# Designing a house with a fishroom.



## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

We are moving. We have taken jobs in a town 60 miles away from Panama City and commuting while trying to sell our home. I am tinkering with the idea of building another house..but this time, incorporating a fish room during the build. Last time, there wasn't enough preparation time to do something like this...but, as things are selling so slowly, I may have a year to plan...lol. My plan is a centralized fish room with three larger tanks 180-240s inset into the walls so that one tank is in the living room, one in my bedroom, and one over the master bath tub. Has anyone ever tried something like this??? I would appreciate any ideas. I bought lots of graph paper..gooing to play with it, and then find an architect. My husband and I have remodeled three homes and built the last one(doing a lot of the work ourselves)..so we do have lots of experience framing, finish work, electrical, etc...Hope there arre others as crazy about aquariums as I am...


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

One thing I would do if I was to design and build a fish room is incorporate a floor drain for surprise leakage and convenience of weekly cleanings along with convenient water refill locations especially with the tank sizes you noted. The drain would be used for outside irrigation of plants either via gravity or pump aided, just my thoughts.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Imaconvict said:


> One thing I would do if I was to design and build a fish room is incorporate a floor drain for surprise leakage and convenience of weekly cleanings along with convenient water refill locations especially with the tank sizes you noted. The drain would be used for outside irrigation of plants either via gravity or pump aided, just my thoughts.


Wonderful idea. I thought about a drain to hook up to all the sumps for water changes..and water taps, for filling...but not the floor drain...Great. This is what I'm looking for!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm assuming you are dealing with slab floor construction in Florida? Here in this part of Texas, that is standard and I'm finding it has it's own problems. Having a basement or crawlspace under a house allows for making changes which slab does not. If I were building, I would suggest running fish water drains to the outside rather than floordrains. One is the floordrain in what would be a bedroom in someone else's home will kill the deal. A drain set into a wall can be patched over much easier if/when resale comes round. The big downside to floordrains to me is that once down to floor level the water has to be pumped to get it back up to use in the yard. A pipe drain sloped down to the outside can usually be high enough to gravity flow to the yard. Much cheaper to install as well. Rain barrel provisions are becoming more common here.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Yes, slab construction.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i was going to add make sure it's a slab.

i'd say you'd want a soundproof room, floor drain, incoming water line, slop sink

the problem with having built in tanks, is that you're telling future buyers that this is a fish house, so the floor drain shouldn't be as big a turn off and the rest of the design

maybe place the floor drain so that it can be plumbed as a toilet later? and converted into another bathoom or half bath if you move


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

For me the big downside to floordrains is the waythey need to be a permanent part of the slab. To make them work correctly as a floor drain the concrete slab needs to be sloped to the drain. Otherwise water will not run to them and may just simply run to a corner and leak under to another room. To do this in a 8X8 room calls for a really objectionable slope to much of the floor. I would never buy a house that had one roon totally un suited for anything other than a fish room. Whiole we all tend to think of our last move as THE last move it rarely turns out that way. Planning for the sale when you build is one way to avoid loosing a lot of money. The built in tanks are a far more simple project to convert to normal as it is only a matter of framing and sheetrock before finish work is done.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

for me it's more of a drain to stick a hose in, not in case of a flood, in which case it doesn't really have to be sloped


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

Floridagirl said:


> I am tinkering with the idea of building another house..but this time, incorporating a fish room during the build. Last time, there wasn't enough preparation time to do something like this...but, as things are selling so slowly, I may have a year to plan...lol.
> *My plan is a centralized fish room with three larger tanks 180-240s inset into the walls so that one tank is in the living room, one in my bedroom, and one over the master bath tub*. ...


If I read this correctly you want to incorporate a fishroom into the design of a new home that shares a common wall(s) with the master bed rm, master bath and living rm. Getting a display face in the master bed rm and living rm will not be difficult to plan but 180G and up are 6 footers or so and to get one above the master bath tub will require some wall space or be at a right angle or so to the master bed rm display. The plumbing and drains is the least of your worries even with slab construction at this point in planning. Why worry yourself with how much PVC you will need to run around the ceiling for an air manifold at this time.

First step in planning is your "needs" next your "wish list". Then determine if the budget is there.

Are you planning a central sump to service all three tanks and are you planning other tanks in this room such as grow out or species only?


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

Floridagirl wrote:
(quote)I am tinkering with the idea of building another house..but this time, incorporating a fish room during the build.

I bought lots of graph paper..gooing to play with it, and then find an architect.

My plan is a centralized fish room (end quote)

I didn't see any mention of building a house to sell it, sounds to me like she seriously wants a dedicated fish room and is looking for opinions to help her plan, Again if it were me I would have floor drains especially in a centrally located fish room and IF I wanted to sell later I would fill that sucker with concrete, lay down a pad and carpet and call it a day. Good luck with your plans Floridagirl, I wish I could do the same.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

There are always dream homes to think of. The way to keep the dream home from being a nightmare is to plan for economic reality first, then figure if it is still the dream. If a floor drain is not to be used as a floor drain, but only to stick a drain hose into, why would one want to go the hard way of putting the drain into the floor when putting it in the wall does the same and reguires little to no patching. Repouring a concrete floor inside a finished house is not a simple task. 
I have owned and lived in eight houses, selling seven of them. Getting a house ready to sell is hard enough without trying to cover major mistakes. If one can afford to just walk away and not sell, that is great but that doesn't fit most folks who mention they are moving to new jobs. opcorn:


