Fish Room Beginnings..... [Archive]

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 12:26 AM

Well, I have been working on a fish room in a portion of my garage fo rsome time and have finally come close to what may be a completed room here in the next couple of weeks.

The room itself is small, only 10' X 14', but is layed out in a very efficient manner. The left side of the room will be set up for breeding pairs (thirteen 29 gallon tanks) and the right side will serve for fry grow out and juvenile discus (nine 60 gallon and four 29 gallon tanks). Each side of the room will be plumbed to it's own central system with the ability for any one tank to go off the system at any given time for any given reason.

The sumps are 125 gallons each and employ 32" micron sock filters plus 4 stages of 12" thick Matal filter media. Ozone will be added at a later date as soon as I can figure out a suitable contact chamber that doesn't cost thousands of dollars. Each sump is powered by a Sweetwater High Efficiency pump. These pumps will turn about 40 GPM at a 10' head utilizing only 170 watts. The lights on my contest discus tank use more power than these pumps!

Each tank will have it's own sponge filtration as well, just in case the tank must come off the central system. The air system is simply a Jehmco LPH45 linear air pump that I picked up off Ebay for $100. I have this pump running right now on 6 tanks and it about blows the sponges out of the tank.

I still have a lot of work to do. The tanks will be here on Wednesday. I will finish all of the dry wall and insulating this weekend. All of the dry wall is covered in 1/2" styrofoam panels that are stuck to the walls with liquid nails and then siliconed at the seams. The room will be water proof.

Sometimes it gets hot here in San Diego! I've installed a Dayton 12" 800 CFM exhaust fan that is thermostatically controlled to keep the room at less than 90 degrees. Basically when the room hits 90, it starts to vent. I left ventialtion ports for the fan to draw cool air in to the room from outside. It also gets cold here. Yes, 50 degrees is cold for San Diegans! The room will be heated with a blue flame natural gas heater thermostatically controlled to 85 degrees. This room uses no other source of heat in any of the tanks, sumps, or water storage tanks.

Water changes are not automated, but are pretty simple. Basically the turn of a cauple of valves sends the contents of the supms to waste water holding drums and then the sumps are refilled from two 275 gallon holding tanks. One tank is conditioned for breeders, the other is tap water. For now I plan to change about 250 gallons of water a day, but may do less once the ozone is on line.

Speaking of water changes, I need to get to them. I've attached some pics (taken in the dark) that represent some of the progress and the tons of crap you have to order to do something like this. LOL! Sometimes I wonder if I am crazy, but then I look at all my discus and get a reality check. Yes, I am nuts! LOL! Enjoy the pics!

Best wishes!

The pictures show the sump tanks sans the filter baffles, some of the dry wall, styrofoam, ABS plumbing, a couple of the 29 gallon racks and the ventialtion fan in an unfinished wall.

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 12:28 AM

Some shots of the room. It's very hard to take pictures in such a small space and still get perspective. LOL!

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 12:31 AM

Sponge filters, bulkhead fittings, diamond drill bit, silicone tubing, matala filter media, 32" 100 micron filter socks and Sweetwater water pumps.

jeff@zina.com

09-18-2009, 08:46 AM

All of the dry wall is covered in 1/2" styrofoam panels that are stuck to the walls with liquid nails and then siliconed at the seams. The room will be water proof.

Might want to consider humidity then, or condensation may be an issue. A dehumidifier plumbed to a drain or sump pump will likely be all you need.

Jeff

Disgirl

09-18-2009, 08:53 AM

Wow Chad, you have been a busy guy! And when do you have time to do your paying job? And sleep? That will be a great fish room there and I'm sure you are having a lot of fun with it already despite the work and $$$$!
Barb :D

acroken

09-18-2009, 10:56 AM

Chad,
that looks like a great fish room you are putting together. 13 pairs,wow. That is a lot of fry! Best of luck with the balance of the construction and please keep us posted on the developments. I would love to see more pictures when you can. Thank you.

Kenny

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 11:16 AM

Might want to consider humidity then, or condensation may be an issue. A dehumidifier plumbed to a drain or sump pump will likely be all you need.

Jeff

Thanks for the input Jeff! I appreciate that.

Wow Chad, you have been a busy guy! And when do you have time to do your paying job? And sleep? That will be a great fish room there and I'm sure you are having a lot of fun with it already despite the work and $$$$!
Barb :D

Hey Barb!

Well this has taken me quite some time to get this far, due to having a real job, having to sleep, etc. LOL! I think the room will be great as well and am looking forward to completing it. Thanks for hte kind words!

Chad,
that looks like a great fish room you are putting together. 13 pairs,wow. That is a lot of fry! Best of luck with the balance of the construction and please keep us posted on the developments. I would love to see more pictures when you can. Thank you.

Kenny

Kenny,

I'm building the room so that it will hold as much as it can. Not a free square inch will be left open. LOL! We'll see how many pairs and subsequent fry I can jam in there. I'll keep you posted! Thanks!

ifixoldhouses

09-18-2009, 12:26 PM

I wouldn't worry about condesation since you left vents for the outside air to get in.

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 01:56 PM

Brian,

That was my line of thought as well. The room is set up where one of the outside walls acts like a vent. The wall is suspended about 1" from the floor. I did this for two reasons. I want to be able to "hose down" the fish room or evacuate any spilled water under the wall and down the driveway. There is no drain in this room and the slab is already graded in the direction of the wall. Preliminary testing (water spills) show that water will run directly out of the room, under the wall and down the driveway.

As for ventilation, when the exhaust fan runs, there is a signficant air current that flows in to the room under the wall and you can feel it on the opposite side of the room. I think this is more than sufficient. If humidty does start to get out of hand, I'll either look in to dehumidification or an air exchanger. Either could be employed later on with relative ease.

Thanks for all the great input! I really appreciate everyone's participation.

Best wishes!

Dkarc@Aol.com

09-18-2009, 02:33 PM

Looks great Chad. Im happy to see this all coming together. You wont be sorry with those Sweetwater pumps!

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 02:44 PM

Ryan,

Thanks for the tip on using www.aquaticeco.com. I actually bought the Matala media and the filter socks from them as well. They ship super fast and have some pretty good products. The pumps are amazing. I can't believe the power they deliver for the wattage consumed. I guess the better be good for $451 a pop! LOL! I always say "you get what you pay for"!

Anyway, thanks for checking in and thanks for the email. Thanks for all your help! I'll keep you all posted.

Best wishes!

scottthomas

09-18-2009, 06:18 PM

poconogal

09-18-2009, 07:29 PM

Looks good, Chad, and I assume the Lab gave you lots of help and pointers! :D

Elite Aquaria

09-18-2009, 08:43 PM

Chad,

Looks like the making of a fantastic fish room...I can't wait to see it finished.

Chad Hughes

09-18-2009, 09:12 PM

Are you going three levels of tanks? How much space are you allowing between the bottom of one and the top of the other? Also how high are the ceilings? I am asking because I am currently doing something similar with a space that is 16' x11'. I was hoping to get three levels but I'm not sure if that leaves enough room with 8' ceilings.

Yes, the racks are three levels. Each tank has about 7" between the base of the top rack and the lip of the tank below. I do have a few inch advantage on you in the height of the room. The garage slab actually sits about 8" lower that the house, so that gives me about that much extra vertical room. I had to be careful, since I am using a central system, that the lowest rack didn't fall below the height of the sump. So far, so good! LOL!

Looks good, Chad, and I assume the Lab gave you lots of help and pointers! :D

TONS OF HELP! Look how busy he is! LOL!

Chad,

Looks like the making of a fantastic fish room...I can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks Dan! I'll keep you posted!

Best wishes!

Darren's Discus

09-19-2009, 03:06 AM

Chad,
looking real good,look forward to the update's.

cheers

Mr Wild

09-19-2009, 08:16 AM

Wow Chad

What does Jesse thnk of it? Pleased?

Can't wait to see it all up and running, I am jealous!:D

poconogal

09-19-2009, 09:08 AM

....TONS OF HELP! Look how busy he is! LOL!

I can see that, looks like a true supervisor, LOL

Chad Hughes

09-19-2009, 11:50 AM

Chad,
looking real good,look forward to the update's.

cheers

Thank you! I'll definately keep you posted!

Wow Chad

What does Jesse thnk of it? Pleased?

Can't wait to see it all up and running, I am jealous!:D

Hi Kath!

He's fine with it as long as he doesn't have to do any of it! LOL! I'm fine iwht that. He's got work and school going on right now anyway, so his time is prescious.

I can't wait until it's finished either. It's really been consuming all of my free time and you know me, I like my free time! LOL!

Thanks for the comments!

I can see that, looks like a true supervisor, LOL

He's for hire if you need a hand. LOL! He runs a tight ship! Oh, and he works for biscuits!

Best wishes!

rickztahone

09-19-2009, 12:04 PM

poconogal

09-19-2009, 12:20 PM

He's for hire if you need a hand. LOL! He runs a tight ship! Oh, and he works for biscuits!
I'll keep it in mind, Chad, but for now I have 3 Dobermans to help me! LOL!!!

Chad Hughes

09-20-2009, 11:28 AM

great "beginnings" Chad. Soon Casper and I are going to have to take a road trip to see you and sit in the middle of the fish room admiring your handy work. now i see the need for so many fry. do you already have all your pairs or are you in the process of raising them? it would be nice to try to breed your contest fish. where will you keep your show tanks? in the house?

great progress for sure Chad, keep it up.

Thanks Rick!

You guys are welcome any time! I can't say that there will be much room for sitting though. This room is wall to wall tanks. LOL! Yes, this was one of the reasons that I was buying up Bills fry. I'll need to put something in all those tanks, so why not grow out fry? :)

I have several pairs already. They are in a 150 gallon community tank. They spwan regularly, but natureally the spawns don't make it too far. I'm sure once they are in their own tanks they'll do fine!

I really would love to breed the contest fish. They are magnificent! Right now the two display tanks are in the house and I hope to never have to move them. LOL!

Take care!

I'll keep it in mind, Chad, but for now I have 3 Dobermans to help me! LOL!!!

Sounds like you have a gang at your house! LOL!

Best wishes!

discus_newbie

09-20-2009, 11:46 AM

wow with that amount of tank I wonder how many fish do you have

wadewc

09-20-2009, 11:49 AM

Wow Chad,very impressive. Great job!

Wade

D!NGO

09-20-2009, 12:48 PM

You are doing an excellent job Chad. Your work is very organized. I wish I can say the same for me. I am adding a 2nd part to my fish room and everything is all over the place.

Can't wait to see your fish room when it's finished. I am setting my layout similar to yours so I will be following closely to get some tips from you....if you don't mind. Excellent work!!!!

Inland Empire Discus

09-20-2009, 03:56 PM

Chad,
I only see one problem. You need more grow out tanks. You will end up with more fry than you know what to do with if you have 13 pairs and only 13 grow out tanks. Looks good though.

Bill

Cooldadddyfunk286

09-20-2009, 05:04 PM

dang Chad, GREAT WORK so far. Im aqlready super impressed. everything is gonna be so neat, organized and in check in your room. your mr. tech. ;):D

Im definatly tuned in man, I cant wait to see what this room looks like when its all finnished up!! take care bro!

Chad Hughes

09-22-2009, 06:53 PM

wow with that amount of tank I wonder how many fish do you have

At the moment? Yikes, to give you an exact number I would have to count them. Over 100 at minimum.

Wow Chad,very impressive. Great job!

Wade

Thanks Wade!

You are doing an excellent job Chad. Your work is very organized. I wish I can say the same for me. I am adding a 2nd part to my fish room and everything is all over the place.

Can't wait to see your fish room when it's finished. I am setting my layout similar to yours so I will be following closely to get some tips from you....if you don't mind. Excellent work!!!!

I have to say, the process has its messy moments. LOL! Just so happens when I sampped off these shots it was ratehr organized. I just plumbed the left side of the room last night. That was a mess. Three different sizes of PVC cutting everywhere. LOL! I'll post another update this weekend. More progress has been made! :D

Chad,
I only see one problem. You need more grow out tanks. You will end up with more fry than you know what to do with if you have 13 pairs and only 13 grow out tanks. Looks good though.

