roni July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I've been thinking about putting a fish room in the basement to relocate some of my equipment and also to prepare for an upgrade (well, addition of a tank). I've got a space that's about 10 x 8 that I can wall off and am having the contractor take a look sometime soon. Things that I want to put in there are a dedicated 20A circuit and a utility sink. I was originally planning on putting in a floor drain but since it's in the basement, that involves drilling into the concrete ($$$). Would it be okay to leave the walls as just drywall or do I need to use something like greenboard to water proof it? The room will eventually have a 75 gallon acrylic sump, a 160 gallon saltwater reservoir, a 50 gallon freshwater reservoir (connected to the RO unit), a 150 gallon live rock vat (tied in to the sump), and a quarantine setup. I figure 8 x 10 would be plenty of space. I'm going to use a Reeflo Uno Marlin to supply a 300 DD and a 70 gallon display (~1800 GPH at 15 feet of head, roughly 1500 GPH to the 300 and 300 GPH to the 70) I have a duct fan I can have installed in the top of the fishroom. Should I have it just exhaust outside? For those people that have done a basement fish room, what am I missing? What would you do differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 definitely exhaust to the outside. you may or may not need a chiller, think of where you would have put that where it is outside (venting wise) outside the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I know it's more expensive but try to swing that floor drain. Much nicer for WHEN that floor occurs. May also facilitate auto-water changes although you may already be able to use the sink for that. For me, I also used epoxy paint for the drywall to help water proof it. I used it on the concrete floor, under the stand and all against the backside of the walls/framing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 For me, I also used epoxy paint for the drywall to help water proof it. I used it on the concrete floor, under the stand and all against the backside of the walls/framing. I used it on the floor as well, but after a number of spills thoughout the years, it is peeling off anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivers July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I'm currently building my fishroom/back of in-wall tank (basement) which is around the same dimensions. I'm going w/greenboard around the sump and DT areas. I pulled 2 15A circuits, one dedicated to running GFCI for my lights and Reeflo Dart, and the other for all my other equipment that is supposed to be submerged. I didnt want my life support (heater, etc.) on a GFCI just in case it trips when I'm not home and then my tank is done for. I considered the floor drain too, but the estimates to drill one were around what it was costing me to build the entire rest of the room. I suppose you could try drilling a hole for a small bucket or something to catch a few gallons of spills. As for the floor, I think I'm going to go with rubber shower pan liner from HD. The tile in the room has asbestos in it, so I can't touch it, and I wanted a good, waterproof, easy clean up solution. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 Roni, Does your layout require "drilling" for the floor drain to work? I've seen floor drains installed where the contractor demos the concrete to create room to lay new drain pipe, then pours concrete back over the new drain pipe. I wouldn't think it would cost more than a few hundred dollars, which probably isn't much considering the size of your project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy123 July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I'm in the middle of a basement build right now and I have a very similar sized area. My advice is to go larger just in case. You would be amazed at how quickly it fills up. Check out my build thread http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/44221-bradens-275-gallon-total-system-volume-build/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I would definitely recommend a floor drain or a drain of some sort in the dedicated room. You are going to be cleaning that sump and you don't want to have carry bucket of water around. I rented a hammer drill fro home depot and brought some bags of concrete to patch it back up. My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 I used green board and installed pond liner around my tank to catch any water spills. I tacked the liner up the wall a little and wrapped it around a 2x4 that was nailed into the ground as a lip. Works like a charm and has caught several spills/overflows. I too thought about a floor drain but it was too much $$$. Be careful about exhausting your tank outside. If your fishroom is near your furnace you will create a imbalanced in the air and could end up pulling air from the furnace (bad if you have a gas one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 For the walls I have worked on some govt jobs that specs require tar paper (aka felt paper) behind the dywall in bathrooms. One job even required a stainless steel angle at the floor to keep the water contained, which is overkill. Also, you could use FRP board which is completely 100% water and moldproof. At a minimum I would use green board and paint it. For the floor there is a neat product called ucoatit. It is meant for a wide variety of applications where you are having oil spills etc. I have seen it endorsed a lot on those early morning weekend car shows. Here is a link http://www.ucoatit.com/2011web/main.htm They have some pretty nice color patterns as well. Best part is you can do this yourself. Goodluck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 12, 2011 Author Share July 12, 2011 Thanks everyone. I think the consensus is to waterproof with something like greenboard/frp. I'm actually not sure how the contractor is routing water to the sink...He was talking about a pump but I wonder if it's worth it to just drill the floor and put the piping in there. Shouldn't be too much more for the drain if I do that. The room isn't very close to the furnace and the options are to vent out to the rest of the basement versus venting out. I think bringing over 2 circuits isn't a bad idea. I have a feeling this is going to be more $$$ then I originally planned. Between this and the whole house generator, I may have to put off the upgrade for a while :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy123 July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 No, don't put it off. Save money where you can and work on it over time. If there is something that you can do yourself, do it and pocket the money you would have paid someone else. Just my two cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS