Fish room versus Tanks everywhere...

[henryD]

Like everyone else, I started this hobby with 1 tank. Then added another and another and another. Pretty soon I had tanks in every room. (except bathroom).

Then I noticed people on the board had fish room. I started to plot and scheme. After alot of begging, whining, and flooding accident. I had my fish room. Of course that meant more fish and more tanks.

And now no more room and 1 or 2 big big tanks.

In looking ahead (yes I am still hooked). I was thinking about which set up I enjoyed more. There is benefits to both and was wondering what everyone opinions was.

Maybe those that don't have fish rooms and wish they did will change their mind from some of the negative aspect of having a room...

Henry

PS. For those of us who are really insane. They have both a room and fish everwhere. I wonder who those people are.

[Giniel]

Hi Henry,
I would guess i have tanks everywhere. I have 2- 55 gallons , and a 46 gallon in living room. A 75 gallon and a 20 gallon in dining room. A 20 gallon and 10 gallon in the kitchen and a 10 gallon hospital tank in the bedroom. Was wondering if it is easier with them all in 1 room . Love to hear from the rest of the people.
Debbie

[Tad]

Henry,
No fishroom yet ;D..but tanks and fish everwhere :-[..would be nice to have a fishroom for ease of WCs and maintenance..maybe someday a fish Garage ;D

regards,
Tad

[Lauren]

I've had both, I like my fish room, everything is right there, it stays there.. I used to loose stuff constantly when I had afew tanks around the house.

Lauren

[Rob]

One tank, two tank, three . . .
Red fish, green fish, blue fish . . .

I started with a 20 then added a 60, a 55, a 30.
Then added a rack built with 2x4's and cement blocks.
Then, two racks all wood each holding 7 tanks and a sump.
Then, a 10' rack with room for 24 tanks.
Then a drain system, overflows, and a drip system.
Added one more 55 upstairs (fishroom in cellar) and a few more in celler.
A couple of more racks, tanks, etc. . .

The tanks I have upstairs are all show tanks to some degree, all the tanks downstairs are for breeding and raising all sorts of water creatures.

Its easier to maintain the fishroom, but I get most of my enjoyment out of the fish in my living room tanks, because I get to watch the different personalities of the fish.

Cons of a fish room: electricity bill

[Discus_KC]

I have a fishroom and guess what ......

There are tanks everywhere !!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

KC

[henryD]

Hi Debbie,

Sounds like you well on your way. There never seems to be enough space for tanks.

Lauren,

We all know you got the bug bad. I think you have one of the better situations. Having your tank near your room.

Rob,

Like I said, I think you need to see someone about your problem. Room and tank everywhere????

Tad,

Sounds like time for an addition....


I do find that having a room is alot easier. You can get alot of tanks done at the same time or even better have a automated system. One of the problem is the location of the room. Most people have it away for the central areas of their home. So that you have to pull time away from your family. Now that could be both a plus and a minus. There are days when I was so stressed that time away from everyone is what I needed.

But like rob said I do find that the tanks inside the house are the ones we get the most pleasure from. The family see it more and I see it more. I think it is just natural because I spend more time there.

Henry

My next idea is to have all the rooms in the house seperated by fish tank. Fish tanks as walls..... :shocked: Wonder how well that would go.

[Lauren]

Henry,
LIES! I never wake up in the middle of the night and check on my fish just cause they're one room away.. I swear... ::) ;D ::)

[April]

well..i havent had a fishroom..but i certainly have ahd fish in every room..and not just in every room..my tanks have moved spots over and over again.. they mays well have been on wheels. when i first moved in the apartment..first they were all in the dining room..i was never there ..i was at my puter in my room. and..the hoses ahd to stretch. then..i made a little fishroom..tiny..but still never saw them. then..i moved them all to my bedroom. talk about a sauna..that was at least easy enough to see them and do wcs while i was there at my puter. now..their back at the shop all in the kitchen. so at least all in one room again. shops easy..as hoses and tubs are all there. and i feel so much more relaxed now about not flooding 5 floors down . i was always on edge having them on the 5th floor of a brand new complex.
so...my only advice..is..if your buyin a home.or renting..or moving dont move where you have other people below you. ::)
ive also had waterfalls running down my stairs at my shop when i had fish upstairs. forget that..never again. hoses running up and down stairs..and me running up and down .
of course Henry already has his new house all planned out in his dreams.
i say..if your gonna have a fishroom..put a great big viewing window into the garage so you can see the rest of your family while your playing out there and visa versa. lol.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I don't have a fishroom per se, but I do have a little corner of the basement set aside.

Pros:
I can spill water.
I can easily run plumbing, electric, etc...
Water Barrels are easy to accomodate.
I'm not competing for space.
Ease of maintenance.