Bill

Bill,

Excellent point! The best I can to is throw four of the tanks that are on the central rack on the tap water system. That would give me 9 breeders and 17 grow out tanks. If I have more fry than that, then I guess the forum folks that are in for a treat! LOL! Thanks for the great input Bill!

dang Chad, GREAT WORK so far. Im aqlready super impressed. everything is gonna be so neat, organized and in check in your room. your mr. tech. ;):D

Im definatly tuned in man, I cant wait to see what this room looks like when its all finnished up!! take care bro!

Thanks for the interest! I am chipping away little by little. There is nothing too high tech about the room yet. Basic central systems. I am still researching the ozone application for the future. The rest of the tanks (seven 60s and seven 29s) should be here by the weekend. More drilling to be done! So far only one cracked tank. Ooops! It's a small crack that didn't actually damage the water integrityof the tank. Plumbing has come a long way, hardwire electrica is next before I close up the ceiling. I'm getting tired just thinking about all the work. LOL!

Best wishes!

Eddie

09-22-2009, 07:39 PM

Wow Chad, envious of the room. One day I'd love to have one but that will be many years from now. Looks like an awesome project!

All the best,
Eddie

Chad Hughes

09-22-2009, 09:29 PM

Wow Chad, envious of the room. One day I'd love to have one but that will be many years from now. Looks like an awesome project!

All the best,
Eddie

Eddie,

See if you can get the AF to buy off on getting you a BEQ room that you can pimp out in to a nice fish room! What will they know? :p

Hope you have a safe trip brother!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

09-24-2009, 01:28 AM

Chad Hughes

09-24-2009, 01:35 AM

And this is where those tanks are supposed to go. LOL! Guess I'll have to get some more tomorrow. :mad:

Darren's Discus

09-24-2009, 03:45 AM

Chad,
looking fantastic,keep up the great work and updates.

cheers

David Rose

09-24-2009, 08:28 AM

Chad,

I've been following your post and your project is really coming along. Don't get discouraged though over a couple of tanks compared to all the other great success you've had in pulling your fish room together. Before long you'll be sitting back to enjoy it completed and will laugh at the bumps in the road. It won't be long.

Maybe you can turn your cracked aquariums into painted mosaic terrariums....LOL. Probably not, but I've always heard "you should accentuate the negatives into a selling positive".

Take care and best of luck going forward!

MostlyDiscus

09-24-2009, 09:12 AM

Hi chad,

I dont know how I missed this thread,:inquisitive: All I can say is be careful of what you wish for:o. With all those tanks comes all the cleaning. The biggest problem being slime/protein build up on the glass.

I drill a hole in the wood block that is close to the diamond bit size. Easy to start and easy to finish the hole. Osolate your drill ever so slightly as you drill down. When you get close to the end you will see water seeping through that way and know you are close to the end. I am assuming that you are using water over the bit as you go. When you see the water comming through on the other side its time to slow down. I have found that two things crack the glass, to much pressure as the bit goes through the glass and the result is the drill striking the glass and or the bit binds due to the fact that the hole is too tight. Rotating the bit in a circler motion should make the edges of the hole a bit bigger.

Everything looks great M8. Looks like your doing a great job. I cant wait to see the finished project.

Ed

Chad Hughes

09-24-2009, 11:32 AM

Chad,
looking fantastic,keep up the great work and updates.

cheers

Thanks so much!

Chad,

I've been following your post and your project is really coming along. Don't get discouraged though over a couple of tanks compared to all the other great success you've had in pulling your fish room together. Before long you'll be sitting back to enjoy it completed and will laugh at the bumps in the road. It won't be long.

Maybe you can turn your cracked aquariums into painted mosaic terrariums....LOL. Probably not, but I've always heard "you should accentuate the negatives into a selling positive".

Take care and best of luck going forward!

Thanks for the pick me up. LOL! I think I was tired last night when I was doing all of this. I had several other things going on at one time. Never multi task when drilling glass. LOL!

Hi chad,

I dont know how I missed this thread,:inquisitive: All I can say is be careful of what you wish for:o. With all those tanks comes all the cleaning. The biggest problem being slime/protein build up on the glass.

I drill a hole in the wood block that is close to the diamond bit size. Easy to start and easy to finish the hole. Osolate your drill ever so slightly as you drill down. When you get close to the end you will see water seeping through that way and know you are close to the end. I am assuming that you are using water over the bit as you go. When you see the water comming through on the other side its time to slow down. I have found that two things crack the glass, to much pressure as the bit goes through the glass and the result is the drill striking the glass and or the bit binds due to the fact that the hole is too tight. Rotating the bit in a circler motion should make the edges of the hole a bit bigger.

Everything looks great M8. Looks like your doing a great job. I cant wait to see the finished project.

Ed

Ed,

Great input on the cutting techniques. I'll give it a shot this afternoon.

I've been dealing with 10 tanks off a central system for some time now and I can relate to the build up that you are speaking of. I am willing to deal with that. With everything on central, water changes and overall water cleanliness should be way easier. I spend about 3 hours in the fish room daily, not counting feedings.

Thanks again for the help Ed!

Ibanez540r

09-24-2009, 04:33 PM

Chad Hughes

09-24-2009, 04:45 PM

Hey Chad, you may want to check with the brand of tanks (Mine were Marineland). The past few brand new tanks I have got are using tempered glass on all sides and bottom, compared to just on the bottom with older tanks. Could be your problem? ..

These tanks are made by Visio. I was sure to check for tempered glass. Not the case though. In the past few days I've drilled 7 tanks and no issues, but those two didn't go well. LOL!

Thanks for the input!

hedut

09-24-2009, 07:16 PM

looking good Chad, can't wait when is done ;) with the fish in them :D

D!NGO

09-24-2009, 07:40 PM

You said you've cut 7 tanks already so maybe the bit is a little dull? These bits last about 10-15 holes IMO. Did you used water to cool the bit with the previous 7 tanks? If not could be that it's worn prematurely. HTH

Chad Hughes

09-25-2009, 02:21 AM

looking good Chad, can't wait when is done ;) with the fish in them :D

Thanks! I can't wait until it's done either. LOL! It's a lot of work to pull off on your own!

You said you've cut 7 tanks already so maybe the bit is a little dull? These bits last about 10-15 holes IMO. Did you used water to cool the bit with the previous 7 tanks? If not could be that it's worn prematurely. HTH

I am certain the bit is dull. I cut through the first 6 with ease. the 7th was a *******! Today it took me 45 minutes on each tank to get a cut without breaking the tank. The bit was water cooled through a pump to constantly trickle water and it never got hot. I followed all the rules to a "T". LOL! The drill bit is a premium bit from Jehmco. I tild them that I was going to drill 40 holes and this is the bit thet recommended. Hmmmm...

Thanks for all the input!

Eddie

09-25-2009, 04:05 AM

Eddie,

See if you can get the AF to buy off on getting you a BEQ room that you can pimp out in to a nice fish room! What will they know? :p

Hope you have a safe trip brother!

Best wishes!

LOL, yeah....I could see it now. Where is all this water/electricity usage coming from! LOL

Take care man....all in good time. For now, I'll hold my little piece of a fish room here in Okinawa. ;)

Later bro,
Eddie

Scribbles

09-25-2009, 04:45 AM

I don't know how I missed this thread Chad. Your fish room is looking good, well organized and tidy. What pairs do you have? I hope that you get pairs from your contest fish. I am so jealous. I need to find more room for tanks.

Chris

Elite Aquaria

09-25-2009, 06:25 AM

Chad,

The rack is looking fantastic...Now I have an excuse to come out west for a vacation...:D

Regarding the drilling I do a few things differently. First I add a 50% water to 50% antifreeze solution to cool the bit...Use play-doh and make a rim on the outside of the tank that you can fill with the solution (about 2 inches deep). I drill from the inside of the tank to the outside, since I drilled mine on the bottom. Not sure if you can do this with the size tanks you are drilling.

I Use a 2 x 4 and drill a hole to about 2"....place this support on the bottom of the tank so that when you cut through the tank your bit does not hit the wood...this jerking can cause the tank to crack...

I also apply very little pressure and let the diamond bit do all the work...I will have my cell all day give me a call if you want me to explain this over the phone...

Not sure what kind of bit you have but mine cut over 100 tanks. The key is to use the antifreeze.

Chad Hughes

09-25-2009, 11:50 AM

LOL, yeah....I could see it now. Where is all this water/electricity usage coming from! LOL

Take care man....all in good time. For now, I'll hold my little piece of a fish room here in Okinawa. ;)

Later bro,
Eddie

Do you really think they would look? I know back in the day they didn't care, but with budgets being looked at so closely today, it wuoldn't surprise me. Good working holding it down in Oki!

I don't know how I missed this thread Chad. Your fish room is looking good, well organized and tidy. What pairs do you have? I hope that you get pairs from your contest fish. I am so jealous. I need to find more room for tanks.

Chris

Hey Chris!

Things are moving along slow but sure. LOL! Now that the left side is done, I can move over to the right. The room is so small that I have to work in stages to have room to work. It's definately a custom job!

I too hope to get at least one pair out of the contest fish. Should be interesting! The 4 pairs that I have right now are few and they are not really pairs that I would want to have in a breeding program.

Chad,

The rack is looking fantastic...Now I have an excuse to come out west for a vacation...:D

Regarding the drilling I do a few things differently. First I add a 50% water to 50% antifreeze solution to cool the bit...Use play-doh and make a rim on the outside of the tank that you can fill with the solution (about 2 inches deep). I drill from the inside of the tank to the outside, since I drilled mine on the bottom. Not sure if you can do this with the size tanks you are drilling.

I Use a 2 x 4 and drill a hole to about 2"....place this support on the bottom of the tank so that when you cut through the tank your bit does not hit the wood...this jerking can cause the tank to crack...

I also apply very little pressure and let the diamond bit do all the work...I will have my cell all day give me a call if you want me to explain this over the phone...

Not sure what kind of bit you have but mine cut over 100 tanks. The key is to use the antifreeze.

Thanks for all the great advice Dan! I think the biggest thing that you do different from what I do is the antifreeze. I think I read in one spot that this was a good technique, but most advocate just using water.

The way I set things up was to use poplar boards. The board on top has the "V" notch in it which gives me perfect alignment to place every hole in every tank in the exact same spot. The board below provides support during break through and keeps the glass from flexing. I pump water to the "V" notch and it floods. Seemed to work pretty well for the first 6 or 7 tanks. Last night it took me the better part of 40 minutes on each tank just to get two holes done. Hmmmm... LOL!

Something that I did notice that may have contributed to the cracked tanks was the fact that the poplar boards that I was using during the first day of drilling were beginning to warp. I think by using warped boards on day two to brace the glass probably put too much stress on the glass. I am using 2X4 now without issues.

I'll give your recommendations a shot on the next go round and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the great input Dan!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

09-27-2009, 10:58 PM

Just a little weekend update. Things are moving forward. Left wall is now complete, plumbing and all. Added water and a few fish to 4 tanks tonight just to get them out of my way and see if the racks would hold. :D

The rack for the center of the room is built. It hold 8 29 gallon tanks and hovers over the two 125 gallon sumps. Here is a shot of it on my back porch with four of the 8 tanks on it.

The last picture is my mess. :p The mess has gotten considerably smaller as the project advances.

Chad Hughes

09-27-2009, 11:07 PM

Tomorrow I'll likely start to build the sumps. Here are some pictures of the custom glass cuts that I'll use. I now know why sumps are so expensive. The glass pieces alone were $200. If you add it all up, sumps of this size built and ready to use wold likely cost at least $1000 (+) each. Yikes!

Anyway, more updates to follow in the coming days!

rickztahone

09-29-2009, 12:55 PM

great progress. keep us updated. your rack looks nice :p;)

Chad Hughes

09-29-2009, 02:01 PM

Thanks Rick! I'll keep you posted!

