Equipment....under the tank or in the garage?

[SPotter]

So I am getting closer to the new build and right now I need to decide where I will put my equipment for the new tank which will be 96x36x24. The easy answer is to put everything under the tank but I am concerned about not having enough space to easily work on things and space for equipment.

My other option is to put the equipment in my garage which unfortunately is on the opposite side of the house. I have already run one 1.5" pvc line from where the tank will be into the garage and I still have time to run more before the walls are closed up for the next stage of construction on my house. My concerns about putting the equipment in the garage are....

* Heat...heat index during the summer gets over 100
* Everything else that is put in the garage will begin to rust
* Critters, pollen and other contaminants getting into the water column

I could build a small storage shed, insulate it and hook a mini split ac system to it to take care of the concerns I outlined above. I came across this vinyl shed on line http://www.duramax-sheds.com/Duramax-00111-shed.php and was wondering if I lined it pink foam board and then installed the mini split would it work?

So please share your thoughts both good and bad and let me know which option you would go with.

 

[acesq]

I am in the middle of a 340 build - 82x32x30 and I decided to build a small 6x10 room in the garage to house the sump and other equipment. I ran 3- 1.5" lines to the garage - 2 for the herbie drains and one for the return. I also ran an electrical conduit for Apex wires and who know what else I might need in the future. The room is well insulated and on the north side of the house so I'm hoping it doesn't get to warm there in the summers. I ran 220 to one outlet so I can put in a mini split it necessary, although it would be easier (but perhaps not as efficient) to put a water chiller outside the room and run the lines through the wall. I did put in a humidity controlled exhaust fan.

Looking at the space I have under the sump, I'm glad I did it, there would definitely not have been enough to fit all of my equipment.
HTH, Art

 

[SPotter]

Thanks for the response Art. Did you do anything special to insulate the shed? How hot does it get outside during the summer where you live?

 

[slief]

My tank is 48"x96"x24" tall. My sump, fuge and pumps are under the tank. The sumps were designed to be as large as possible and still fit under the tank along with the pumps. I used a pond liner under the tank as well that runs up the walls and is tucked behind the FRP that lines the walls. Also under my tank is the Apex controller and it's accessories.

I have a shed outside the house just behind the tank that houses my two 100 gallon holding tanks for RODI and mixed salt water. Those are plumbed through the wall and into the tank as well. Also in the shed is my RODI filters, my top off pump and my Genesis Renew automatic water change controller and an Apex EB8 power bar for my ATO pump, solenoid, mixing pump etc.

I personally like the convenience of having everything under my tank but if I had a garage that could accommodate all my equipment I certainly would have thought about that option seriously provided I could ventilate the humidity adequately. I have a 12" high cfm Rotron fan that ducts from above the tank to outside my house. It also draws a bit of air from below the tank as well. That eliminates any humidity caused by my tank. The sumps are also covered which helps immensely. I do have my chiller setup in the garage which has lines run under ground between the tank and garage 50' around the perimeter of the house.

My tank is drywalled in from top to bottom and walk around on 3 sides. One thing I did is used sound proof drywall under the tank along with with sound proofing insulation in the walls to eliminate noise in my den. Given that I run big pumps and high flow, It really helped in eliminating noise.

 

[SPotter]

My tank is 48"x96"x24" tall. My sump, fuge and pumps are under the tank. The sumps were designed to be as large as possible and still fit under the tank along with the pumps. I used a pond liner under the tank as well that runs up the walls and is tucked behind the FRP that lines the walls. Also under my tank is the Apex controller and it's accessories.

I have a shed outside the house just behind the tank that houses my two 100 gallon holding tanks for RODI and mixed salt water. Those are plumbed through the wall and into the tank as well. Also in the shed is my RODI filters, my top off pump and my Genesis Renew automatic water change controller and an Apex EB8 power bar for my ATO pump, solenoid, mixing pump etc.

I personally like the convenience of having everything under my tank but if I had a garage that could accommodate all my equipment I certainly would have thought about that option seriously provided I could ventilate the humidity adequately. I have a 12" high cfm Rotron fan that ducts from above the tank to outside my house. It also draws a bit of air from below the tank as well. That eliminates any humidity caused by my tank. The sumps are also covered which helps immensely. I do have my chiller setup in the garage which has lines run under ground between the tank and garage 50' around the perimeter of the house.

