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[EmilyB]

You probably don't have to park vehicles in garages in your neck of the woods

[Chaloupa]

Way too cool! Neat idea too....interesting one to follow along on!

[Dale]

While the cats away... My wife always likes the results but not the process.

I've tracked the garage temps for a year now. Mid 40's in the winter to mid 60's in the summer. I had hoped to avoid a chiller if possible but will add one if I need it. Unlike true coldwater tanks that run around 55F constant, this is going to be a tidal zone system where temps naturally vary more. I've already figured out the temp issues, stocking, lighting etc... and will include them as the thread develops.
Some people suggest double paned, thick glass or acryllic to avoid condensation but that is because they are running 55F temps in heated areas. My tank will be keeping (close to) ambient garage room temps so the condensation will not be that great an issue. The one area of concern is the pane that faces the porthole as it will interact with the entryway temps. The entryway is the coldest part of the house and there hasn't been an issue so far but I have planned a small fan mod to blow on the glass if it arises down the road.

I also lived in Calgary for 6 years and no, we don't need to plug in our cars around here either

Here's a schematic of the fishroom.



The tank is 6' wide but the porthole is only 4' wide. The studs in the wall made going wider rather complicated and in the end the effect is quite nice. The "wings" hide my overflows, returnlines and you don't get that side pane reflection look.

So far I have done all the construction, electrical and plumbing work so the cheapskate theme is on!
________
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[fishface]

i always enjoy you thoughtful projects and resourcefulness Dale. keep up the good work!

[kari]

Originally Posted by EmilyB

You probably don't have to park vehicles in garages in your neck of the woods

What, people park their cars in garages? I thought that was only if you had two or more garages.

You may have already planned for this but I think(guessing) the building code requires the opening in the garage/house wall needs to be somewhat sealed to prevent gases entering living space. Since framing a tight fit against the tank is not a good idea you will need some kind of flexible filler for the gap.

[Dale]

Yes, there is a 1/4" or so gap caused by the top and bottom black plastic molding on the tank. I first filled the gap with weatherstripping and then silicone after that.

Here's the display tank. A 135G. I bought used for $50. It needed a good cleaning and resiliconing. Dig that 'ol school' corner overflow box!



Here's the sump. It's a 50G. breeder that was cracked on one end. I picked it, and two other tanks, up for power raking a freinds lawn.



and here's a link to a thread that describes how I resiliconed it: http://www.aquahobby.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=35335

and here's the happy couple.



Here's one of two corner overflows



and a top view

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Psst. Dale, you'll have to flip your display tank. Holds water better that way

But seriously, it sounds like you've already put in a lot of time & planning into this (ie. temp. measurements for a year) so that bodes well for the success of this project.

Like the others, I will be following this thread with great interest.

When do you want to go specimen collecting (ie. beachcombing)? That's one thing Irene & I love to do.

Anthony

[Dale]

Hey, I'm ready!

Actually, that is one of the motivators for the system. My wife, the kids and I also love poking around in tidal pools and I figure this is one way to create the whole "learning" experience with them.
That, and the fact I can stock my tank for free

oh, and thanks for the tip. You should have heard me swearing when I discovered that someone had drilled holes in the bottom of the tank. What were they thinking??? Now I'm gonna have to plug them up with big rubber bathtub plugs

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Psst. Dale, you'll have to flip your display tank. Holds water better that way

Does he really have to flip it? Wouldn't it be easier to remove the top panel and attach a panel onto the bottom? (Teeheehee.)

Anyhow, nifty project. Can't wait to see more!

[Dale]

I like the way you think Tony

After having fixed a few grow ops in my time, I knew I wanted to vent my fishroom. A $20 bathroom fan and some 3" PVC did the trick. I've wired the fan to a plug (not hard wired) so that I could use a timer and because it was easier overall.



Yes, the wiring is exposed! Like a lot of this project I am roughing things in and then going back to finish and refine. I want to get it up and running so I can start cycling the tank. I plan to build a housing around the fan to cover the wiring and to add some rigid cable guard to cover the wiring to the outlet. The fan is controlled by a $5 timer I bought at IKEA and it is set to turn on for 5 minutes every hour. Here's a blurry pic



Most of the flora and fauna I'm interested in keeping is non photosynthetic (not light dependant) so lighting is not as important as in a tropical reef. The main purpose of lighting in a coldwater tank is for viewing and effect.
With this in mind I went all out and installed a cheap IKEA pendant and a Coralife 50/50 screw in CF. (the PVC is a temporary return line for a pump I'm switching out).



One plant that is photosynthetic is eel grass, which I plan to incorporate into the system. For this I will use better lighting but I haven't decided whether I'm planting it in the main display or a plumbed in auxiliary tank so I've left more lighting out for now.
I know that someone, somewhere is probably laughing right now but the measuring stick I am using for this project is not the cost, but the effect. Here's a video of the lighting (the video is pretty rough and doesn't totally capture the shimmer effect. I'll try to take a better one later).

http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=100_2625.flv