Best wishes!

scottthomas

09-29-2009, 07:46 PM

scottthomas

09-29-2009, 07:48 PM

Oh, now I see nine 60 gallon for growouts lol

Chad Hughes

09-29-2009, 08:12 PM

Thats looking great. I too am building a fishroom. My space has similar dimensions as yours. Although, I have one 16' side wall and one that is only 8'. I have an 11' back wall. I felt as though a center rack would leave too little space. Now I am going to go measure again. I would have more space for tanks if I replaced a rack on the back wall with a center rack. I assume you are planning on keeping several pairs? What size tanks are you going to use for growouts? Tyhanks for sharing your project. I probably should post pictures of mine.:)

The space between the center racks and the side racks is certainly slim. The reason that I opted for a center rack is to utilize the space above the two 125 gallon sumps that will be on the floor. What better way to utilize space than more tanks? LOL!

I plant to have a maximum of 9 breeders, possibly some sitting on the bench in a community tanks if I run out of room.

Best wishes!

Scribbles

09-30-2009, 03:08 AM

Wow, it's really coming along nicely. I wish that I was clever and could do something like that.

Chris

Chad Hughes

09-30-2009, 10:31 AM

Wow, it's really coming along nicely. I wish that I was clever and could do something like that.

Chris

Chris,

I bet if you put your mind to it, you caould figure this out. I will admit, it takes a lot of planning.

Best wishes!

smsimcik

09-30-2009, 11:33 AM

Chad Hughes

09-30-2009, 03:45 PM

Hi Chad,

Everything looks great. Thanks for sharing. I'm learning alot following this thread.

I did have one question though. In case I ever want to build a tank rack, I could not tell from your pictures if you used nails or screws in the 2x4s. Or does it matter? Which is stronger and most reliable?

Hey Steve!

Glad to hear that you are taking something away from this thread. It's always good to hear that someone has learned something from a post. LOL! Thanks for that.

I was sort of wondering when someone was going to ask about the construction of the rack. Basically I build the frame that the tank(s) will rest on out of 2X4 screwed together with 3" wood screws. I use three screws at each joint. I think nails are a bit stonger, but pull out of the wood over time. Crews give a nice tight fit. My design does not rely heavily on the strength of the crews as much as their gripping power. Once those frames are built, I align them with the legs of the stand and use 3/8" X 4" bolts to anchor the frame to the legs. This makes for a very sturdy design. The longer racks do have a center brace to prevent bowing of the shelf.

The nice part about building the racks this way is that you can loosen the bolts and fold the rack in on itself. Since my space is small, I build all of the rack outside on the patio. Once it's complete I can fold it up and hand carry it in to the room where I open it up, level it and tighten down the bolts. It's very convenient!

Let me know if that answered your question.

Best wishes!

smsimcik

09-30-2009, 05:53 PM

Yeah, thanks. That does answer my question. Now that you explained it, I can see the bolts going through the legs into the racks. I guess 3/8" bolts can handle plenty of weight.

Chad Hughes

09-30-2009, 06:09 PM

Yeah, thanks. That does answer my question. Now that you explained it, I can see the bolts going through the legs into the racks. I guess 3/8" bolts can handle plenty of weight.

Yes sir! they are holdin gup well.

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

10-06-2009, 02:10 AM

So this weekend was spent taking care of some of the electrical details and LOTS of tank drilling. My back porch looks like an aquarium manufacturing plant. LOL! Just a little update. Still moving forward.... slowly. :)

Eddie

10-06-2009, 03:50 AM

Looks great Chad! You are living the dream buddy!

Take care,

Eddie

Elite Aquaria

10-06-2009, 06:23 AM

Chad,

Looking great...

Mr Wild

10-06-2009, 08:45 AM

I want one too!:D

Chad Hughes

10-06-2009, 11:13 AM

Looks great Chad! You are living the dream buddy!

Take care,

Eddie

Thanks Eddie! I think it'll be more of a dream when all of the hard work is over. LOL! I've got some seriously sore joints from all the drilling, lifting, etc. LOL!

Take care!

Chad,

Looking great...

Thanks Dan! Sent you a PM! :)

I want one too!:D

Well get busy Kath! LOL! It takes a long time to get all this put together and still work full time. I bet you would have a fantastic room!

Best wishes!

wgtaylor

10-06-2009, 11:43 AM

Hi Chad,
Good planning, great looking fish room. Well done buddy.
Bill

Cooldadddyfunk286

10-06-2009, 12:55 PM

great room Chad, everything is coming along NICELY! you know when your done you have to give us a FULL photo tour....possibly even a video tour!!! DO IT DO IT!:D:p;)

take care broseph

Chad Hughes

10-06-2009, 12:59 PM

great room Chad, everything is coming along NICELY! you know when your done you have to give us a FULL photo tour....possibly even a video tour!!! DO IT DO IT!:D:p;)

take care broseph

Thanks Jason!

Yes, I'll definately have to give you a full tour. It will likely be in video form. Trying to take pictures in such a tight space is a challenge. I suppose if I had a camera with a wide angle lens, I could capture more. I'm really hoping to wrap this up by the end of the month. Here's hoping!

Best wishes!

Scribbles

10-07-2009, 03:40 AM

Your fish room is looking great Chad! It's really coming along. I'm sooo jealous. You wont know what to do with your spare time when it's done. LOL

Chris

acroken

10-07-2009, 09:11 AM

Chad,
You are not kidding about the aquarium factory in your back yard;) You are going all out my friend. I give you much credit. You will have a awesome hatchery once completed. I am very interested in this thread. Thanks for updating. Someday I would love to see it in person.

Best of luck with the drilling.

Kenny

Chad Hughes

10-07-2009, 06:36 PM

Your fish room is looking great Chad! It's really coming along. I'm sooo jealous. You wont know what to do with your spare time when it's done. LOL

Chris

Chris,

Funny you should mention that. I was just thinking about how I am using every moment of free time to accomlish this and what I will do with my free time when it's done. LOL! Get out of my head! LOL!

Thanks for the kind words! Don't be jealous, come visit! :D

Chad,
You are not kidding about the aquarium factory in your back yard;) You are going all out my friend. I give you much credit. You will have a awesome hatchery once completed. I am very interested in this thread. Thanks for updating. Someday I would love to see it in person.

Best of luck with the drilling.

Kenny

Thanks Kenny!

Yes, at times it almost seems a bit overwhelming. LOL! I look at the stacks of tanks and realize that they all need to be drilled! The 60s get two holes each. That's 18 holes total. UGH! Drilling one tank is nothing. Drilling 40 holes is another story! I'm hoping to have all the drilling done this weekend. Here's hoping!

When you are going to be in my area, let me know. My door is always open and a tour would be a pleasure!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 12:22 AM

FINALLY!!!

I finally completed drilling all the tanks. 40 holes X 20+ minutes per hole adds up quickly. Anyway, knocked that out finally. Tonight I built the last rack and coated all of the feet of the racks in a rubber coating so that they will not be affected by water (spills) on the floor and rot. All of the tanks are painted and the following days will consist of getting everything assembled in the room.

I'm tired. LOL!

Anyway, here's a few shots of my mess! Soon it will be pure organization! I'm ready to be done with the build! LOL!

Best wishes!

rickztahone

10-15-2009, 12:33 AM

Congrats Chad! feels weird not seeing Avionics as your UN :p

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 12:34 AM

Congrats Chad! feels weird not seeing Avionics as your UN :p

Thanks Rick! It felt weird to me being called avionics. LOL! I asked Al to change it for me, which he did kindly.

Best wishes!

rickztahone

10-15-2009, 12:44 AM

Thanks Rick! It felt weird to me being called avionics. LOL! I asked Al to change it for me, which he did kindly.

Best wishes!

lol, i bet no one will get confused now when someone says, "just ask Chad, he knows water works up and down" ;)

it took a while when Eddie, formally known as...prince...j/k Eddie...formally Basshead

We'll get over it :D

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 12:48 AM

Eddie is actually the one that got me thinking about changing to my real name. I asked him how he went about it and he told me to just let Al know. I finally got tired of being avionics. LOL!

Take care man!

Elite Aquaria

10-15-2009, 07:18 AM

Chad,

Looking good buddy...I remember when I built mine...My dad flew down from Ohio and we finished it in one week...I could never consider doing all that work by myself...

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 09:45 AM

Thanks Dan!

It's been a lot of hard work doing it alone. LOL!

Best wishes!

Cooldadddyfunk286

10-15-2009, 10:03 AM

things r lookin great chad, whats ur estimated time of completion?? any idea yet? do you have a goal date set? lol. take care bro.

Eddie

10-15-2009, 10:56 AM

Impressive Chad! You are gonna be the westcoast Discus guy! Looks great!

Take care,

Eddie

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 11:26 AM

things r lookin great chad, whats ur estimated time of completion?? any idea yet? do you have a goal date set? lol. take care bro.

I'm trying to be operational by the end of October. It's looking really good at this point! I certainly want to have all of this done before I have a house full for the holidays.

Impressive Chad! You are gonna be the westcoast Discus guy! Looks great!

Take care,

Eddie

Thanks Eddie! I think Kenny already holds the title of "the Westcoast discus guy". Maybe "Southern California Discus Guy"? LOL!

Best wishes!

Eddie

10-15-2009, 11:48 AM

Thanks Eddie! I think Kenny already holds the title of "the Westcoast discus guy". Maybe "Southern California Discus Guy"? LOL!

Best wishes!

Hey....little by little brother....there are generations to come! Once you handle that piece of the pie, you will be on your way! Looks great too! Guess I can't retire near you or the competition will already be over! LOL

Take care,

Eddie

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 01:28 PM

Hey....little by little brother....there are generations to come! Once you handle that piece of the pie, you will be on your way! Looks great too! Guess I can't retire near you or the competition will already be over! LOL

Take care,

Eddie

Little by little is definately the way something like this goes unless you have a crew to help. I can say that if you retire near me, I can definately give you some pointers and possibly help. I enjoy the build process, just not long term. LOL!

Take care!

Eddie

10-15-2009, 04:17 PM

Little by little is definately the way something like this goes unless you have a crew to help. I can say that if you retire near me, I can definately give you some pointers and possibly help. I enjoy the build process, just not long term. LOL!

Take care!

Maybe I can just work for you and pretend that its my room too. :D You know....since you already took care of all the dirty work! LOL

Take care,

Eddie

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 04:21 PM

Maybe I can just work for you and pretend that its my room too. :D You know....since you already took care of all the dirty work! LOL

Take care,

Eddie

LOL! Well, if you are going to take care of all the fish, then yes, we can work out a deal! That would certainly free up my evenings after work. It would be nice to have another discus head around full time to chat with. LOL! Although my family is very supportive, I am on my own with discus. LOL!

Take care Eddie! Enjoy Texas!

Eddie

10-15-2009, 04:37 PM

LOL! Well, if you are going to take care of all the fish, then yes, we can work out a deal! That would certainly free up my evenings after work. It would be nice to have another discus head around full time to chat with. LOL! Although my family is very supportive, I am on my own with discus. LOL!

Take care Eddie! Enjoy Texas!

HAHAHA....enjoy Texas! I'm just kidding....in fact I grew up here in Texas, San Antonio until I was 8 years old. Not too bad a place, its a huge state so lots of walks of life.

Yeah, I know what you mean about being on your own with discus. Its all good though....its my hiding place. At least you'll have a gigantic fantasy hiding place! So lucky

Eddie

Chad Hughes

10-15-2009, 04:57 PM

HAHAHA....enjoy Texas! I'm just kidding....in fact I grew up here in Texas, San Antonio until I was 8 years old. Not too bad a place, its a huge state so lots of walks of life.

Yeah, I know what you mean about being on your own with discus. Its all good though....its my hiding place. At least you'll have a gigantic fantasy hiding place! So lucky

Eddie

Cool! I spent a few months at Lackland AFB for law enforcement school when I was in the Navy. I really enjoyed it!

I wouldn't say it's gigantic, but it's what I can swing withthe space that I have! :D

Best wishes!

Disgirl

10-15-2009, 06:32 PM

Scribbles

10-15-2009, 07:05 PM

I bet you're pretty tired. That's alot of work. Sounds like you're coming up the home stretch though. What a great sanctuary it will be. I'm the only discus nut in my house too, but I like it that way. At night everyone else is in bed, dogs and birds are asleep and it's just me and the discus. It's quiet and peaceful.