My tank is drywalled in from top to bottom and walk around on 3 sides. One thing I did is used sound proof drywall under the tank along with with sound proofing insulation in the walls to eliminate noise in my den. Given that I run big pumps and high flow, It really helped in eliminating noise.

Thanks for jumping in here!! I've followed your thread for a while now. I'm so sorry to hear about your recent problems and hope that everything both tank and personal are the road to recovery.

 

[slief]

Thanks for jumping in here!! I've followed your thread for a while now. I'm so sorry to hear about your recent problems and hope that everything both tank and personal are the road to recovery.

Thanks! The tank is 100% back to normal and very healthy now and my fish stock is back to near normal levels as well. 30 days post disaster and I'm up to 34 fish I think plus several shrimp, a sea hare and other critters. Amazingly, every fish I put in the tank since the disaster has thrived. Not a single casualty with the exception of two of the 4 damsels that I put in a few days after the incident and those were gone immediately.

I consider myself very lucky. Especially considering I didn't loose a single coral and everything looks great again if not better than ever. Had it not been for all the mixed water, RODI and cases of salt I had on hand, this would have been much worse! That and the fact that my LFS was here within minutes with large bottles of Amquel and Novaqua.

I just put a bunch of new pictures up in my thread yesterday. There is also a new LA Fish Guys video that Jim posted yesterday that includes some updates on my tank prior to the disaster. It also covers some of the equipment under the tank and in the shed as well.

My son is living with my mom now as we felt it was best for him to get a fresh start away from all the bad influence friends out here and as such, he also transferred to a different high school. She lives far enough away that he has been forced to make new friends that appear to be a higher class of people than he aligned himself with here. He has much to prove now and I think this will be a very good thing for him as well as our relationship since I don't have to be the bad guy who polices him 24x7. Hopefully he doesn't screw up his relationship with my mom.

Thanks again for your kind words and best of luck with your build. I will be looking forward to seeing your updates once you get rolling!

Scott

 

[blueramSeattle]

I have the same size tank and went in wall with a sump in the stand. The too. Also has a fish only and coral grow out and do etc.

Do you have room to put the tank into a fishroom?

 

[SPotter]

I have the same size tank and went in wall with a sump in the stand. The too. Also has a fish only and coral grow out and do etc.

Do you have room to put the tank into a fishroom?

Unfortunately I don't. The tank will be on an exterior wall on the right side of the house and the garage is on the left side of the house.

 

[dave.m]

If you can put a shed outside closer to the tank I would think this would be the better option, as it would be less expensive than running the water to the opposite side of the house. Given the weather and temperatures where you are I don't see you avoiding the need to insulate and install climate-control equipment in your remote equipment room; part of the cost of living where you do, I think.

Dave.M

 

[SPotter]

If you can put a shed outside closer to the tank I would think this would be the better option, as it would be less expensive than running the water to the opposite side of the house. Given the weather and temperatures where you are I don't see you avoiding the need to insulate and install climate-control equipment in your remote equipment room; part of the cost of living where you do, I think.

Dave.M

My first thought was to put the shed up against the house but I'm building a house in a community with very strict rules when it comes to certain things and sheds happens to be one of them. The sheds can't be visible from the street and mine would be.

Would you suggest a mini split ac to manage the temp of the shed or use a chiller to manage the temp of the water? I'm thinking the ac would be better because it would help with humidity issues in the shed and be more economical to run.

 

[Mike S]

Not to muddy muddy the waters a little bit more for you but I saw that you mentioned that your garage is across the other side of the house. How much distance are you talking about and would there be long horizontal runs for your drain pipe without much vertical drop? The reason I ask is because it could present some challenges if you intend to run a drain system such as a bean animal or herbie that uses a siphon. This came up when I was researching how to plumb your old tank. The long runs tend to have issues purging air and getting a siphon started. Something to look into if you were thinking about running the lines under your floor and can't slope them downward.

 

[dave.m]

Would you suggest a mini split ac to manage the temp of the shed or use a chiller to manage the temp of the water? I'm thinking the ac would be better because it would help with humidity issues in the shed and be more economical to run.

I would definitely go with the AC. I'm afraid I don't have much use for chillers. Their needs for placement of the remote are always a major problem. Controlling the ambient air temperature plus a digital aquarium heater in the reservoir is much easier and cheaper IMHO.

If you can't build a shed then a separate room within the garage as acesq suggests is a good Plan B.

