. I'm not very good at any of it, but I'm good enough to tackle most of it on my own. Growing up poor required that I be handy, and that's a heritage I am eternally grateful for.

    Got all of that glue and silicon off of the brick and the two coats of taping and joing compound laid on the sheetrock this afternoon and tonight. Will prime tomorrow and then paint tomorrow evening (I hope). Best part is, the fish nook is basically a closet, so it doesn't have to be a show piece for carpentry and construction skills. Just has to be well built, functional and look decent.

    Tackling the bi-fold door will be fun as I've never actually installed one from scratch (just repaired them).
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

  4. #4
    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Made 3-5/8" holes for the 3-3/8" O.D. 'Copper' painted Black PVC that will serve as a Raceway to carry R.O Water, Waste Water, Level Signals, Pump Commands between the Fish Nook at the back of my home and the R.O Water Bodega in the front of my home. I made 6 of these holes and they lined up very well (I made a template so that I could accurately mark each wall).

    WallPenetrationsForRaceway.jpg

    This is what it looks like in the Guest Bedroom, the only place where it's exposed. It follows the roof line (flat Arizona roof with a slight pitch for rain water run-off). My Arizona pueblo style home has no attic and no basement.. and oddly enough this wall in the Guest room did not get studs and sheetrock when the house was built. So the large diameter pipe to serve as an all-purpose raceway was approved by my wife so long as I made it look 'artsy'. Where two pipes join, made sure that point lined up with the center of the room and the skylight (you can't see the 'moon-light' in the photo, but it is directly over the bed, centered in the room).

    CopperRaceWayThroughGuestRoom.jpg

    Really happy to get that done, becuase it means I'm am no longer in any other part of the home.. just focused on the Fish-Nook and the R.O. Water bodega. Painting the Fish-Nook tonight and will get photos later in the week.
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Thanks for the update. You are an accomplished waterworks engineer.

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    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Fishnook has been sheetrocked (green stuff), taped, primed (binz), and painted (semi-gloss). Nothing fancy, just used left-over primer and paint that came with the house (6+ years old, but was still very good). Can see the penetration of the 'copper' raceway... I'll trim a few inches off of it when I'm laying the drains on the bottom and am in that mood (pipe cutting).

    FishNookSealedandPainted.jpg

    Just did the ceiling in the same stuff instead of taping it for white again. The ajoining office has the same venitian plaster on the ceiling as the walls... so it looks fine. Will make wipe downs easy if I get sloppy. I think the black shelving will make it look nice (Still need to go one more level up on the shelf unit to install the top shelf and hang the lights from it.) Of course there is a twin to that shelf unit too...
    FishNookPaintedwithShelf.jpg

    Now onto the drain and the folding doors. (drain is already partly installed outside)..
    Last edited by FischAutoTechGarten; 11-16-2020 at 05:19 PM.
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

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    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Awesome. Started hanging the doors and had one propped against the jam to decide on vertical height for the final piece of the frame, when I tripped and made it tip over. Nothing like damaging a door before you even install it. Oh well, I'll put a sticker over or something..

    DamagedFoldingDoor.jpg

    What did it hit? The 2nd half of my wet/dry sump that was sitting on a cart 6 feet away... just catching the edge. Hard for a decent guy to get a break. ;p

    SumpBrokenGlass.jpg

    wheeled outside to the back patio now. (little late for that). I'm going to try to just replace that busted pane... Shame... the door almost missed it.
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

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    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Took a break from the doors as it was getting late and didn't want to run the power saw (very pleased at how accurate and true the rough opening for the door is!). So, I finished up the electric completely. All outlets in the fish nook and my den that are on the new circuit are operational. Will finish hanging the door and trimming it out throughout the week.. as well as complete the drain. Then the focus will become R.O. Water Prep Bodega (thermostatic mixing valve and mounting filters on the wall).
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

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    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    That is a heck of a project Peter.
    Pat
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    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    You sounded way calmer than I would have been had a door landed on my sump like yours did lol. Loving the progress made so far. Keep it up.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

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    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Quote Originally Posted by rickztahone View Post
    You sounded way calmer than I would have been had a door landed on my sump like yours did lol. Loving the progress made so far. Keep it up.
    You know, I didn't realize the door had fallen on the sump right away.. as my back was turned away.. and I just saw the door laying on the floor. I though it hit the corner of my desk. So, discovering 5 minutes later helped me to have a very different reaction.... like 'Oh, so that's what dented the corner of the door'.