Chris

Dkarc@Aol.com

10-15-2009, 08:33 PM

Looking good Chad!! Cant wait to see it all fired up! How about some pics of the filtration plumbing once its all done?

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

10-16-2009, 01:34 AM

Just great Chad! Hope I can see it and you in person someday when/if I go west to visit friends/relatives. I have cousins in SD and friends up northern CA. It is a long way from here. Best of luck with lots of breeders and fry in that room!
Barb :)

Thnks Barb!

I sure wish that I was able to make it up your way last time I was in NC. I really kick myself when I think about it. If you get out this way, please let me know. I'll throw you a BBQ and we can chat about discus! LOL!

Take care!

I bet you're pretty tired. That's alot of work. Sounds like you're coming up the home stretch though. What a great sanctuary it will be. I'm the only discus nut in my house too, but I like it that way. At night everyone else is in bed, dogs and birds are asleep and it's just me and the discus. It's quiet and peaceful.

Chris

Chris,

Yes, I am tired. Thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate that. Home stretch it is! I know what you mean about having the evenings to yourself with your discus. My hose tanks all have LED lighting in them, sort of looks like moon light. It's nice to watch, even though they are asleep! LOL!

Best wishes!

Looking good Chad!! Cant wait to see it all fired up! How about some pics of the filtration plumbing once its all done?

-Ryan

Ryan,

You got it! I test fitted all the racks in the space this evening. Boy is it going to be tight in there! LOL! It will look more like a discus warehouse than a fish room, that's for sure. Theres just a llittle more than two feet of space between the wall racks and the middle rack. One thing that I didn't really plan for was the dimension behind the tank for the plumbing. Wall racks sit about 6" off the wall, so that's a whole foot of space lost between both sides. YIKES! I'll make it work.

I'll try to snap some shots of the plumbing behind the tanks, but not too sure that it will be such a great shot. Remember, I am taking a picture of a 6" space. LOL! I haven't plumbed the 60s yet, so I'll snap off a shot of those before I seat them against the wall. I still haven't built the sumps. Too many other things going on. Maybe this weekend? I'm off tomorrow, but I'm also taking a trip to Inland Empire Discus. LOL! Who knows what will come of that. I just can't say NO to Bill's discus!

I'll keep you updated!

Best wishes

jimmyjoe

10-16-2009, 04:36 PM

AzFishKid

10-16-2009, 05:54 PM

WOW, what a project! When i get my own place, i want a fish room. Haha.

That's probably 7-10 years from now though. :(

Chad Hughes

10-16-2009, 11:13 PM

Hey Chad, nice beginning's, middle, and hopefully a really great looking end will come soon. How big is the the room gonna be when a done, looks awsome also how many total tanks growouts and breeders. Jim in Ohio

Hi Jim!

The end is coming soon.... LOL! Today I wsa working on the ceiling in preperation to get the other wall done this weekend. I think I'll be ble to at least get all the racks and tanks in this weekend. The room is only 10 X 14 feet. It will have 9 breeder tanks and 17 grow out tanks. 26 tanks total. The room will hold a total of 1840 gallons of water. I sure hope the floor hold up! LOL! It's a concrete slab, so I think I'm OK.

Thanks for the kind words!

WOW, what a project! When i get my own place, i want a fish room. Haha.

That's probably 7-10 years from now though. :(

All in good time! I'm 35, so it took me this long to get it all together. LOL!

Have a great wekend!

Chad Hughes

10-18-2009, 09:57 PM

A little update.....

The room is pretty much done. Walls are complete and the ceiling is done minus an access hole that I left intentionally for the remaining plumbing and electrical that will drop down to the racks.

I did manage to get six of the nine 60 gallon tanks in to the room an on to the racks. I began some of the drain and supply PVC but soon ran out of parts so decided to quit. :p The floor is cracked due to a root the heaved the floor up so I am going to have to get crafty and figure out how to shim the back legs of the racks to make everything level. Projects like these are never just easy. :o

So, as it stands today, I'd say the room is about 75% complete in total. Once the 60 gallon wall is complete I'll bring in the rack for the eight 29 gallon tanks and the two 125 gallon sumps.

I got a lot done this weekend, but I'm beat. LOL!

I'll keep chipping away and keep you all posted!

Best wishes!

Elite Aquaria

10-18-2009, 10:03 PM

Chad,

Looking good my friend...I can't wait to see the finished product.

Disgirl

10-18-2009, 10:07 PM

It's looking like a genuine fish hatchery Chad! Well done! Is this all your own design or do you have plans you got from another? Either way it will be a great place to have your discus business, good luck!
Barb:)

hedut

10-18-2009, 10:20 PM

Looking good, Good luck and keep update:D:D:D;);)

frenchie100

10-19-2009, 12:27 AM

Wow, that's amazing Chad! Huge progress!

Julie :)

Chad Hughes

10-19-2009, 02:41 PM

Chad,

Looking good my friend...I can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks Dan! It wont be long now!

It's looking like a genuine fish hatchery Chad! Well done! Is this all your own design or do you have plans you got from another? Either way it will be a great place to have your discus business, good luck!
Barb:)

Thanks Barb! THis is my own design. I planned for months on the layout and design of the room due to the fact that it is so small. It takes a bit of creativity to get everything to fit just right. LOL! I looked at a lot of the fish rooms here on the forum for slues as to how folks go about building a fish room and from that came up with my plan.

Thank you for the well wishes!

Looking good, Good luck and keep update:D:D:D;);)

Thank you! I'll keep you posted!

Wow, that's amazing Chad! Huge progress!

Julie :)

Thanks Julie! Yeah, I spent most of the weekend working on it. I plant to do some more this afternoon. It's slow but sure! LOL!

Best wishes!

Scribbles

10-19-2009, 08:23 PM

Wow, it sure is amazing how quickly you have gotten so much done! It's looking great! I'm curious tho, are you planning on putting tops on the tanks?

Chris

Chad Hughes

10-19-2009, 09:27 PM

Wow, it sure is amazing how quickly you have gotten so much done! It's looking great! I'm curious tho, are you planning on putting tops on the tanks?

Chris

Thanks Chris! It seems to be dragging to me. LOL! I guess I am getting a bit impatient.

Yes, every tank has a glass top.

Best wishes!

Ben75

10-19-2009, 09:40 PM

Hi Chad,
Mate awesome looking room !
All the effort and hard work has paid off.

Chad Hughes

10-19-2009, 09:43 PM

Hi Chad,
Mate awesome looking room !
All the effort and hard work has paid off.

Thanks so much Ben!

I am really going to enjoy the finished product and am anxious to share it with all of you when that time comes!

Best wishes!

Mr Wild

10-20-2009, 05:12 PM

Hi Chad
I haven'y logged on for a couple of days and I can easily see you really have been getting down to it. It is looking fabulous! Hope is produces lots of babies!

Chad Hughes

10-20-2009, 05:26 PM

Hi Chad
I haven'y logged on for a couple of days and I can easily see you really have been getting down to it. It is looking fabulous! Hope is produces lots of babies!

Thanks Kath!

Yes, have gotten a lot done but still more to do. I have a lot of spawning going on in the community tank where I am holding all of my adults now. I'm just not ready to transfer any of the fish yet. The goal is the end of the month. Fingers crossed! :)

Best wishes!

Mr Wild

10-20-2009, 05:38 PM

Chad Hughes

10-20-2009, 05:48 PM

ooooh So the new fish room will be shakin then! WOW great things about to happen, good luck with it all.

I bought several new fishies on the weekend, will post up some shots when they settle a little.

Oh yes! I'm not slowing down until it's finished! :D Too bad I have to go to work during the week. It would be done already! LOL!

I'm excited to see your new fish!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

10-25-2009, 11:16 PM

Well I made some pretty good progress this weekend. All of the tanks are in and they are all plumbed. The last thing that I really need to do is build the sumps (still haven't done that yet) and install and plumb the pumps.

Everything has come together pretty nicely. I've attached a few pics.

Best wishes!

Scribbles

10-26-2009, 02:03 AM

Wow Chad, you have made so much progress in such a short amount of time! Your fish room is looking great! I can't wait to see all of your discus in it.

Chris

Mr Wild

10-26-2009, 02:24 AM

Glad you got the practice up on yours, you will be a professional by the time you come over and do mine! LOL

Chad Hughes

10-26-2009, 11:09 AM

Wow Chad, you have made so much progress in such a short amount of time! Your fish room is looking great! I can't wait to see all of your discus in it.

Chris

Thanks Chris! I think I'll be done by this coming weekend. I'll be transferring fish this weekend hopefully.

Glad you got the practice up on yours, you will be a professional by the time you come over and do mine! LOL

Hi Kath! Yes, plenty of practice has been had here. I will admit that I am a master pipe fitter now. LOL! I've never done so much custom fit work before. It takes it's toll on your patience as well. LOL! Let me know when you're ready and I'll be glad to help! :D

Best wishes!

David Rose

10-26-2009, 11:34 AM

It's really coming together for ya Chad and looking good!

Chad Hughes

10-26-2009, 01:16 PM

Thank you David!

Best wishes!

Elite Aquaria

10-26-2009, 01:19 PM

Great job...I know it is a great felling knowing that you are almost done.

Chad Hughes

10-26-2009, 01:33 PM

Great job...I know it is a great felling knowing that you are almost done.

Dan,

You said a mouthful there! LOL! Now that the difficult parts are all done, I'm sure the remaining loose ends will come together nicely. Thanks for all of your input on this project! I really appreciate it.

Speaking of input, I have a quaestion. When assembling the 60 gallon wall I cracked a 60 gallon tank. The PVC plumbing on the back of the tank came in contact with the wall. I didn't know it was touching and pushed the rack further than I should have. Basically I was fitting all the plumbing with the rack away from the wall and then pushed the racks towards the wall once complete.

Anyway, I have a 60 gallon tank with a cracked back glass. Is there anything that I could do with this tank other than scrap it? I thought about replacing the back glass and selling the tank. Any thoughts?

Best wishes!

D!NGO

10-26-2009, 01:54 PM

Chad, you have done a fantastic job with the fish room, pal!!! I am very sure a lot of people will pick up many ideas from you to incorporate into their fish room from this thread. It know it will be amazing when you're done.

I really like the idea of putting rubber paint on the feet of those racks. That was a great idea. I wish I had done that with mine. I had a couple of minor spills and I can see the water got soaked up into the wood like a wick.

How did you do it....with all the construction, taking pictures, and taking the time to post and answering questions? I have to hand it to you for taking some time out from your busy schedule to update us on your progress. It has taken me over a month just to add another rack and installed a vortex filter!!:mad:

I know you're tired but I can see everything is coming together nicely. I am getting an energy boost from seeing your progress and now I'm really psyched to finish my fish room too.:D

Keep it up buddy....but don't overwork yourself!!!;)

Chad Hughes

10-26-2009, 02:13 PM

Derek,

Thanks for all the great compliments about the fish room. You say that you are being inspired by this thread and I am glad. Just so you know, it's comments like yours that inspire me and make me forget that I am exhausted from all of this. LOL! I'm glad that you adn possibly many others will take something away from this. That is the whole point of the post. I like to share and get/give feedback about the process in order to make it easier on me and for others in the future. Thanks for your participation!

As for the rubber coating, I had to figure out a way to protect the legs of the stand. The floor is concrete and I wanted to have the ability to be able to either spill water or hose off the floor without having water wick up in to the studs as you have experienced. So far so good! One thing that I will point out is that I can't tell if there is water wicking or not since the rubber coating covers the wood. I painted three coats on the legs, so I'm pretty confident that they are sealed.

How do I do it? Well, i guess I just take the time to. LOL! The work is non stop plus I have tanks in the house that I have to deal with to include the contest tank. One thing that I can say for sure is that my methods of keeping discus in planted tanks sure allows me time to get other things done. They are VERY low maintenance. Other than feeding, I go a whole week to ten days without a whole lot of attention to them. When it's time to quit for the day, I plop my butt down inf ront of one of the display tanks and relax. :D My other posts on SD are typically achieved at work. :p I work for the Federal Government and have some time throughout the day to stay on top of postings. It's a luxury that most don't really have. I am very fortunate.