July 12, 2011 Share July 12, 2011 As weird as it may sound, if money is tight, do the room and put off the generator. You don't need the generator without the room but you can do the room without the generator. It's risk but, unless you lose power a lot, probably one you can manage until you can get the whole house generator. Even an inexpensive portable one could be an option. You can buy it off craig's list and sell it there when you're done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 12, 2011 Author Share July 12, 2011 As weird as it may sound, if money is tight, do the room and put off the generator. You don't need the generator without the room but you can do the room without the generator. It's risk but, unless you lose power a lot, probably one you can manage until you can get the whole house generator. Even an inexpensive portable one could be an option. You can buy it off craig's list and sell it there when you're done. True. To be honest, we likely will never need a whole house generator given that there hasn't been an outage greater then 2 hours in the last 6 years in this neighborhood. I can definitely put it off for a while...it's just a little harder spending lots of $$$ on something you don't actually see a tangible benefit from (as opposed to plunking lots of money down on new lights Our contractor is actually very solid and the price won't be too bad. I'd also rather do it right from the start then wish I'd done so later. It just may delay my build, which probably isn't a bad idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds July 13, 2011 Share July 13, 2011 It just may delay my build, which probably isn't a bad idea... That's is probably a good idea. I'm sure you can pick up a few more tanks before the "upgrade". Hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 13, 2011 Author Share July 13, 2011 That's is probably a good idea. I'm sure you can pick up a few more tanks before the "upgrade". Hahaha I think my wife may kill me if I do. There are currently 4 tanks up. She's understanding but that may change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luan67 July 13, 2011 Share July 13, 2011 You scored a 300G DD tank? I thought you were going to downsize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 You scored a 300G DD tank? I thought you were going to downsize? lol. yup, downsized, not upsized again. i may get killed if i change tanks again. They'll start work on the fishroom on Wed. Ended up with 3 20A circuits, floor drain, sink, greenboard for the walls (is there a difference between this and FRP), and a duct fan to pump out. I may put a portable humidifier in the room if the humidity is a problem. Anything else I should consider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 Do folks have a problem keeping thir fish room cool? I've thought I might want a window-mounted AC so I can control heat in the fish room without having to cool the entire house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 Do folks have a problem keeping thir fish room cool? I've thought I might want a window-mounted AC so I can control heat in the fish room without having to cool the entire house. I've thought about that but the basement stays very cool even in the middle of summer. I have a small window there though, and it may not be a bad idea to install a window unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 (edited) FRP (Fiber reinforced plastic) is like what you see in cheap bathrooms 4' up the wall. It is NOT a type of drywall. It would go over the drywall. It is shiny and sometimes has a little bit of a texure to it. Sounds like a great plan you have. Edited July 14, 2011 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 FRP (Fiber reinforced plastic) is like what you see in cheap bathrooms 4' up the wall. It is NOT a type of drywall. It would go over the drywall. It is shiny and sometimes has a little bit of a texure to it. Sounds like a great plan you have. Mike, Do you think greenboard with drywall and paint would be a better option or the FRP on the walls? I think the former will end up looking a little nicer once done but this is a little new to me. thanks, Roni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 Greenboard is drywall.. Greenboard and paint will look much nicer. I would get some recommendations on waterresistant paints. I know acrylic based paint is supposed to be good. I am not that familiar with paint products. FRP = http://www.lowes.com/pd_8566-293-FTSTF.1_4294934297__?zipCode=21075&firstReferURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowes.com%2Fpd_8566-293-FTSTF.1_4294934297__%3FproductId%3D3162499%26Ntt%3Dfrp%2Bpanels%26pl%3D1%26currentURL%3D%252Fpl__4294934297__s%253FNtt%253Dfrp%252Bpanels%26facetInfo%3D&catalogId=10051&productId=3162499&pl=1&findStoreErrorURL=StoreLocatorDisplayView&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=%5Bcom.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%40715d4bb5%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%4071bb8bb5%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%40252e4bb2%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%40250fcbb2%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%401a054bb2%5D¤tURL=%2Fpl__4294934297__s%3FNtt%3Dfrp%2Bpanels&Ntt=frp+panels&URL=TopCategoriesDisplayView&langId=-1&storeId=10151 Greenboard = http://www.lowes.com/pd_269125-325-14313211308_0__?productId=3082369&Ntt=mold+drywall&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dmold%2Bdrywall&facetInfo= If you wanted to do FRP 4' up the wall you would buy 4'x8' sheets and wrap the bottom of the room. You said your room was 8'x10' which would require 5 pieces with joints on the 10' walls. This would cost $165 for panels, plus the trim cost a little bit. It's a toss up. Once the tanks are in place it will be too late, so think about it now. Keep in mind I have no experience with fishrooms, only with commercial building from a drywall contractor view point. MOLD is a four letter word in construction, and this would help. Put a bead of accoustical caulk at the bottom of the wall as well. Smush the drywall down into it... Hope this helps, and gives you some ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 That actually helps a lot. Me + tools = disaster. My wife does the heavy lifting in our household, sadly. The contractor quoted out a great price for greenboard and more drywall that's sanded down and ready to paint. Would love any recs of paint as that will be the next step (and one I should be able to do by myself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 I said acrylic... I meant Latex paint... oops A good interior/exterior latex of some sort. Not sure about brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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