    This morning, I took a break from work and finished hanging the bifold doors. Came out very good, happy with the alignment, fit and action. Now, I'll trim them out and paint the trim.

    FishNookFoldingDoorsInstalled.jpg

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    That is a heck of a project Peter.
    Pat
    You know, it's allot of work for 5 tanks (4 display tanks a small quarantine tank). But the new electrical circuits and network cabling benefit my little Office/Den/Lab as well as I had bad reception and had too many extension cords. Not part of this project, but when I ran that new circuit for the Den/Office/Lab, I also ran another circuit for my back covered patio to have lighting, ceiling fans, many outlets, garage sale find sound system for the yard and patio.... Because... I was kind of 'In the Zone'. I actually finished all of that patio/yard stuff first!

    Just focused on living in one place really helps me to tackle projects. With the Covid happening, reduced work, etc... I've gotten soooo many home improvement / gardening projects done since April.
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

  12. #12
    Registered Member coralbandit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    That's a shame about the door and sump .
    Probably better then hitting your desk ?
    Looking real good with progress..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFp68wjRUU
    ^^ My fish room tour by Richsfishes ^^
    Got rams ?

  13. #13
    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Yeah, about that sump Tom: I didn't mention that before shifting gears to the door Tues morning, I went to the three hardware stores in my town here in Southern Arizona to buy glass to fix the Sump on Tues morning. No one has glass. They tell me they just can't get it in stock since the Covid Shutdowns. Crazy.I have a handful of broken tanks now, so I could dissamble one to get a glass panel... But man, the piano wire trick is not working...(I tried about three months ago and initially had success on one go, but not the next).

    Bought trim pieces to match the existing trim in the room on Tuesday (while out looking for glass), so now I can finish the trim out. However, I'm pretty sick the last two days, yesterday (wed) and today (either the flu or a very bad cold). Definitley came on fast. Drove to Tucson yesterday evening to get tested for Covid as a precaution (my wife did too)... I don't think I have it as I'm very disciplined with wearing my mask, washing my hands, and distancing, but who knows? (I do shop and eat at restaurants). I'm definetly sick, achy and tired. But again, I'm sure it's just a really bad cold. So, I'll stick to the back of my home and garden until I get the results on Monday. (I'll just be working remotely the next few days). As I find energy, I'll do a few small things on this project, but nothing major for a few days.
    Last edited by FischAutoTechGarten; 11-19-2020 at 02:12 PM. Reason: messed up days...
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

  14. #14
    Registered Member coralbandit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    I have used a 'painted window opening tool' like this one to disassemble tanks .
    https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-45200-Wi.../dp/B00PD9FIP0
    It is never as easy as some say but with that ,a razor knife and possibly a small wood / poly shim used as a wedge you will not struggle as much .
    I hope you get feeling better soon ..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFp68wjRUU
    ^^ My fish room tour by Richsfishes ^^
    Got rams ?

  15. #15
    Gold Member FischAutoTechGarten's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

    Thanks Tom,
    I will have to order that tool. I have three broken tanks, but one of them can be salvaged to provide the panels for the other two. I really only need to fix one of them to get my 2nd Sump chamber back in play!

    Yeah, feeling terrible, but no fever, so I'm pretty sure it's just a very achy cold. Been a few years since I've had one like this, so I was due!
    Peter
    Cuerpo en Green Valley, Arizona, USA y Corazón en Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

    learning never stops

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