Help me pick a spot for my new tank!

[myst]

Hello all, this January I will be moving into my new house which is currently being built. I've always wanted a huge SW tank and I can finally do it. The only place it is cool with my wife is in the basement, but that's where I spend most of my time anyways. Here is a quick sketch of my basement:

I think the best place for it would be either in the wall between the TV Room and the Storage Room, or as a room separator between the TV Room and the Bar/Pool Table Room. I was thinking 250-300 gallons.

What do you guys think would be the best spot and set-up for it? Also, do you guys have any plumbing/drainage suggestions that I should do while the house is being built to save the headache later?

 

[sabodish]

id say the hell with the TV, build a 5x5x3 cube in the tv area, make it viewable from all sides and put couches all around it.

but, i know the need for a tv as well...i kind of like the room divided idea, 3 sides viewable...just be careful of those drunk friends who have a tendency to shoot pool balls OFF the table!

 

[dsandfort]

My wife and I are movie buffs and we like to have a dark room. In our last house, the tank reflected off the TV and I found myself watching the tank rather than the movie. I'd say your first choice will have a negative impact on TV quality. The room divider would work but then you will deal with the reflection problem. Have you considered a see-through between fitness and bar area?

Regarding plumbing, it sure is nice to have a floor drain and slop sink handy.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Or maybe you could section off a part of the fitness room and create a tank room. So it would be an in-wall set-up visible from the bar/pool table area.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10523101#post10523101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dsandfort
Have you considered a see-through between fitness and bar area?

 

[myst]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10523101#post10523101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dsandfort
My wife and I are movie buffs and we like to have a dark room. In our last house, the tank reflected off the TV and I found myself watching the tank rather than the movie. I'd say your first choice will have a negative impact on TV quality. The room divider would work but then you will deal with the reflection problem. Have you considered a see-through between fitness and bar area?

Regarding plumbing, it sure is nice to have a floor drain and slop sink handy.

Would there be a reflection even if the tank was behind us?

 

[dsandfort]

Actually, that's when it's the worst. If the tank is on the side wall, there will be light issues but no TV reflection. When the tank is directly behind your chairs and facing the TV, reflections are terrible. In fact, during dark movie or TV scenes, you can see the tank in the TV almost as clearly as direct view. I love my tank but when we watch movies, I don't want to see it.

Our present setup is like yours if you were to put the tank between the fitness room and bar area. We are considering having some custom draperies made to pull over the tank when we watch movies.

 

[myst]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10523519#post10523519 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dsandfort
We are considering having some custom draperies made to pull over the tank when we watch movies.

I was just about to suggest that.

Approximately how much would a 300 gallon set-up cost?

 

[Alphabet]

Put the tank/room where the bathroom is going and move the bathroom closer to the bar pooltable area, that way you can utilize some of the storage space for the tank area/access.

 

[kmf507]

"Help me pick a spot for my new tank!"


...okay....my living room....I'll let you come over to look at it.

 

[myst]

What about reversing the TV Area to the opposite side of the basement and then doing an in-wall to the Storage Room/Electrical? I'm willing to do around 400 gallons, and I would need an extra room to hold all of the sumps and equipment, right?

 

[myst]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10521495#post10521495 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabodish
id say the hell with the TV, build a 5x5x3 cube in the tv area, make it viewable from all sides and put couches all around it.

but, i know the need for a tv as well...i kind of like the room divided idea, 3 sides viewable...just be careful of those drunk friends who have a tendency to shoot pool balls OFF the table!

I would love to do that, but where would to sump and refugium go and all the wiring and tubing?

 

[ReefingBuddha]

I would section off a part of the storage/electrical room and make it into the fish room. That way you can put an in wall tank there. You could even link it up to a tank in the middle of the room, as described directly above this post.

You could always plan really really well and figure out a way to fit everything below the tank. If were to go with a cube you would have plenty of room for equipement as long as you have plenty of access space.

 

[ZLTFUL]

I say to heck with the bathroom and build a tank with that footprint.
Have it viewable to from the excercise room, pool table/bar area AND the TV area. Then put a half bath framed into the storage room. And plumb all of the equipment into the storage room as your fish room. This would give you ready access to a room that is already meant to be a utility/mechanical room. Wouldn't be a far cry to use the drais plumbed for the bathroom already for tank related stuff such as water changes and the like.

In fact, the first thought when I saw the floorplan was That bathroom would make a perfect tank...

 

[zylumn]

I agree with zltful that the area you have designated for the bathroom is a perfect spot for a large tank. And with experience that is not the best spot for a bathroom. get a few people over downstairs and see if the wife will use that bathroom situated in the middle of all the rooms. Mine would not and would run up stairs. So if your the only one using it Make if a Fish Room !!! LOL
Kevin

 

[tank o tang]

Put the tank behind the bar so it can be viewable from front in bar room and the side in the fitness room. If it is flush in the wall behind the bar you can always drop a shade/blinds in front of the tank, won't see them when there up.

 

[KurtsReef]

I like the designated bathroom area idea, all the plumbing and sump could be in the storage area with a lot of area to work.

As far as the tank interfering with TV viewing, I think it would need to be directly in front of the television set and not off to one side, our tank is on the opposite wall of a television room and the reflection from the tank at night is in our sliding doors which is directly across from the tank while the television set which is directly next too those doors suffers from no reflection.

 

[myst]

I've thinking of some more ideas, what do you guys think of this?

 

[Paikuhan]

I would split the room with a 3-side viewable tank and store all the equipment and plumbing underneath. You would want say a 30-36" wide tank and build your stand about 40" tall so you have plenty of room underneath for all your equipment. You will probobly still have some glare issues but to have a room divider tank I would deal with it.