# New fish room/breeder!!! NEW VIDEO 11-11-13!!!!!



## bgallodoro24

In the process of building my own fish room something i always wanted to do. I am setting up 20- 75gallon, 30- 29gallon, and 20- 10 gallon. I am going to breed angels, discus, rams, and guppies mainly. I plan on doing some oscars but i have heard they take a little time. The water by me is from a well and has ph of 6.5 so its perfect for South American ciclids. Im getting building spray foamed next weekend and then i will start racks and order tanks.

LIGHTING... All tanks will get cfl bulbs..some 1, some 2.
HEATING.... All tanks will get a heater determined by size of tank.
WATER CHANGES.... I am going to put 1" bulk heads in all tanks and run a water inlet f9r each tank. That way all i have to is turn water on and let it go out. I am going to use a 50 gallon water heater and put a valve on the hot and cold outlet of tank. Then i am going t9 put a temp probe and adjust valves till water mixture is 78 degrees. From thereit will go to water lines throughout the room.
FILTRATION.... setting up central air using linear pump and using sponge filters.

Heres a couple pics of my work so far... any suggestions or concerns will be helpful.


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## wkndracer

Congratulations on a dream project!

You mentioned insulation going in next on the structure and with power bills being what can break many it is solar water panels on the roof and a holding tank w/circulation pump that can make for nearly free hot water. Room heating/conditioning rather than tank resistive heaters is a way many have gone to improve that electric overhead even further.

I for one am* EXTREMELY* jealous of this build! roud:


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## smokaah

Very cool.


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## mistergreen

Ventilation would be good. Or opening the doors would be good enough


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## jmowbray

I agree with mistergreen. I would get some bathroom fans and wire then to come on with the lights or a certain temp.


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## bgallodoro24

Well i failed too mention that i am going with a mini split ac unit which has a seperate dehumidifier built in. It says that it removes 40 pints a day. I do plan on installing glass tops on tanks. I figured with spray insulation the room will be very easy too maintain temp thus probably not needing in tank heaters. If humidity is still too much i will have to do some kind of ventalation other than opening door.


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## bgallodoro24

I do have a question for you guys. I plan on this setup being a breed only thing too generate money. My question is, is it best to keep tanks simple such as the only things in tank are heater, sponge filter, and breeding slate, cone, or pot; or should i include things that i would consider to keep fish happy such as plants? I already have a 90g in my house thats for my own pleasure, so i figured i would gear these tanks to just breeders. That and im sure it mkes maintenance nd care much simpler.


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## DaveK

Since you want this operation to make money, you want to keep the tanks as simple as possible. Your time is money also. It takes a lot more time to keep additional aquascape items in the tank.


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## Mike Hawk

keep plenty of moss in the tanks, many different mosses sell for good cash.


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## bgallodoro24

Well today i finally finished all the electrical! Wooo..... almost 1500' of wiring too pull and bend and nail. My hands are so beat up. It only took me about 3 weeks working on it about 2hrs a day.


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## madness

The tanks that you expect to be fishing a lot of babies out of to sell/ship you probably want to keep sparsely decorated/planted for obvious reasons.

That said a lot of fish seem to spawn better and have better survival rates in very mature tank with a lot of bio-film and microfauna (basically heavily planted that and let run free).

I am not sure that this applies to the commonly (easily) bred fish though. So many different breeding habits/practices, etc.

I definitely agree with whoever suggested using the extra real estate in all of those tanks to grow out some various mosses. You have the room already so tossing mesh tiles and waiting for the moss to grow won't really be a problem since it is just a bonus for you.

Plus mosses are great for fish fry usually.


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## CatB

awesome! it's more of a fish...building! xD

suggestions:
i think you alluded to this, but i don't see why you'd need to buy in-tank heaters, you could probably just heat the building/room itself. 

i'd definitely add plants, something cheap anyways, to the tank... it would be a little extra maintenance, but things like duckweed and water sprite (i'd go more with the former than the latter since it's harder to maintain) can really help with keeping your water parameters steady. also, the fish like it! :'D 

i'd also use sponge filters rated for tanks quite a bit larger than the tanks you'll be keeping, they're pretty useful and easy to maintain.


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## bgallodoro24

madness said:


> I definitely agree with whoever suggested using the extra real estate in all of those tanks to grow out some various mosses. You have the room already so tossing mesh tiles and waiting for the moss to grow won't really be a problem since it is just a bonus for you.
> 
> Plus mosses are great for fish fry usually.


