How To Turn A Shed Into A Fish Shed

jacko9901

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hi

my dad said that i can use some of the room in a shed and put some tanks in it but i dont know how to make a standard wooden shed suitable for fish tanks. i know it will have to have an electricity supply, it will have to be insulated and it will have to be waterproof but what else will it have to have?
 
There was a thread years back on how to convert a shed into a fish shed.
Do a search on the site you might find it.
 
Check out threads started by CFC and Mark7616, to name but two, on knocking up a fish room. I am sure there are at least two other people who have done it, but their names escape me at the moment.
 
I don't know how many tanks you plan on putting in what size area, but when you really start packing them in ventilation must be taken into consideration. Evaporation increases humidity, this humid air will condense on cooler surfaces, usually walls or ceilings, especially if there is little circulation.

The approach to this is two fold, controlling evaporation through sealing the tops of the tanks as much as is reasonably possible, and ventilation to remove humidity, similar to how a bath fan operates. By not taking these into consideration, the condensation can at the least cause mold growth, taken to extremes over time it can damage wall furnishings as well as the structure itself.
 
You can take one of the pieces of roof out and replace it with a piece of Lazerlite sheeting (clear perspex or fibreglass sheeting). If you have two layers (like double glazing a window) you won't lose too much heat through it and it will give you more light.
Run some insulation around the walls and roof. Normal house insulation will work or you can use polystyrene foam. You want the insulation at least 4 inches thick. Put some wooden panelling over the insulation to make it look neater and protect it. Don't forget to insulate the door. If you use a heavy insulation you might need to reinforce the door hinges to stop them sagging over time.
Seal up any gaps you can find and try to make the room as airtight as possible. Even tiny holes/ leaks can cause major temperature changes and excessive power bills.
Call in a sparky, (electrician) and have them install some powerpoints in the shed and maybe even some fluorescent lights in the ceiling of it. Keep the powerpoints up off the ground if possible. Generally the higher they are, the safer they are. And don't skimp on the powerpoints. Have at least a double one on each wall.
Paint the inside timbers with a marine paint to help stop it rotting. Leave it to dry for a week or so, (until the fumes are gone) and then start putting tanks in it.
Try to make double or triple tier stands for the shed so you maximise space.
 
if you are interested i can send you lots of photos of how to convert your shed as i have just done it over the last couple of months...i have 2 7 foot breeding tanks in there...1 quarantine tank and a juwel 180 also a 4 foot sump...the room measures 9 feet by 7 feet...still got lots of room to do more...i will have my website up and going soon so it will all be on there...the only diference is its a brick shed not wooden but its the same princible...good luck...if you want any help pm me
 
thanks for all the advice.

i am planning on putting in 2x 40 litre tanks a 5 gallon tank and a 30-40 gallon tank to start breeding bettas. (look in the betta section and you will find my topic somewhere) and possibly another tank for my current fish if they dont go into a larger tank indoors.

some photos of your fish shed would help weisel
 
thanks for all the advice.

i am planning on putting in 2x 40 litre tanks a 5 gallon tank and a 30-40 gallon tank to start breeding bettas. (look in the betta section and you will find my topic somewhere) and possibly another tank for my current fish if they dont go into a larger tank indoors.

some photos of your fish shed would help weisel
pm me your e-mail address and i will send you some...b4 i started...half way through and the nearly finished result..(still got abit to do)
 
I built a "shed" for our fish.... it was built from the outset as a fish shed and has proved to be good for the job...
Its got insulation in the roof and floor as well as the walls, originally I worked on a double socket per tank and then 4 ways if needed in all I've got 24 sockets which was enough (with lights off of timers and 4 ways).

Since shutting it down, I've found a few gaps that have been missed with the sealent around the points it joins the garage but the temp in there has been pretty good, I've got one tank out there still running (no heater) and the lowest the temp fell during the winter was about 14deg C...
The wooden floor has sunk a bit now :( (but I did have approx 1.2 ton of water in tanks out there.!!) So I'll be replacing it with a concrete floor when it gets re-started

Like wesil , details are on my website - never did get pictures of it all running fully stocked, I could never get the angle right to get the tanks in the shots...
 

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