What to look for in a house when planning a large tank

[michika]

After having recently sold my house I'm now looking for a different property. My goal is eventually to have a larger tank, ~600-1200g display. I need some help figuring out what are the right questions to be asking, and what are the things that I should be looking for in a house/townhouse to help me accomidate a larger tank.

Tentatively I have the following on my list:
- HRV
- Condo rules & regulations
- Water, is the property running on city or well water.
- I know I should be asking about the floors, but which questions?

Help?

[bv_reefer]

-I always see that what does i meen? HRV...?

[bv_reefer]

-o by the way i dont know about edmonton but here in burnaby i don't think u can have a tank that massive in size in an apartment or townhouse?

[fkshiu]

Buying a new house is always extra exciting for a reefer! You probably won't run into a house that's designed with a reef tank in mind so here are a few things I considered when doing my basement remodel around my tank:

1. A basement
Having a basement tank will probably obviate the need for a chiller even with MHs and having the tank sitting on a concrete slab eliminates any structural concerns. An unfinished basement is the best since it gives you a blank slate to work from.

You'll need a surprising amount of room with all the equipment and suppport systems required for a huge tank.

2. The slab
If you are looking at new houses, fresh concrete takes at least a few months to a few years to fully cure. Any tiling you do on top of fresh concrete could shift/expand. Therefore, consider laying an isolation membrane. For older houses, check the flatness/trueness of the slab and for any damage. I actually had to have a new 3x7 slab poured because the old one was so uneven.

3. Electrical
You're going to use A LOT of electricity. Most houses don't come with multiple 15amp (or preferably 20amp) circuits. I had my basement rewired for two dedicated 20amp circuits just for the tank with multiple GFCI outlets.

4. Plumbing.
You'll want a fishroom with such a big display. Look for a floor drain (probably in the basement laundry room). Also consider how difficult it would be to add an extra tap/basin and RO/DI hookup.

[Doug]

I was going to say with a system that large, a basement is the place to be, but fkshiu beat me to it.

[mr_alberta]

If you are going for such a large tank, don't even bother looking at condos or apartments as most apartments/condos are not designed to handle such large loads on the floor. I would put it in a basement with a couple concrete piles underneath it :mrgreen:

[michika]

My goal is to put it in the basement of a house, or a side by side townhouse condo. I never planned to do something like an apartment type condo, as I require a lawn for my dogs.

I figure I would need about three to four times the space that I needed for my 230g. Since my 230g didn't have a separate and dedicated fishroom that is something I want to include this time around.

Electrical is all covered, no worries there. Krazykuch is an electrician by trade, and so is my father. On the 230g we ran two separate dedicated GFCI circuts at 15 amps each. I will probably going that route again, although probably with 4-5 curcuits as needed.

How would I find out about the concrete slab? Other then knowing the date the house was built is there another way to find out its age, or if it has cured?

[SEAN DUFFY]

houses built in the last 15 years usually have 4'' slabs before that they were
8'' slabs for a new house to cure it usually takes at least 3 years for settling
that doesnt mean buy an old house

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

You'll also want to decide if this will be an in-wall or 2 or 3-sided viewing tank. It'll be nice if you can do like TomR & have your fishroom directly behind the display tank. If that's not possible, look into building a false wall (a la TomR again) to hide your plumbing.

Getting a tank that size into a house is another huge consideration. Groundfloor or garage entry will be best for the reefers helping you to carry in this future monster. I know of a few people who bought large tanks but couldn't get it into their home so learn from their experience. Some monster tanks end up having to be built on-site.

Venting - make sure you install proper venting so you can blow out the extra humidity.

[michika]

houses built in the last 15 years usually have 4'' slabs before that they were
8'' slabs for a new house to cure it usually takes at least 3 years for settling
that doesnt mean buy an old house

I kind of prefer older houses for their architecture, but I'm trying not to be too picky. When you say 8" slab are we talking floors only, or walls as well?

I'm still waiting on finding the correct property before determining the exact shape and dimensions for the system. I want to make sure that I can either have the tank assembled and brought in the house, or assembled in the house.

Optimally I would love a behind the tank fishroom, with at least two viewable sides. Again, it will all depend on what kind of basement space I can find.

[mr_alberta]

8" would be for the floor only. Walls are usually 2x4 or 2x6 framing.

[michika]

Okay cool.