Now, get to work on that rack!! LOL! Nothing gets done unless you are hands on it! That's my work ethic. I'll be anxious to see your new addition!

Best wishes!

Chad, you have done a fantastic job with the fish room, pal!!! I am very sure a lot of people will pick up many ideas from you to incorporate into their fish room from this thread. It know it will be amazing when you're done.

I really like the idea of putting rubber paint on the feet of those racks. That was a great idea. I wish I had done that with mine. I had a couple of minor spills and I can see the water got soaked up into the wood like a wick.

How did you do it....with all the construction, taking pictures, and taking the time to post and answering questions? I have to hand it to you for taking some time out from your busy schedule to update us on your progress. It has taken me over a month just to add another rack and installed a vortex filter!!:mad:

I know you're tired but I can see everything is coming together nicely. I am getting an energy boost from seeing your progress and now I'm really psyched to finish my fish room too.:D

Keep it up buddy....but don't overwork yourself!!!;)

Disgirl

10-26-2009, 02:51 PM

Chad Hughes

10-26-2009, 06:27 PM

Hey Chad if you decide to keep that cracked 60 gal. it would make a good terrarium. You could advertise it to be used that way. I make and keep lots of terrariums and would love to have it for that but 3000 mi. is a bit far to go to pick it up!
Barb :D

Barb,

Great idea! This one is pretty cracked though. It ran about 5 cracks from the top where the overflows were drilled down to the corners of the tank. It actually cracks more when you try to move it. I'm seriously considering tossing it since I can buy these tanks for $59 brand new. If I can get a piece of back glass for $20 then I may replace it. I have to get some estimates first.

Thanks for the excellent input!

Best wishes!

Dkarc@Aol.com

10-26-2009, 06:47 PM

At $59 for a new one...better safe than sorry IMO. Not worth the hassle to fix it at that price.

-Ryan

GrillMaster

10-27-2009, 12:12 AM

Chad... You have come a long way in such a short time bud!! Your contest fish are amazing and your fish room is even more impressive! Well done!!

Chad Hughes

10-27-2009, 01:50 AM

At $59 for a new one...better safe than sorry IMO. Not worth the hassle to fix it at that price.

-Ryan

Ryan,

I hear you man! I don;t really have any use for the tank anyway. I replaced the one that I broke. I guess I'm just having issues taking a hammer to a tank to get it small enough to fit in the trash. LOL! There's a lot of glass there!

Chad... You have come a long way in such a short time bud!! Your contest fish are amazing and your fish room is even more impressive! Well done!!

Mark,

Thanks for the compliments my friend! To be honest I didn't do too much with the contest fish other than offer them everything that they needed for premium growth and optimum health. The fish room on the other hand has been a very labor intensive project. It's hard to predict how things like this will go until you start them. I can now see why people who do their own home renovations take so long to get them done. LOL! It's a lot of hard work!

Thanks again for the kind words!

Best wishes!

MostlyDiscus

10-27-2009, 09:21 AM

Looking good Chad. I would expect no less from a perfectionist. Wheres your tub/sink?

Ed

Chad Hughes

10-27-2009, 11:25 AM

Looking good Chad. I would expect no less from a perfectionist. Wheres your tub/sink?

Ed

Thanks Ed!

I really appreciate the compliment. I do not intend on having a sink/tub in the room. Just didn't see the need for one. Any suggestions would be very helpful, especially at this point. I'm nearing the point of no return in regards to changes in the plan.

Best wishes!

wgtaylor

10-27-2009, 02:50 PM

jimmyjoe

10-27-2009, 03:50 PM

Looking good Chad can't wait to see what all your gonna put in them, I know it must get tiresome but look at the final picture. WHEN IT'S DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck man it's better looking then mine cuz hey I don't have one.........................Jim in Ohio

j_li8

10-27-2009, 04:37 PM

great looking room. i know how hard it is to fit so many tanks in a small place. your fish room is about the same dimensions as my bedroom and i have trouble fitting 4 tanks, my bed, desk and a book shelf in there. probably getting rid of the book shelf to balance the weight from all of the tanks. one day i will have a fish room too.

Chad Hughes

10-27-2009, 05:10 PM

Looking great Chad.
I'm sure there will be relief when it's done. Been there.
Hey, just wondering, do you have a drain accessible from front to siphon bottom of tank if needed?
Waiting to see those tanks loaded with fish. Great job buddy. :)
Bill

Bill,

Yes, it will be a huge reliefe! It's nearly done.

My system does not use a siphon to vac out the tanks. I use a venturi system that is plumbed in to the filtration system. Basically it works like a python. It's plumbed in to the return side of the pumps in a lop back to the filter. I have a hose attached to a PVC wand. When I am ready to vac the tanks, I turn a valve that pushes water through the venturi creating a vacuum. This allows me to pull waste from the tank bottoms without wasting water. The micron filter cathces all of the debris. All I ahve to do when I'm done is clean/change out the micron filter. The micron filters that I use are 100 micron and can be reused. Since I typically vac at least twice a day, this sytem saves me about 200 to 300 gallons of water daily.

Good catch!

Looking good Chad can't wait to see what all your gonna put in them, I know it must get tiresome but look at the final picture. WHEN IT'S DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck man it's better looking then mine cuz hey I don't have one.........................Jim in Ohio

Thanks Jim and you are right! That light at the end of the tunnel is definately getting closer! That is what keeps me moving forward, plus all of the great motivational comments such as yours.

Thanks again!

great looking room. i know how hard it is to fit so many tanks in a small place. your fish room is about the same dimensions as my bedroom and i have trouble fitting 4 tanks, my bed, desk and a book shelf in there. probably getting rid of the book shelf to balance the weight from all of the tanks. one day i will have a fish room too.

Wow! You have certainly packed it in! :p Thaks for the compliments!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

10-27-2009, 11:32 PM

Tonight I installed the new gas line and the heater for the fish room. It's been chilly here in San Diego. Get down to the 50s at night. This heate rtook the room from 70 to 85 degrees in 30 minutes. I love it! Natural gas and cheap!

Best wishes!

Mr Wild

10-28-2009, 06:24 AM

Wow great idea! How do you go with getting even warm are distribution? So all tranks remain warm? Do you also have heaters in the sumps?

MostlyDiscus

10-28-2009, 10:30 AM

Chad my man.... Trust me. You need a tub to wash things in. Brine shimp hatching stations are a daily thing. I put my hatching stations right next to my tub/sink for the convienence of cleaning. Be carefull with your heater as well. Steel will rust due to the high humidity of the room.

Ed

Chad Hughes

10-28-2009, 01:58 PM

Wow great idea! How do you go with getting even warm are distribution? So all tranks remain warm? Do you also have heaters in the sumps?

Kath,

Good question! The top of the room is certainly warmer than the bottom. I noticed that last night when I was cleaning the top tanks. It's hot up there! LOL!

The tanks will not be heated individually. I will have a small fan to circulate air in the room, but the trick to even heating will be in the water circulation. Water leaving the top tanks will likely be warmer than those in the bottom tanks. All of this water mixes in the sump and will keep all the tanks within a degree or two of each other.

Good point Kath!

Chad my man.... Trust me. You need a tub to wash things in. Brine shimp hatching stations are a daily thing. I put my hatching stations right next to my tub/sink for the convienence of cleaning. Be carefull with your heater as well. Steel will rust due to the high humidity of the room.

Ed

Good point Ed!

I may be able to put a small sink in the room, but I may install it just outside the room. THe space in the room is so small that I think a sink might push things past the limit of being entirely too tight. I'll see what I can do! Right outside the door of the room is the laundry room. Plenty of space and plumbing hookups could be had there!

I hear you on the heater. The manufacturer even states that this type of heater will created moisture. LOL! I've been checking the room for humidity levels and as of last weekend the relative humidity in the room was about 79%. I haven't checked it with the heater installed. Maybe this weekend? The room does have a decent ventilation system. It's no heat exchanger, but it works. THe back wall has about a 1" gap at the bottom of it that allows for fresh air introduction. I have an exhaust fan that pulls air out of the room. Although the fan only runs when the room exceeds 88 degrees, the vent system still allows for air flow that I can actually feel. I'm hpoing that the humidy will stay in check with this system. If not, I may have to make some changes down the road.

Thanks for the input! I really appreciate it!

Best wishes!

rickscics

10-28-2009, 03:18 PM

Chad Hughes

10-28-2009, 11:31 PM

Hey Chad What is the make and model of the heater you installed?
I can't tell by the picture if it is vented to the outside? Did you vent through the roof or the wall? Looks like a nice size unit. Rick

Rick,

This heater is made by "Kozy World" and is a ventless heater. There is no outside venting. I bought it for two reasons. One, no venting required and two, it's just the right size for the room. I bought it off Ebay for less than $200. Here is a link (http://cgi.ebay.com/BLUE-FLAME-KOZY-WORLD-NATURAL-GAS-HEATER-30K-VENT-FREE_W0QQitemZ120483968129QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item1c0d677481)to the exact model on Ebay today!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

11-16-2009, 11:33 PM

A small update....

The left sump and the left rack of the room are up and running. I have to say, the sump and pumps came on line with very little problems. You know, usually you expect an catastrophic leak or some other issue to happen. The only real problem that I had was I found out that the pumps are not self priming. I had to run out to home depot and get a huge check valve and slap on the intake side of the pump inside the sump to keep the lines primed when I shut the pumps off or power is lost. Priming these beasts was a bear. I have to use a submersible pump and a hose, jam the hose up the intake pipe and turn on both pumps. Once I got the column filled with about six feet of water, I put my hand over the intake, shut off the power, let the water fall in to the pump and turn it back on. UGH! Worked like a champ though!!

Attached are a few random shots. I snapped off some pictures of the temperature settings as well. Seems that keeping the room at 90 degrees actually works out best. As you can see by the termometers, the ambient room temp is 90.6 f and the tanks have settled in at 86.3. Just about perfect!

More to follow...

Chad Hughes

11-16-2009, 11:41 PM

Here are a few shots of the plumbing fiasco that makes this room function. I was very fortunate to be able to get all of the system controls to fit on the end of the center rack. The first picture shows the heater in the middle with the pumps below it. Surrounding all of that are the pipes and valves that go from the sump up in to the ceiling. All of the plumbing that feeds the seperate tank systems in concealed in the ceiling. No messy pie work to be seen!

The other pictures are of the water feed valves that return water to the tanks from the sump, a picture of the return pump intake with giant check valve, the 3" overflow pipes that carry water from the tank in to the sump and a long shot of the sump. The big bag on the left is a 100 micron 32" filter sock. This thing catches a LOT of crap. From there the water travels through 4 matala filter media chambers. I've loaded it with 1 chamber of each size of matala media avaiable. The open chamber after that is reserved for the ozone system (coming soon).

More to follow...

Chad Hughes

11-16-2009, 11:47 PM

The last few shots show the 2" overflow lines intersecting the 3" drain line. This system is completely open and makes for an excellent degassing chamber as well as a drain. I complete underestimated the power of the pumps. I can actually turn each tank valve to full open and the pumps don't even flinch. Within a few minutes the 3" standpipe will begin to overflow. Each tank valve is set at about 80% flow and the system seems to be balanced.

I got a door put on the room to keep all that precious heat in. As you can see, I still have a bit of insulating and dry wall to get done. The last two shots are just more pictures of the filtration/heating control center and a shot of the pump intake in the sump.

Best wishes!!

MostlyDiscus

11-17-2009, 01:25 AM

Nice work Chad. I expected no less:D. BTW you are never comming over to my fish room. You would die laughing at the randomness of my madness. Lets just say our fish rooms are different.

Ed

Chad Hughes

11-17-2009, 03:06 AM

Nice work Chad. I expected no less:D. BTW you are never comming over to my fish room. You would die laughing at the randomness of my madness. Lets just say our fish rooms are different.

Ed

Thanks Ed!

I am really pleased with how everything is coming together. Slow but sure. I'm actually kind of glad that it's taken me longer to get this done than I expected. It's allowed me to make subtle changes in the plan along the way.