Dave.M

 

[SPotter]

Not to muddy muddy the waters a little bit more for you but I saw that you mentioned that your garage is across the other side of the house. How much distance are you talking about and would there be long horizontal runs for your drain pipe without much vertical drop? The reason I ask is because it could present some challenges if you intend to run a drain system such as a bean animal or herbie that uses a siphon. This came up when I was researching how to plumb your old tank. The long runs tend to have issues purging air and getting a siphon started. Something to look into if you were thinking about running the lines under your floor and can't slope them downward.

Muddy Mike....lol. I'm able to run the drains at a drop so the lines won't be straight. They will have to drain about 30ft I had read the same thing about long vertical runs. I'm not sure how I will set up the drains yet and just might do a regular durso.

 

[slief]

Would you suggest a mini split ac to manage the temp of the shed or use a chiller to manage the temp of the water? I'm thinking the ac would be better because it would help with humidity issues in the shed and be more economical to run.

I'd personally suggest being prepared to add a chiller. Your pumps and other equipment could generate enough heat that even an AC in your equipment room wouldn't overcome. I designed my current setup to run cool and not necessitate the use of my chiller. With my current pump and light setup, my tank doesn't exceed 81* even during the hottest months of the year and even when my house is up to 83*. Your choice of pumps and their location will have a big impact on whether you will need a chiller. Prior to my most recent retrofit 3 years ago, my tank would have hit 90*+ without the chiller. Eliminating a hodge podge of pumps and switching to a pair of Reeflo's plus my Tunze's cut my heat to manageable levels while also reducing my power bill from over $1100 per month down to $300.

Also your lighting and the ventilation in your canopy or light soffit will play a large role in heat as well. I run LED's in a large enclosed soffit (4'x8'x4') above my tank. My soffit is very well ventilated with a large 10 or 12" Rotron high CFM fan that is ducted outside the house. Even when I had my halides, the space above the tank remained at ambient temps.

 

[Scythanith]

Dumb question, but what constitutes a "shed". Could you not pull off a little siding and tie the fish room to the side of the house? Then it would be an extension of the home, not a shed.

 

[FuzzyZipperbaum]

sent you a pm....

 

[R.W.]

Dumb question, but what constitutes a "shed". Could you not pull off a little siding and tie the fish room to the side of the house? Then it would be an extension of the home, not a shed.

This is the idea that I had. Instead of building a"shed" could you add an extension to the outside of your house along the wall with the tank? If funds allow this, It would probably be the best option. I wouldn't want everything in my garage to be exposed to the salt, IMO.


R.W.

 

[SPotter]

Dumb question, but what constitutes a "shed". Could you not pull off a little siding and tie the fish room to the side of the house? Then it would be an extension of the home, not a shed.

This is the idea that I had. Instead of building a"shed" could you add an extension to the outside of your house along the wall with the tank? If funds allow this, It would probably be the best option. I wouldn't want everything in my garage to be exposed to the salt, IMO.


R.W.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Since my house is on a crawl space this would require a lot to get it approved. I would imagine the expense of it by the time I got done with footings, cinder block work, the framing and finishing would end up costing me a lot more than building something in the garage. I thought about setting the tank up 40" away from the wall and then build a fish room behind the tank but that would require closing off a window and that won't get approved by board of wives...lol

Right now I'm leaning towards building something in the garage. I just need to speak to a couple of people from RC tomorrow about their suggestions.

 

[R.W.]

If it were to go in the garage, sealing it off would be a good choice. That would allow a more controlled environment.

 

[viggen]

If it was me I would keep all the filtration under the tank, 8ft x 3ft is plenty of room to add all kinds of stuff down there. Sump, fuge, skimmer etc could all easily be added and you could use a much smaller pump to run the system. I would just make the stand tall enough so you have plenty of room to add a good skimmer. Having 32-34 inches of room down there should allow you to get a great skimmer and have plenty of room to work on it.

In your garage I would setup an area for doing the water changes. Mixing containers and all that stuff could easily be fit out there to make water changes easy. I would probably try to put a in/off switch where the aquarium is to control the pump out in the garage so you can be at the tank when adding eh two water from the garage.

I would still run several 1.5-2 in PVC pipes from the tank to the garage with one of those lines going to a drain (unless you are having a drain installed under the tank). One of the lines would be for adding new water to the tank during water changes.... And the other lines would be for if you decide at a later date to move the filtration out there. Better having them and not needing them vs needing them and not having them