So if I had say an 8" floor would I have to, or should I, reinforce it further? Or is this one of those things that I should wait and see what the floor is like?

[michika]

fkshiu,

How did you set up your system? Did you have to do a significant amount of demo, or renovations to make your basement tank worthy? I personally expect to have to run extra electricity, water, a drain, and possibly construct a false wall. Did you run into anything extra, or eventually ended up having to do something that you didn't originally plan for?

[fkshiu]

Okay cool.

So if I had say an 8" floor would I have to, or should I, reinforce it further? Or is this one of those things that I should wait and see what the floor is like?

There's no need to reinforce it further unless it's falling apart. The concern for new houses is that the concrete still has to settle and cure possibly causing some cracking (if it wasn't poured properly) and movement. Hence the suggestion of using an isolation membrane if you plan on tiling. I would also suggest porcelain tile over ceramic or natural stone given its strength and resistance to cracking. If you use carpeting it not as big of a deal. Just make sure the floor's flat and true.

For older houses, the slab isn't as much of a concern since all the shifting and curing has already ceased and you can go about dealing with it "as is".

[fkshiu]

fkshiu,

How did you set up your system? Did you have to do a significant amount of demo, or renovations to make your basement tank worthy? I personally expect to have to run extra electricity, water, a drain, and possibly construct a false wall. Did you run into anything extra, or eventually ended up having to do something that you didn't originally plan for?

I wish I had taken "before" pics, but we pretty much gutted and re-wired the entire basement. I didn't have the budget for a dedicated fish room so no plumbing was done beyoned having a laundry basin installed (well there was the new bathroom but that was for us humans).

It's a 60-year old house and the slab was solid, but very uneven. I ground down the peaks where I was planning to put the tank and had a new 2" slab poured perfectly flat and level. I used porcelain tile on top of that.

Greenboard rather than standard drywall was installed behind the tank and an ultra-quiet Panasonic bathroom fan was installed on a programmable timer above the tank for venting.

Anything I could have done differently? Probably should have put the GFCI outlets off to the side rather than right behind the tank for increased safety and maybe have gone even bigger!

[Mik_101]

-I always see that what does i meen? HRV...?

Ya im also not sure?

[Delphinus]

"Heat Recovery Ventilator" - it's a device that works in conjunction with a furnace to deal with excessive humidity (in the case that this is a problem - luckily not usually a problem for people with one tank with water volume less than 120 gallons or so).

[michika]

Ya im also not sure?

I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had forgotten to answer the question.

HRV stands for Heat Recovery Ventilation. Its a system which will help with humidity, circulation and ventilation in your home. If you google HRV, I'm sure you can get a few better descriptions.

[Mik_101]

No your description perfictly fine. Thanks Cathrine&Tony.:wink:

[SEAN DUFFY]

If You Build A False Wall It Can Be Any Size But Your Outside Walls Should Be A Min Of 2 X 6. 2 X 4 Walls Dont Have Enough Insulation

[SEAN DUFFY]

What Are You Going To Spend On A Tank That Big?

[michika]

You mean what kind of budget? I'm thinking, depending on the house, ~5K in renos to prepare the space. As for the tank, I'm unsure as I haven't decided if I want a glass, fiberglass, or acrylic tank. I expect my build to take 1-3 years, depending on my schedule, budget, and what type of home I purchase.

All in a I'm tentatively expecting to spend $15,000-$20,000 on renos and setting up the system. I haven't even looked at budgeting for livestock.

Is that what you were looking for?

[SEAN DUFFY]

How Much Does A 1000g Tank Cost Ever Think Of Making It Out Of Plywood Lol.

[SEAN DUFFY]

I Just Got A 77g To Go With My 55g So Im Out Of Room Already Unless I Dump The Poker Room. Are You Sure Youre Not Looking For A Swimming Pool I Need Some Cheap Fish Help Me

[michika]

As I previously mentioned I am still researching which tank type I'm going to be going with. As the property hasn't yet been found, I can't really make a decision as to which shape of tank will be best. The shape will probably dictate which material I finally end up using.

[untamed]

Consider staying away from a place that has a water meter.

I second the floor drain..very handy.

[michika]

Consider staying away from a place that has a water meter.

That is definitely on my list now! Thanks for reminding me.

Do most people only go for a single floor drain? I was hoping for a floor drain, a utility sink, and then separate plumbing for an RO/DI system.