No matter how different our fish rooms are, I'd love to check yours out! I love fish rooms, especially those with character! :D

Best wishes!

Scribbles

11-17-2009, 05:58 AM

Chad,

Your fish room looks so professional. Excellent job! That's my dream fish room except that I would die at 90 degrees. LOL.

Chris

Eddie

11-17-2009, 08:03 AM

Mr Wild

11-17-2009, 10:14 AM

Dont worry Ed....randomness+madness=genius ;)

Room looks fantastic Chad!

Eddie

LMAO. Got to agree with Eddie on that one! lolol

Chad Hughes

11-17-2009, 12:04 PM

Chad,

Your fish room looks so professional. Excellent job! That's my dream fish room except that I would die at 90 degrees. LOL.

Chris

Thanks Chris! It's funny, the room feels like a sauna. It's rather theraputic! It's cool here in San Diego ATM. The mornings are nearly in the 30s. Walking in to that hot room really gives you a wake up! :D

I really only have to spend an hour or so a dauy in the room, so it's not too bad.

Best wishes!

Dont worry Ed....randomness+madness=genius ;)

Room looks fantastic Chad!

Eddie

Good point Eddie! Thanks for the kind words!

LMAO. Got to agree with Eddie on that one! lolol

Me too! :D

Disgirl

11-17-2009, 01:49 PM

Looks great Chad! And since you are heating the room you will never have to worry about tank heaters over or under heating! Just your body overheating :D!
Barb

rickztahone

11-17-2009, 04:02 PM

great job like always Chad. the only word of caution would be those "coralife digital thermometers". one of mine is set to 74F which in reality puts my tank at 82-83F, on my second tank that same thermometer reads 79F which in reality is 86. i have the cheap glass thermometers in both my tanks which are always dead on to each other. cheap but reliable. what brand is that cool see through one? i only have bad experiences with the cheap coralife ones.

Chad Hughes

11-17-2009, 04:13 PM

Looks great Chad! And since you are heating the room you will never have to worry about tank heaters over or under heating! Just your body overheating :D!
Barb

Thanks Barb! That is so true. Although I haven't had issues with a heater over heating, I have had issues with them not heating enough (cold tank) I guess I could have the same issue with this heater, but I confident that the thermostat on this heater is probably much more reliable. Just think, I may lose a pound or two in that kind of heat! LOL!

great job like always Chad. the only word of caution would be those "coralife digital thermometers". one of mine is set to 74F which in reality puts my tank at 82-83F, on my second tank that same thermometer reads 79F which in reality is 86. i have the cheap glass thermometers in both my tanks which are always dead on to each other. cheap but reliable. what brand is that cool see through one? i only have bad experiences with the cheap coralife ones.

Good point Rick!

I never rely on any one source to get temp readings. I took a picture of the digital one because it would be very difficult ot get a picture of the glass one. Anyway, I have a half dozen of the glass thermometers scattered throught tanks in the room to double & triple check temperature equality. Top tanks heat faster than the bottom tanks (heat rises). With the central system, the warmer water gets mixed with the cooler water and equals everything out. So far all the thermometers are on point. No obvious huge differences between them.

The large LCD thermometer just measures the room temp and gives me the high reading and the low reading for the day. I picked it up at wallmart a while back when I started to put tanks in the garage. I wanted to see what the temperature swing was going to be. Before insulating everything, the temperature would swing nearly 15 degrees. This little guy allowed me to account for the swing and plan for the heating design I have today.

Take care

Dkarc@Aol.com

11-17-2009, 10:07 PM

Ed13

11-17-2009, 10:29 PM

Very nice Chad! I wanted so bad to go central, but was to afraid to do it. :o Was thinking of something somewhat similar to yours too!

The large LCD thermometer just measures the room temp and gives me the high reading and the low reading for the day. I picked it up at wallmart a while back when I started to put tanks in the garage.
I so need this thermometer, I'll see if something similar is available at Walmart! I also want an infrared too:p

Chad Hughes

11-18-2009, 10:03 AM

Looks great Chad!! Glad to see it finally up and running!

I told you those pumps are powerful!! Most people think they know how much flow 50gpm+ is, but they dont....it is a lot! I would probably replace the 3" vertical drain with a 4" (or even 6" for ease of mind) to increase capacity of flow. Im sure it would be a pain to do, but it would solve your problem.

-Ryan

Thanks man! Yes, good call on the pumps. They are perfect! The system that is running currently is the smaller of the two. It's much more powerful than truely needed. The balance that I have achieved on this side of the house works great. The sump cannot tolerate any higher flow either. If I open the valves all the way, the sump fills up and starts to bypass, then the drain lines start to flood. LOL! Right now, it's working like a champ. I do get a little flow back to the sump from the return bypass. It's 3/4" and runs 24" higher than the 1.5" return line. Thanks for all your advice on this!

Very nice Chad! I wanted so bad to go central, but was to afraid to do it. :o Was thinking of something somewhat similar to yours too!

I so need this thermometer, I'll see if something similar is available at Walmart! I also want an infrared too:p

Do it man! It's great! Water stays crystal clear. heck out Walmart for that thermometer! I love it.

Best wishes!

MostlyDiscus

11-18-2009, 10:54 AM

Chad Hughes

11-18-2009, 11:32 AM

Kind of funny how you dont sleep the first night you fire up a central system. You go to bed late and wake up early to check for leaks:D. Just to give you a bit of advice(I seem to be full of that these days:bandana:), when you set up your ph controller(hint hint) pay a little more for a nice one. I have 4 different controllers on 2 central systems and none of them read the same. When people come over to buy discus I always double check with fluid test just to be sure. Looking good Chad.

Ed

I hear you Ed! I fired it up on a weekend on purpose. LOL! I didn't want to have to leave the house or any extended period of time until I knew things were OK. It's been 96 hours now. I'm settled. LOL!

I already have the Ph controller, but I only use that on breeder tanks. Fry and fish for sale are all in tap water. No Ph control at all.

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

11-21-2009, 12:29 AM

Eddie

11-21-2009, 01:14 AM

Chad, are you using ozone in the central system?

Eddie

Ed13

11-21-2009, 08:42 AM

I got the ozone reactor all figured out and built. This unit will give me nearly 2 minutes of dwell time, more than enough to sanitize the water within it. I propped it up against a 125 gallon aquarium for perspective. Total height is about 6 feet. It's constructed of 4" ABS and has a built in carbon reactor to remove residual ozone before heading back to the main system. I plan to plumb it in to the main system sometime this weekend.

Best wishes!!
Drooling here, toys...I mean...tools for the fishgeek in us are amazing.

Ozone would def make me feel better about going central. Chad, you keep making me wanna do mine all over again or add a second group of tanks at least;)

Oh yeah, I also want to know about what Eddie asked!

Chad Hughes

11-21-2009, 12:00 PM

Drooling here, toys...I mean...tools for the fishgeek in us are amazing.

Ozone would def make me feel better about going central. Chad, you keep making me wanna do mine all over again or add a second group of tanks at least;)

Oh yeah, I also want to know about what Eddie asked!

Do it man! :D A reactor this large couldn't be used on anything less than a central system. LOL!

Best wishes!

yeaboyt

11-21-2009, 02:39 PM

rickztahone

11-21-2009, 03:00 PM

Wow Chad, you continue to dazzle everyone here on SD! Can't wait to visit when it's all done...
Bert

ditto man. we should seriously have a Cali meet there, if it were fine with Chad of course. i always see people in the East Coast meeting up, why can't we do the same? :p. I'm sure Julie would be willing to go as well, and i could probably convince Casper as well.

::Ball starts rolling::....:D

Dkarc@Aol.com

11-21-2009, 11:50 PM

Looks nice Chad! Do you have a UV on the system or not??? I cant remember...if you do, just plumb the outflow from the reactor directly into the UV to destroy residual O3.

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

11-23-2009, 02:21 PM

Wow Chad, you continue to dazzle everyone here on SD! Can't wait to visit when it's all done. I've set up my second tank so I do have room for more fish. I'll be keeping an eye on FB for your announcements on new stock!

Bert

Thanks Bert!

I'll keep you posted!

ditto man. we should seriously have a Cali meet there, if it were fine with Chad of course. i always see people in the East Coast meeting up, why can't we do the same? :p. I'm sure Julie would be willing to go as well, and i could probably convince Casper as well.

::Ball starts rolling::....:D

I think a SOCAL meeting would be awesome. You're right. The East coasters meet frequently. I'd be happy to host something!!

Looks nice Chad! Do you have a UV on the system or not??? I cant remember...if you do, just plumb the outflow from the reactor directly into the UV to destroy residual O3.

-Ryan

Thanks Ryan. No UV, that's why I've gone with the GAC. UV is too expensive IMO, especially one this large.

Thanks for all the great input!

Best wishes!

MGKelly

12-15-2009, 08:39 PM

Hey Chad,

What are you using to cap the bottom of the 2X4's in the picture below?

thanks, Joe

50644

FINALLY!!!

I finally completed drilling all the tanks. 40 holes X 20+ minutes per hole adds up quickly. Anyway, knocked that out finally. Tonight I built the last rack and coated all of the feet of the racks in a rubber coating so that they will not be affected by water (spills) on the floor and rot. All of the tanks are painted and the following days will consist of getting everything assembled in the room.

I'm tired. LOL!

Anyway, here's a few shots of my mess! Soon it will be pure organization! I'm ready to be done with the build! LOL!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

12-16-2009, 05:31 PM

Hey there Joe!

I used a product called Plasti Dip. I picked this product up at Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=100131010&navFlow=3&keyword=plasti%2Bdip&langId=-1&searchRedirect=plasti+dip&storeId=10051&endecaDataBean=com.homedepot.sa.el.wc.catalog.bean s.EndecaDataBean%405f36184e&ddkey=THDStoreFinder).

Hope that helps!

MGKelly

12-16-2009, 07:48 PM

Thanks Chad,

I'm in the process of building a stand for double 55 gallon tanks.
How much weight can each one of the stands in the picture support?

thnx, Joe

Hey there Joe!

I used a product called Plasti Dip. I picked this product up at Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=100131010&navFlow=3&keyword=plasti%2Bdip&langId=-1&searchRedirect=plasti+dip&storeId=10051&endecaDataBean=com.homedepot.sa.el.wc.catalog.bean s.EndecaDataBean%405f36184e&ddkey=THDStoreFinder).

Hope that helps!

MGKelly

12-16-2009, 11:54 PM

Thanks, Ched,

I'm getting ready to build a stand for 2 - 55 gallon tanks.

How much weight can the stands you built support?

I'm want to try and build something like yours.

Joe

Chad Hughes

12-22-2009, 01:04 PM

Thanks, Ched,

I'm getting ready to build a stand for 2 - 55 gallon tanks.

How much weight can the stands you built support?

I'm want to try and build something like yours.

Joe

All of my stands are constructed identically. Basically I make a 2X4 frame that's about 1/4" larger than the length and width of the tank. This "frame" is what the tank will sit on once the rack is assembled. I use 3" wood screws to assemble the frame. Once the frames are done, I attach the legs. All of my racks use four 8' 2X4 legs. I bolt these to the frames tih 3/8" bolts. Be sure to use large washers on the bolt head and the nut. 2X4s are pretty soft and the bolt will dig in. Once you get the legs on, I put another 3" crew within 2" of the bolts. This will prevent any type of sheering.

Hope that helps!

DavidC

12-22-2009, 03:53 PM

Eddie

12-22-2009, 04:07 PM

Any breeding going on at the moment Chad?

Happy Holidays!

Eddie

Chad Hughes

12-22-2009, 05:20 PM

I thought I saw that massive thing hanging outside the door last week.. Can't wait to see it up and running

Also Being a big guy that builds bridges as long as your 2x4 is on edge or vertical you shouldn't have a problem I have a 200 gallon held up by the same basic racking but my vertical strength is with 4x4's... Food for thought

Time.... I need more hours in a day. LOL!!

I never have had a reason to go to 4X4 construction. 2X4 construction has always been sufficient for me. The 150 stand is all 2X4 as well.

