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[Xtac1337]

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[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

Not sure where you live--east coast of US/Canada, UK, Australia...?? But if you have cold winters, you will need what may be considered an extension of your house in effect. In other words, an additional room or a separate building that is basically built like your house, with insulated walls and ceiling (and floor). The floor probably needs to be a concrete pad to hold the weight of several tanks. An electrician will run a new circuit from your panel to the building. A plumber may be able to run a new water line from an outdoor tap or something. Installing a heating unit is the simplest of all, one of those baseboard heaters. Running a duct from the house furnace to a separate building might be very involved and expensive, if even possible to connect in. An air conditioner in a window will deal with summer heat.

It might be much simpler to use a spare bedroom if you have one. If you have a basement, that is ideal because they are usually warm in winter and cool in summer (ours was anyway) and with a concrete floor there is no worry about weight.

I moved into my present house several years ago, and one reason I chose it was the enclosed carport which I felt would be an ideal fish room, and I was right. Insulated, baseboard heating, on a concrete pad, connected to the electric panel...all that is missing is the direct water line, but that is easily got around in a house with a Python for water changes.

Byron.

 

[Byron]

East coast of US (yes cold winters). No spare rooms, and no basement (just a crawlspace) and really no room for extension, only option is a building in front yard which i think a shed would be cheapest.

Unfortunately the shed won't work, as I think I pointed out.

 

[Byron]

What about a wood one?

All the issues I mentioned in my first post apply whatever the building. As i said, it basically has to be constructed as a habitable room/extension with good insulation. Any structure be it metal, wood,plastic will not work without the double walls and roof and floor all with insulation.

 

[Byron]

im sorry i keep going against what your saying here but not even this one? Looks like its able to be insulated.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Best-Bar...arage-Kit-without-Floor-sierra-1220/202689271

If it can be adequately insulated it would work. It has no floor, so you still need a concrete pad and some insulated flooring on that.

 

[Byron]

If i had concrete pad, then how would i insulate the floor with the tank weight able to go on top of it? would that be possible?

My house is a rancher built on a thick concrete pad. I have interior floors of carpet, wood and ceramic tile. There is no "insulation" but in a house the air temperature will be kept more steady and take up some of the cold from the floor so I don't usually notice it. But in the kitchen and bathroom with ceramic title, on cold winter days when it is below freezing outside, those floors are definitely cold to walk on. But within the large space of a house, this is minimal and the furnace heat does take up some of it. My fish room is sturdy carpet over the concrete, and in the winter the baseboard heaters are on continually to keep the room at 70 F, so the aquarium tank heaters are not overworking. The tank temperature should never be more than 10 degrees above the ambient room temperature, as the aquarium heaters are not manufactured for more. I probably could keep the room warmer and do away with tank heaters, that is another option. But again, in a stand-alone building this requires considerable heating and very good insulation. The air in my attic above the ceiling insulation is extremely cold in winter, basically whatever it is outside, which can be below freezing.

The closer to the house you can build this shed/garage thee better as it lessens the external air space around it, which keeps it warmer than not.

 

[StevenF]

Have you thought about building up instead of out? Adding a second story to your home or garage may be more practical.

A wood shed with 4" thick walls with spray foam insulation in the walls and ceiling with an appropriately sized air to air heat pump would be warm enough in the winter. If using a cement slab foundation make a horizontal wall and spray foam the wall and then put 1" thick plywood on top to form the insulated floor. The real problems I see are:

You will need a building permit since you will be running power and water to it. Don't do anything until you have done this. If you don't People would notice it in the front yard and may report it. If you didn't get a petite you might be legally required to remove it and and loos all of the money you spent on making it. If you get the permits first and get the necessary inspections no one can force you to remove it. It shouldn't cost you anything to walk into the city permits office and to inquire as to what would be required or what would not be allowed.

A slab foundation may not be possible in very cold climates the foundation may have to go down several feet or more to be stable.

Some cities have restrictions on what you can put in the front yard. They may not allow a separate structure in the front yard. Most cities have few restrictions on what you can put in the back yard.

You need to talk to plumbing contractor to determine how the shed could be connected to the water and sewer service. They could also provide an estimate of the cost.

You would also need to talk to electrical and heating contractor to determine electrical and heating needs. they can also provide an estimate.

As you can see this is a bit more complicated than just buying a shed and placing it on a concert pad. You are basically talking about a small one room home. It is possible to do. However it may not be cheep unless you do all the construction work yourself. I don't think you have the necessary knowledge or skills needed to do this yourself. But all that said a lot will depend on where you live. It may end up being cheep and relatives easy to do. However there is no way any of us will know for sure.

You need to talk to people at the permit office, plumbers, electricians, etc before you go any further. In short you need to talk to people that can give you answers Not people in a fish forum that really cannot give you any clear answers. However if you ask for people to show your their fish rooms, garage conversions, or a fish room separate from the home you might get some reply were you can ask what they had to do, how much it cost, and what were the mistakes they made which would be more helpful.