[Slick Fork]

Keep in mind that if you are on an acreage with a septic system you will probably want to set up an alternative method to disposing of water change water, testing chem's etc. None of it is particularly good for a septic tank. Fine in small doses but large amounts are not a good idea. That's been my biggest headache with this tank is getting the stuff out of the basement.

Not paying cash for water is nice, but it does have it's own unique price tag!

[michika]

I'll keep that in mind as well, thank you.

[christyf5]

Keep in mind that if you are on an acreage with a septic system you will probably want to set up an alternative method to disposing of water change water, testing chem's etc. None of it is particularly good for a septic tank. Fine in small doses but large amounts are not a good idea. That's been my biggest headache with this tank is getting the stuff out of the basement.




Can't you just send it out the window? I don't have a drain nearby so I cart it out the front door and pour it onto the gravel driveway. Oh and just so you know, saltwater doesn't kill weeds :confused:

[michika]

Oh and just so you know, saltwater doesn't kill weeds :confused:

Darn, I guess I'll have to leave that job up to my dogs.

[surgeonfish]

I'm thinking your probably going to have to go with an acrylic tank that size. My glass tank is 300 gal and was over 800 lbs empty. We had to carry it into the house. We almost couldn't do it with 5 guys. The other option is to put it together in the basement, but I wouldn't trust my own handy work.

I think for a system that big you should have it hard plumbed into the drain. I have a single drain in my fishroom which works for water changes, sink, RO/DI waste. No carrying buckets of water.

[Slick Fork]

Yeah, I have to drain the water from the tank into a rubbermaid tub by the window, from there I pump it out the window and onto the laneway. Not impossible, just a pain in the butt!

[michika]

I'm still exploring what my options are for tanks, I'm currently reasearching acrylic, plywood, and epoxy (a la Superfudge). I have to wait to see the space before making a decision. I like the look of glass, which is why if I went with starfire, I would be going with a system much like that of Superfudge's.

I want to plumb my tank up so that I can just turn a valve, and shut off the return pump to do water changes. Simple, no bucket lifting, no fear of mess, and no funny dirty water smell. The same would go for adding in the fresh saltwater. I guess that means the tank will be plumbed into the drain, and I'll also have independent drain access incase I need it for something.

[hummer]

I'm moving to a new house next year so I did a little pre-planning as well. Mine is only an 80gal tank but later on I would like something bigger to put in my basement. So for my basement, i roughed in a drain and water line. If you have a water softener, make sure you remind them to make the water line for the fish to be hard water. My fish tank will go on the main floor for now. They are going to place my floor beams closer together. 12" instead of 16". You can also reinforce it further by adding telepost in the basement to support the floor joists.

[michika]

Hummer,

Are you having your house built for you?

[hummer]

Yah I am. I wasn't sure if you're looking for new house ideas or you're purchasing an existing house. Just a few thoughts if it helped any.

[mark]

I want to plumb my tank up so that I can just turn a valve, and shut off the return pump to do water changes. Simple, no bucket lifting, no fear of mess, and no funny dirty water smell. The same would go for adding in the fresh saltwater. I guess that means the tank will be plumbed into the drain, and I'll also have independent drain access incase I need it for something.

Got my sump in the basement but found I'm still upstairs at the tank with a hose and bucket. It's still likely you'll be siphoning crud direct from tank so might want to plan accordingly.

Having the sump/fish room though is sure good. No heavy lifting.

[adidas]

i bought a 3 bedroom house, now its 2 bedrooms and the fish room.

[untamed]

I want to plumb my tank up so that I can just turn a valve, and shut off the return pump to do water changes. Simple, no bucket lifting, no fear of mess, and no funny dirty water smell. The same would go for adding in the fresh saltwater. I guess that means the tank will be plumbed into the drain, and I'll also have independent drain access incase I need it for something.

The system I have in place allows this to happen without turning off the return pump. The key is to plan for a 2nd sump..basically a large container that you can draw system water into prior to dumping it. The trick is to ensure you are replacing the same amount that you dump. Basically, the 2nd sump is a giant measuring cup.

[michika]

Untamed, I think you'll be getting a bunch of PMs from me about this when I find a place and set this tank up. That sounds like an awesome idea!

My plan is hopefully to purchase an older house, but I will have to see what is out there. I have briefly explored the possiblity of having a house built for me, but it seems to be out of my price range.