Any breeding going on at the moment Chad?

Happy Holidays!

Eddie

Hey Eddie!

There is always breeding going on. Although I am not trying to breed at the moment, pairs always do their thing. At the moment I have a weird pair (domestic brown X blue diamond). These two laid eggs again last night. Not sure what will come from that pairing. I have some goldens and marlboro that lay eggs about every week like clock work. The contest fish have laid 4 times. I have a "suspected" pair of rose red throwbacks that I finally pulled out of a breeding tank and placed in to the community tank to free up some space for juvies. Still haven't had anything from them. They show tons of potential, but nothing yet!

The fish room is still only half way operational. I have all of my adults in a community tank in tap water. Don't expect successful spawns there. The fish room is completely filled with juvies that currently occupy the breeder tanks. I am taking two weeks of vacation starting this Thursday, so I am hoping to get the second sump completed. That has been my hold up in getting the juvies moved to the 60 gallon tanks and the breeders in to their soft water 29 gallon tanks. Until that happens, I will not have any fry (hopefully). I don't want any. I don't have the facilities to tend to fry until the room is 100% functional.

I have been very busy with home renovations. I wanted to get all of the bedrooms recarpeted, new baseboards and painted before Christmas and holiday company. I got it all done! I have become a drywall pro! LOL! I've gotten quite good at texturing as well. This is a good thing. I have a home that was built in the 50s and the wiring in the living room needs replaced. Sometime in 2010 I'll have to rip out all of the drywall in the living room, replace the wiring in the walls, and install hardwood floors. I'm not looking foward to all the work, but it will be nice when it's done!

On the growout front.. I have some beautiful Albino Red Turqs from Bill at IED. They are gettin BIG! I have a coule of Carnation Snakeskin 14 bar that I am hoping will pair as well. There's tons of potential in the fish room. To date the room houses 16 strains with 64 discus. Something is bound to come of that right? LOL! I would have more discus but someone keeps buying them (David) LOL! Wow, now that I do the math, that's a lot of discus in only 261 gallons of water. :D

Once I add the 26 discus in the house to the fish room, I'll have a full blown oepration I think. Fingers crossed!

Best wishes!

Eddie

12-22-2009, 05:31 PM

Sounds good man, glad you've been able to get alot of work done, both in the house and the fishroom.

Be good to see the ART when you get time. They must have grown out very well. You have a ton of varieties for future breeding and soon you are gonna be putting out alot fish. The fish room looks fantastic!

Take care and have a good vacation!

Eddie

Chad Hughes

12-22-2009, 05:42 PM

DavidC

12-23-2009, 01:31 AM

i have noticed alot of big tanks at the fish store and most of them have 2x4's as their strength as well... i have even seen a 300 gallon glass tank with the same racking... no doubt as long as you dont get bugs, youll never have to worry about them again, and if so get pressurized wood and have it be the end all be all.

not directed towards you by any means chad, just info to be had, i know you know your stuff... your house is like a candy store for my 3 yr old...but for me;)

Chad Hughes

12-23-2009, 01:39 AM

LOL! Thanks David! No worries my friend. I did consider using 4X4 construction in the early years, but a lot of research told me that I was going overboard. I guess too much is better than too little. LOL!

I also heavily considered pressure treated wood. When I calculated the cost, I went with premium 2X4 instead. I figured I could preserve the feet and the room is lined in styrofoam, so I felt OK with the fact that the wood would stay relatively dry and I wouldn't likely have any bugs.

Where were you when I was doing all of this? I could have totally used your help! LOL!

Have a great weekend. hope to see you soon!

Best wishes!

i have noticed alot of big tanks at the fish store and most of them have 2x4's as their strength as well... i have even seen a 300 gallon glass tank with the same racking... no doubt as long as you dont get bugs, youll never have to worry about them again, and if so get pressurized wood and have it be the end all be all.

not directed towards you by any means chad, just info to be had, i know you know your stuff... your house is like a candy store for my 3 yr old...but for me;)

jeff@zina.com

12-23-2009, 09:42 AM

I also heavily considered pressure treated wood.

There are two issues with PT lumber. The first is it is never really needed. While fish rooms get splashing and such, they aren't regularly soaked or standing in water. They are also almost always inside, termites and other insects need to eat your house to get to the stands. And it takes years for a termite to eat enough to cause any issues.

The second issue with PT lumber is more scary. It leaches toxic salts. The same poisons in the lumber that kill rotting and wood boring organisms will happily kill prized fish. PT lumber is even not recommended in containers of soil that may have edible plants and vegetables.

Cost is a minor factor, especially when a rack will last you a decade and you'll likely rebuild it in less than half that time. :)

Jeff

DavidC

12-23-2009, 12:44 PM

Where were you when I was doing all of this? I could have totally used your help! LOL!

as i said also, let me know if you want some help with the roof, maybe we can work out a trade? :o if not im more than happy to help out with any labor im sure it will come my way someday ;)

Chad Hughes

12-23-2009, 12:45 PM

There are two issues with PT lumber. The first is it is never really needed. While fish rooms get splashing and such, they aren't regularly soaked or standing in water. They are also almost always inside, termites and other insects need to eat your house to get to the stands. And it takes years for a termite to eat enough to cause any issues.

The second issue with PT lumber is more scary. It leaches toxic salts. The same poisons in the lumber that kill rotting and wood boring organisms will happily kill prized fish. PT lumber is even not recommended in containers of soil that may have edible plants and vegetables.

Cost is a minor factor, especially when a rack will last you a decade and you'll likely rebuild it in less than half that time. :)

Jeff

Good point Jeff!

Home Depot will not even cut treated lumber in their stores anymore due to the risks of inhaling the dust from the wood. It's nasty stuff!

Best wishes!

DavidC

12-23-2009, 12:46 PM

Cost is a minor factor, especially when a rack will last you a decade and you'll likely rebuild it in less than half that time. :)

Jeff

espeacially if he has to up size some day and go bigger :D

GlennR

12-23-2009, 12:53 PM

OK, so for those of you that have experience drilling glass tanks, I need some input. I have drilled tanks in the past without problems, so I'm not new to drilling glass. Tonight I started to drill the last three tanks for the left side of the fish room and cracked two in a row. I've cracked tanks slightly in the past, but these CRACKED!! A lot!

Anyway, I'm not sure if it's because I was a bit tired and was just trying to knock these last three out or what, but I'm pretty pissed at myself right now for blowing $60 on two brand new tanks. LOL!

I've attached some photos of my setup so you can see how I drill. It's pretty simple. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Best wishes!

Hey Chad,

I'm glad to see a question around here that I can help with. :)

You are probably past drilling your tanks now, but here's some tips for drilling glass. Btw, I'm a glassblower and I've been drilling hand blown glass sinks which are over 1" thick, and have not had a "mistake" yet.

I use a radial drill press which has a 17" reach, so it can reach the center of a 34" circle. Harbor Frt sells these drill presses for about $225. I am even able to countersink and polish my drain holes with it too.

Most folks here obviously probably wouldn't want or need to buy a drill press. A good alternative to help keep your diamond core bit steady and centered is to clamp a wooden "guide block" to the glass which has been predrilled to fit your diamond bit. It would probably be a good idea to cut a few grooves into the bore of the guide block to help water the bit while drilling.

Also, while drilling glass it is a good practice to drill in short pulses, rather than continuously pressing the bit into the glass. That helps keep the bit cool and also prevents glass from clogging/glazing the diamond abrasive. Of course don't force the bit. It isn't actually "cutting", but rather grinding through the glass. To prevent chip-out it help to support the underside of the glass where the drill will exit with wood. You don't have to worry about the bit grabbing the wood or cutting you, since it doesn't have teeth like a normal wood or metal cutting bit.

zamboniMan

12-26-2009, 02:39 PM

Hey Chad,

I'm glad to see a question around here that I can help with. :)

You are probably past drilling your tanks now, but here's some tips for drilling glass. Btw, I'm a glassblower and I've been drilling hand blown glass sinks which are over 1" thick, and have not had a "mistake" yet.

I use a radial drill press which has a 17" reach, so it can reach the center of a 34" circle. Harbor Frt sells these drill presses for about $225. I am even able to countersink and polish my drain holes with it too.

Most folks here obviously probably wouldn't want or need to buy a drill press. A good alternative to help keep your diamond core bit steady and centered is to clamp a wooden "guide block" to the glass which has been predrilled to fit your diamond bit. It would probably be a good idea to cut a few grooves into the bore of the guide block to help water the bit while drilling.

Also, while drilling glass it is a good practice to drill in short pulses, rather than continuously pressing the bit into the glass. That helps keep the bit cool and also prevents glass from clogging/glazing the diamond abrasive. Of course don't force the bit. It isn't actually "cutting", but rather grinding through the glass. To prevent chip-out it help to support the underside of the glass where the drill will exit with wood. You don't have to worry about the bit grabbing the wood or cutting you, since it doesn't have teeth like a normal wood or metal cutting bit.

Haha some of us are as addicted to tools as we are discus!

GlennR

12-26-2009, 07:50 PM

I'm always looking for excuses to get a new tool.

It's like being a magician and being able to "buy" a few new tricks to keep up your sleeve. :)

zamboniMan

12-27-2009, 12:07 AM

I'm always looking for excuses to get a new tool.

It's like being a magician and being able to "buy" a few new tricks to keep up your sleeve. :)

Plus no matter what it is they'll be a use for it some time. :D

FischAutoTechGarten

01-07-2010, 01:35 AM

plastic caps? i thought everyone just set their wooden stands/racks on hockey pucks?

jeff@zina.com

01-07-2010, 02:40 PM

plastic caps? i thought everyone just set their wooden stands/racks on hockey pucks?

Ever try to find hockey pucks in SW Florida...? :)

Jeff

zamboniMan

01-08-2010, 10:15 PM

Ever try to find hockey pucks in SW Florida...? :)

Jeff

Lol there is hockey in southern florida just not as much as in the northern states. (You guys do have an NHL team after all). I think the plasti dip (if I remember correctly thats what he used) is a good idea.

Chad have you had any problems with it? Does it throw off the stands so they aren't level anymore?

Josh

Chad Hughes

01-20-2010, 07:14 PM

Lol there is hockey in southern florida just not as much as in the northern states. (You guys do have an NHL team after all). I think the plasti dip (if I remember correctly thats what he used) is a good idea.

Chad have you had any problems with it? Does it throw off the stands so they aren't level anymore?

Josh

Actually I noticed no issues with leveling. Then again, the floor of the room isn't level either. LOL! There were spots on one wall that I had to use scraps of marble tile to bring the back legs of the rack level with the front. Worked great and still does! The plasti dip really doesn't have an impact IMO. Keeps the legs dry though!

Best wishes!

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 12:13 AM

It's done.... well, until I decide that I need to add something or change whatever. LOL!

Both central systems are up and running. I have 2000 gallons of water throughout my fishroom. No leaks either! I was amazed. Between the two systems, I circulate 80 gallons of water every minute. That's over 4800 gallons an hour. I know, I'm super good at addition! LOL!

Snapped off a few shots.... Enjoy!

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 12:15 AM

A few more....

Have a great weekend!

Dkarc@Aol.com

03-12-2010, 12:17 AM

Awesome! Glad to see it finally up and fully functional. Just let me know if you ever want to improve upon it, LOL. :D

-Ryan

hedut

03-12-2010, 12:18 AM

How about pic each tank:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 12:44 AM

Awesome! Glad to see it finally up and fully functional. Just let me know if you ever want to improve upon it, LOL. :D

-Ryan

OK Ryan.... I want to improve on it now! LOL! I'm always down for suggestions my friend!

How about pic each tank:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Here's a little video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupPYlh4YHo&feature=player_embedded)... I'll take some more pics tomorrow. I'm tired. LOL!

Dkarc@Aol.com

03-12-2010, 12:50 AM

OK Ryan.... I want to improve on it now! LOL! I'm always down for suggestions my friend!

Here's a little video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupPYlh4YHo&feature=player_embedded)... I'll take some more pics tomorrow. I'm tired. LOL!