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

Before this gets too off track from the OP's original questions. Floridagirl you may also want to look into lighting for the area to get the best lighting aspect, as well as what cjacob brought up regarding sound proofing and a slop sink.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

you're going to like the soundproofing with all that equipment running between your bedroom and livingroom

plumb the room like it's a bathoom, that way you can easily convert it into an extra bathroom (which always increases home value) if you ever move, it will give you low to the ground drains to run hoses to, and 3 water sources (if you plan for a tub/shower) for filling tanks and what not


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

I don't think I would want an aquarium looking into my bathroom because of condensation on the glass from bathing or showering. If I had such a setup I would make sure I had an adequate exhaust fan.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Appreciating all the replies! My hubby and I are real do it your selfers...leveling and losing a floor drain, should the need arise, is not an issue. It would be an issue to have 180 gallons of water burst out of a tank and migrate to other parts of the house. Soundproofing also a great idea. I"m actually thinking about 3 sumps, under the tanks, to also hold holding mothers babies, ets. Still a long way to go. My hubby doesn't like the idea of a whole fish room, but likes the idea of one in the wall viewable from two rooms. If we negotiate down to this, it will be a 10 ft long 3 ft wide tank...lol. I've come up with a couple plans on graph paper, and will try to get them posted next weekend, when I have 4 days off.....yeah! The idea of plumbing like a bathroom is a good one as well. This room will be an interior room to be adjacent to the ones I want to display tanks in, so according to code, it can not be a bedroom because it has no windows(if we ever sold). I agree, I sure didn't think we would be moving this soon ...so it's better to plan for the future. As far as condensation on the aquarium in the bathroom...I have to think about that one. Maybe the tank needs to be by the toilet...most of us would spend more time viewing it there.... :lol:


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

I think selling a house with a floor drain could also have an upside, if I (or any of the other gazillion fish keepers) were looking for another house and found one with a floor drain it would be WooHoo this will be my fish room same as if I was into basketball and walked into a home with a basketball court inside of it, different strokes for different folks. Besides, filling in a floor drain is no big deal, go for it and have peace of mind should a tank have a mishap.


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## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

I would make sure to use a pretty standardized tank shape or size in case you ever need to replace the tank... and try to incorporate space in the framing in case you ever wanted to go larger with the tanks. I have seen some tanks that can be seen from two different rooms when they are in the walls. I would hang decorative curtains on each side or make some bamboo shudder style doors, just in case privacy is ever wanted in one of the rooms if you plan on being able to see from both sides. If you don't want to plumb all of it for drainage you can always build large indoor flower/plant containers nearby with soaker hose running the bottom of the planter. Use another short garden hose to connect it when you want or leave it connected with an on/off valve. You can build the planters to have an open gap in the bottom for holding exess water as well if you think you will need to drain more water than the plants can hold. Just some ideas...

Another idea... I know I always like to have table space nearby when I am working on my tanks. You can make a collapsable one under the tank as part of the trim by using a piano hinge. (I'd make it look like it was intended to be a faux tank stand.) You never know when the tables would come in handy. --- I have a table that has an hinge on the "table top" and when you fold it back it is a three step stool. It comes in really handy when I'm working on the big tank or when little kids want to see the fish.

Good luck with it.


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## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

Oh... and if you decide to remodel it later, you aren't just limited to a bathroom... you could turn it into a laundry room or even a bar or game room with a beverage area and sink drainage.... just another idea... opcorn:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

why would you want a second laundry room?

bathrooms create the biggest return, and they have a need for water and drains, instead of a dehumidifier, you can look into getting a vent fan that can run constantly and vent it straight out the house

even having spare space that can be converted into a bathroom easily, increases the value of the house, you wouldn't even need to convert it yourself


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Yes..all great ideas. The curtains to give privacy on the other side of a tank is one I also wouldn't have thought of...


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

My uncle built his dream house almost on the beach just a little north of the Fl/Ga line. The house plan was extended for his shrimp shop, and there was a grove in the slab floor, not a floor drain, that overflow from the shrimp tanks went into and out a little screened hole in the wall. If the fish part is a little separate from the house, perhaps a really large Florida room, or actually separate, it might prove more flexible for other hobbies or for conventional uses later. Any outside space you can garner for the fish, whether dug ponds or cement cisterns set on top of the ground for use as fish ponds, would be great for growing up fish you bred inside. Our new next door neighbor built a freestanding building for his hobbies (not fish). It is a garage design, except it's floor plan is a two and a half car wide garage that keeps going. It's about 90 feet from front to back. I think the advantage is, it's a lot less $$ per square foot since it's a garage.


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## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

cjacob316 said:


> why would you want a second laundry room?
> 
> bathrooms create the biggest return, and they have a need for water and drains, instead of a dehumidifier, you can look into getting a vent fan that can run constantly and vent it straight out the house
> 
> even having spare space that can be converted into a bathroom easily, increases the value of the house, you wouldn't even need to convert it yourself


Not everyone puts an actual laundry room in their home. Some people design and extra wide hallway and put their washer drier in a closet of sorts in the wider hall way, some people put them in the pantry, and some people just keep them out in the open in their kitchen. That is why I made the suggestion. If they are needing to organize a budget for the fish room they can easily skimp on a laundry room for now and later, if they ever get rid of the fish room, it can easily be converted to a laundry room.


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