Cons:
Basement is much colder than upstairs.
Tendency to keep adding tanks even if you don't need it.
Out of the way, can make it a little easier to neglect. (out of sight, out of mind)
Out of the way, so you don't get a chance to enjoy them casually throughout the day.

I think the Pros outweigh the Cons. I still intend to bring my 120gallon upstairs to enjoy my 6 largest Discus in a planted tank. But that will be the only tank upstairs. Everything else remains in the Hobby Hatchery (aka Pete's Skanky Basement O' Fish).

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: OK, I do have tanks scattered all over the house. The 125 & 90g are in the LR, along with the 65g, & 2 20's. Then there is the 110g & 55g in the "guest" bedroom, that's a laugh, who'd wanna be in there with bubbling tanks? ??? Then there is a 37g I call my QT tank here in the kitchen next to the pc with an 18/20g below it, & another 20g round the corner. Having to consolidate fish (need to sell some not so good ones to lfs) now with so many changes coming down the road, selling my practice, property & a big move. Boy, is that tough having to not buy any more fish & I am so tempted. I now understand those out there who have had to cut down/get out while life changes happen! lol. There is the good side that when I do find a property in Tn, can make sure there is a place for that "fishroom" & keep it all on one floor, gotta make it easy, ::) In the meantime, when push comes to shove, I hope to find someone out there to maybe fish-sit my crew 'til I make the move, Dottie ;D

[Cosmo]

Back (way back) during my single days, I had tanks everywhere. Since I was renting a 1 bdrm apt, no room for a fish room (to be honest, never even thought about it).

Then after my first marriage I got cut back to 4 tanks which over time dwindled down to 1 55 gal.

When I married my second wife, she made me give away the tank and fish swearing we'd never have a tank in our place... heh heh....

Started back in with 1 90gal in the family room which I somehow convinced her was too small, so, we got a 180 gal that now sits in the family room. No room anywhere in the house except the basement for the 90, so, we decided to make part of the basement a "fish area".

Then, my daughter needed a place to live while going to college, so I had to partition the basement into 4 rooms (bdrm, tvrm,bthrm, and.... FISH ROOM).

Another week or so the fish room will be complete!!! yeah!!! (for some strange reason I was forced to finish the other rooms first - very unreasonable if you ask me, but..)

Soon, I'll have both... a big show tank upstairs, and mutliple tanks in my own little fortress of solitude downstairs... ahhhhh....
Jim

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: Aaahhhhh!! "fortress of solitude", COOL!!!!!!! 8)

[Larry Grenier]

I find, as others have stated, that having a fish room or section of utility room or basement has the main benefit of easing the workload. That being said, I have two 55 gallon tanks not in the fish room. One is for baby discus growout and it's just outside the fish room/utility room and my freshwater line will reach it. The other is upstairs and (don't hate me :-[ ) is a non-discus planted tank that requires little attention.

[susankay1]

My whole house is turning into a fish room. ::)

[Wolf_Mek]

My whole house is turning into a fish room.

Mine too...

I'm amazed at how understanding my parents are; bless them. ;D

[billy s]

exellent thread henry, i love my fish room ive got drains in the floor so i can spill water to my hearts content, also the floors tapered so my storage barrels just overflow and the water safely runs away. best of all i can hide from my wife and kids bliss. ;D

[hirst_cb]

I started out with fish in one room to every room so I moved to a bigger place and turned a bedroom into a fish room... Well I put a rack that holds 2 75 gallons, 2 55 gallons and a 3rd level that holds 29 gallon tanks plus I have 4 55 gallons on regular stands. I have hoods for most all of them so I dont have to worry about humidity. I still have some tanks in other rooms but man it sure makes it easier to feed and do maintenance... plus I put all filters on one switch so I dont have to go around and cut off filters to feed... It got to be a hassle to turn off filters or atleast slow the flow to some. Get your self a rack.... ;D ;D

I'm with Susan who have fish tanks everywhere. But the main big (sweet) tanks will have to be in my bedroom (de fortress de Solitude). ;) Not that the kitchen, diningroom, livingroom, den, familyroom won't have. ;D AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I've got to get a house. LOL

**Angie**

[Sean Buehrle]

i have moved all my fish tanks to the basement, it much easier to have them in one place.
i like the ease in doing water change and refill with them in close quarters.
my girlfriend is much happier with the setup down there too.
i last lived in a upstairs apartment and had multiple large tanks mostly, 2-220s a few 125s and at the end 4 -29s 1-80 tall and a crapload of all the stuff i collected over the years that goes with fishkeeping.
im not even gonna go into the sometime aggravation i put my girlfriend thru with tank maintenance every day.
now i just have 1-125 in my living room.
i have found that my girlfriend is much more interested in my fish with them out of her way.
i rule the basement, one room of it anyways.