Not sure on how much room you have or how much money you're looking to invest, but a bead filter would make maintenance a breeze for you and would totally eliminate the need for your sock filters (it adds great biological surface area too). It would be as simple as turn pumps off, flip a valve, let drain, flip back, turn pumps back on (and make sure the sump is full of course). Setup a high flow float valve in the sump and you're life would be even easier (literally less than 5 minutes of your time). Only problem is that with the amount of water you're flowing you'll need a large unit, or use a smaller unit and simply split the flow from the pumps (half to bead filter, half directly back to tanks). Let me know and I can size one for you. Just keep in mind a filter like that is $1k+

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 12:54 AM

Not sure on how much room you have or how much money you're looking to invest, but a bead filter would make maintenance a breeze for you and would totally eliminate the need for your sock filters (it adds great biological surface area too). It would be as simple as turn pumps off, flip a valve, let drain, flip back, turn pumps back on (and make sure the sump is full of course). Setup a high flow float valve in the sump and you're life would be even easier (literally less than 5 minutes of your time). Only problem is that with the amount of water you're flowing you'll need a large unit, or use a smaller unit and simply split the flow from the pumps (half to bead filter, half directly back to tanks). Let me know and I can size one for you. Just keep in mind a filter like that is $1k+

-Ryan

Ryan....

My friend, buddy, pal.... LOL!

OK. Let me first turn one of my bedrooms in to the filter room. I'd do it in a heartbeat if my better half wouldn't kill me. The $$ doesn't sound too bad, but the space is very limited. I like the way you think though! :D

Best wishes!

Dkarc@Aol.com

03-12-2010, 01:01 AM

If you can find a 24"x24" space in your hatchery near the pumps you could do it.

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 01:04 AM

If you can find a 24"x24" space in your hatchery near the pumps you could do it.

-Ryan

Let me digest this...

Don't I need one for each system? I have one tap system and one RO system.

Dkarc@Aol.com

03-12-2010, 01:10 AM

Let me digest this...

Don't I need one for each system? I have one tap system and one RO system.

That depends if you want to eliminate the bag filters for each system. You could do one at a time or both....up to you. But yes, since water parameters are different in each system you would need one per system.

Here's more info about them:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2923/Bubble-Bead-Filters
http://www.ifsolutions.us/bubblebeads.php

-Ryan

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 01:24 AM

That depends if you want to eliminate the bag filters for each system. You could do one at a time or both....up to you. But yes, since water parameters are different in each system you would need one per system.

Here's more info about them:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2923/Bubble-Bead-Filters
http://www.ifsolutions.us/bubblebeads.php

-Ryan

CRAP! I almost wish I would have gone with this in the first place... Only one question. Would the sweetwater pumps power this since they are not high head pumps? Just curious because I REALLY like my electric bill right now. :D I can power a whole fish room for the cost of operating one of my house tanks with HO lighting! LOL!

Dkarc@Aol.com

03-12-2010, 01:29 AM

CRAP! I almost wish I would have gone with this in the first place... Only one question. Would the sweetwater pumps power this since they are not high head pumps? Just curious because I REALLY like my electric bill right now. :D I can power a whole fish room for the cost of operating one of my house tanks with HO lighting! LOL!

The bead filter will put some back pressure on the pumps, but minimal as it is such a large surface area. So long as your backwash frequently it'll never be an issue. We ran bubble bead filters almost exclusively at the UF TAL farm and most had pressure guages on them...most never read higher than 1-2psi while operating, depending on last backwash. Most of those filters were powered by SweetWater pumps.It would cut the flow back some, but I dont think you'll notice it hardly. Even if it does slightly, you'll gain so much by ease of maintenance.

-Ryan

Eddie

03-12-2010, 03:53 AM

Looks really sharp Chad. You producing fry at the moment or still collecting breeding stock? Looks like my dream house! ;)

Take care!

Eddie

Disgirl

03-12-2010, 10:21 AM

Your fishroom, tanks, fish, equipment all look just great Chad. Only one thing missing, cones! But they will soon be in there! Maybe even today!
Barb:D:D:D

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 10:39 AM

The bead filter will put some back pressure on the pumps, but minimal as it is such a large surface area. So long as your backwash frequently it'll never be an issue. We ran bubble bead filters almost exclusively at the UF TAL farm and most had pressure guages on them...most never read higher than 1-2psi while operating, depending on last backwash. Most of those filters were powered by SweetWater pumps.It would cut the flow back some, but I dont think you'll notice it hardly. Even if it does slightly, you'll gain so much by ease of maintenance.

-Ryan

Well, maybe in the future Ryan. For now, I'l stick with what I have. I do like the look of these filters plus the ease of maintenance. I really appreciate your input!

Looks really sharp Chad. You producing fry at the moment or still collecting breeding stock? Looks like my dream house! ;)

Take care!

Eddie

Eddie,

Thanks brother! I just moved the pairs in two days ago... so no fry just yet. I have to bring their water down to the right specs as well. The pairs were all in a community tap water tank, so conditioning their water will take a week to 10 days. All should be well after that!

Oh, and yes, I'm always looking for breeding stock! :D

Your fishroom, tanks, fish, equipment all look just great Chad. Only one thing missing, cones! But they will soon be in there! Maybe even today!
Barb:D:D:D

Barb,

You took the words out of my mouth! LOL! Hopefully they will be here today! :) I'll take some pictures once they're all in the tanks.

Thanks Barb!

hedut

03-12-2010, 12:31 PM

nice collection Chad:thumbsup::thumbsup:. I wish I have fish room like that:(

Chad Hughes

03-12-2010, 12:47 PM

Thank you Hendri!

Chad Hughes

04-05-2010, 11:37 AM

Well,

The fishroom officially passed the earthquake test. It figures that after I build my fish room we start having earthquakes. LOL! In 25 years of living in California I can count on one hand how many earthquakes I've felt. This one was not the worst, but it was the longest with the most after shocks.

I just checked out the list of earthquakes and it's extensive.... here's a link (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php).

dean9922

04-06-2010, 12:07 AM

Chad Hughes

04-06-2010, 12:50 AM

Wow Chad.....you have what I want.....or what I am going to attempt to do.....lol......
just one question, how do you heat the water in your holding tanks????
and is one R/O water and regular tap water????
earthquakes.....wow...maybe snow is not that bad.......
thanks

Thanks Dean! It was certainly a long time coming. It's a lot of work building a roomlike this. Good luck with yours!

I heat the whole room to 89 F. All water in the room is between 84 and 86 degrees. Just right! :D

The top tank is RO and the bottom is RO waste and tap.

We continue to have earthquakes and I am now preparing to anchor everything in the room so that it cannot topple. Everything is holding up well but my concern is if we have a "jolt" type of an earthquake. I've felt those in the past and they can really cause things to travel.... like fish tanks that are 8' in the air. It could get ugly quickly.

Best wishes!

dean9922

04-06-2010, 09:12 AM

let's hope the quakes stop......that would be brutal if that was to happen...good luck and your set up looks awesome once again

David Rose

04-06-2010, 09:18 AM

Hi Chad,

Great to hear your fish room is holding strong and all is well!

Best of luck!
David

Arkangel77

04-06-2010, 11:24 AM

Chad you are consistantly Impresive!!!!!!!!!!!

Ark:angel:

Chad Hughes

04-06-2010, 11:39 AM

let's hope the quakes stop......that would be brutal if that was to happen...good luck and your set up looks awesome once again

Me too! We've had another 300+ tremors in the past 24 hours, four of which were over 4 mag. Got my fingers crossed! Thanks for the kind words!

Hi Chad,

Great to hear your fish room is holding strong and all is well!

Best of luck!
David

Thank you David!

Chad you are consistantly Impresive!!!!!!!!!!!

Ark:angel:

Thanks Ark! Much appreciated!

vera

04-06-2010, 12:10 PM

Very impressive Chad !! u've done great job!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Happy breeding :)
TC

Chad Hughes

04-06-2010, 01:28 PM

Very impressive Chad !! u've done great job!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Happy breeding :)
TC

Thank you Vera! I really appreciate the compliments and well wishes.

Best wishes to you as well!

Disgirl

04-06-2010, 01:57 PM

Chad Hughes

04-08-2010, 04:43 PM

Hope the quakes are over for you all out there! How scary it must be. Here we have to put up with hurricanes, also scary, but at least we get advance notice that one is coming so we can prepare. Best of luck with all your discus and their homes!
Barb:)
PS I'm in the process of setting up my new used 125, a bit scary for me. Hope to transfer fish tonight or tomorrow night. Hope that bulkhead will hold!

Barb,

Well we haven't felt anything in a while but looking at on line sources, we're having earthquakes all the time. Weird. So far so good though!

Best of luck with your new tank! I'm sure everything will go very well.

Best wishes!

Arkangel77

04-08-2010, 04:49 PM

Chad Hughes

04-08-2010, 05:00 PM

Aquaben19

06-21-2010, 07:09 PM

Chad, earlier in the thread you mention cracking 2 29's and wasting $60. Then breaking the 60gal and that being $59...

Where oh where are you getting these prices? If you don't mind sharing that info that is...

My wife has approved my building of a fishroom and is actually pushing me towards it(LUCKY ME)!! So to make it even more appealing I would love to find $1 a gallon deals...

Any info would be great Thanks

Chad Hughes

06-21-2010, 07:25 PM

jeff@zina.com

06-22-2010, 08:55 AM

Off topic - I can add Earthquake insurance to my home owners policy for like $70 a year! My wife is all about getting it and I look at her sideways and just ask - WHY? Picayune Mississippi - WHY????????

LOL

The Missouri fault line has far more potential than the San Andreas, and is the site of the largest earthquake in North America. Except for extreme coastal Mississippi, there is a possibility of earthquakes that can be devastating.

Though it wouldn't be worth the price to me either. UFO Abduction Insurance maybe, but not Earthquake.

Jeff

Aquaben19

06-22-2010, 09:41 PM

Chad, How much room did you allow from the top of one tank to the bottom of the next 2x4? The room I am dealing with only has 76inches from floor to ceiling and I wanted to go 3 high, but it looks like that is going to be a huge problem leaving only 4 inches or less to get into any tank.

Instead, in order to fit in more tank space I may have to put the tanks in 2 high, but place them with the "fronts" and "backs" against eachother.

Obviously with the larger tanks this strategy would be horribad.

Keep in mind my room will be smaller scale than yours lol. I just really like the look of your tanks facing the "right way," and I notice more people having thier tanks face that way opposed to how I may have to do mine.

Anyway, thanks for looking again.

Chad Hughes

06-22-2010, 11:33 PM

Ben,

The trick to getting the shelf height is right between tnaks is to measure the glass lids that will go on top of each tank. You have to have enough room to be able to flip the lid open and not hit the upper 2X4. That's what I did. I'd hate to quote you a dimension and your lids be a different size than mine. Tanks must come first, mesaure, then build. :D

As for the tank placement, size of the room is certainly a consideration. I chose to do my rom the way that I did for that very reason. Placing the tanks fron to back was not an option for me for two reasons.

First, my room is built around my filtration system. I use two 150 gallon sumps that are placed in the center of the room. 8 Tanks are racked abouve the filters and the rest are place around. Be sure to have at least 24" (more than this is better if you can make it) for an isle way in the room. My room is a little lopsided. I have 21" on one side and 23" on the other. It's tight, but it works.

The second reason that I didn't want to place the tanks end side out was due to cleaning. I had racks like that in the past and trying to reach the back of the tank in a rack system is not easy. Honestly it was wearing me out cleaning tanks positioned that way.

Hope that helps!

Chad, How much room did you allow from the top of one tank to the bottom of the next 2x4? The room I am dealing with only has 76inches from floor to ceiling and I wanted to go 3 high, but it looks like that is going to be a huge problem leaving only 4 inches or less to get into any tank.

Instead, in order to fit in more tank space I may have to put the tanks in 2 high, but place them with the "fronts" and "backs" against eachother.

Obviously with the larger tanks this strategy would be horribad.

Keep in mind my room will be smaller scale than yours lol. I just really like the look of your tanks facing the "right way," and I notice more people having thier tanks face that way opposed to how I may have to do mine.

Anyway, thanks for looking again.