I not familiar with mosses at all but since so many people are saying great things about it i guess i have to give it a shot. Lol


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## bgallodoro24

CatB said:


> awesome! it's more of a fish...building! xD
> 
> suggestions:
> i think you alluded to this, but i don't see why you'd need to buy in-tank heaters, you could probably just heat the building/room itself.


I will probably end up just using heaters in discus tanks for obvious reasond but all the other species should be fine without.


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## Michiba54

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well i failed too mention that i am going with a mini split ac unit which has a seperate dehumidifier built in. It says that it removes 40 pints a day. I do plan on installing glass tops on tanks. I figured with spray insulation the room will be very easy too maintain temp thus probably not needing in tank heaters. If humidity is still too much i will have to do some kind of ventalation other than opening door.



Mini splits are very nice systems. You'll really like it, very energy efficient too. I work for an AC company an the only problems we've had with the minis we install are frogs an lizards getting into the outdoor unit an frying the control board. It is still rather rare though


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## bgallodoro24

Michiba54 said:


> Mini splits are very nice systems. You'll really like it, very energy efficient too. I work for an AC company an the only problems we've had with the minis we install are frogs an lizards getting into the outdoor unit an frying the control board. It is still rather rare though


Tell me what you think of this one. http://www.kingersons.com/9000btuminisplitac-inverter.html

I guess i need to invest in pet king snake lol.


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## Overfloater

Looks great. What are your plans for that small room?


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## [email protected]

Overfloater said:


> Looks great. What are your plans for that small room?


With all that water in the building, it might need to be a toilet.


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## bgallodoro24

Overfloater said:


> Looks great. What are your plans for that small room?


The small room is going to house air pump, refrigerator, tanks for food such as brine and worms, and maybe more small tanks. 75 gallon tanks will line the outside walls of the inside room lol 2 tanks high for a total of 12. :biggrin:


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## SlammedDC2

Subscribed


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## HD Blazingwolf

same...


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## they call me bruce

Are you goin to build a filter like for a swimming pool


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## bgallodoro24

they call me bruce said:


> Are you goin to build a filter like for a swimming pool


Not quite sure what your talking about but filtration will be sponges powered by linear pump.


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## LB79

This is just too cool...

What specific strains will you be breeding?


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## bgallodoro24

LB79 said:


> This is just too cool...
> 
> What specific strains will you be breeding?


Will specifically be breeding angels, discus, rams, and guppies. My dad wants too try oscars but i know it will take awhile too get a pair. Some people on here suggested mosses but i have never dealt with that before.


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## Michiba54

bgallodoro24 said:


> Tell me what you think of this one. http://www.kingersons.com/9000btuminisplitac-inverter.html
> 
> I guess i need to invest in pet king snake lol.



Can't say im familiar with the brand. we only put in fujitsu or mitsubishi mini splits because they have dealers locally... but most of the mini splits i've seen all looked the same. Probably all work the same too.


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## bgallodoro24

Michiba54 said:


> Can't say im familiar with the brand. we only put in fujitsu or mitsubishi mini splits because they have dealers locally... but most of the mini splits i've seen all looked the same. Probably all work the same too.


Thanks. From what i've read this one sounds good. Will update with pics this weekend of spray foam installation. Then its off to by tanks. ( dreading forking over that wad of cash)


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## bgallodoro24

Quick update.... spray foam going in tomorrow morning will take pics. Ordering tanks on monday. Final count is 22 - 10g, 30 - 29g, and 20 - 75g. 29's and 10's will be coming in this coming thursday and then i have too wait 2 weeks for the 75's too come in.


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## PlantedRich

I might suggest going a different way on the water temperature control. You may find the incoming water will vary in temperature enough to make it a hassle to fiddle with adjusting the hot and cold to get an even temperature. Since you may need to do some water treatment to some water, how about a cheap reservoir to store water while it comes up to room temperature and then pump it to the tanks? It might at first seem this would not be a problem in the Sothern states but I found it MORE trouble when moving here to central Texas. The water lines are not buried as deep as in northern areas. That leaves the cold water temperature to vary quite a lot. With eleven tanks I find it very nice to have a stock of water at the right temp to add to tanks during water changes or when I need to fish those fry out. Just bringing it to room temp brings it close enough to not shock the tanks. 

Have you also worked out a steady place to sell fry or growouts? I'm getting out of breeding due to the hassles of trying to dispose of the fish without a shop or dealer who has a steady demand for my fish.


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## bgallodoro24

PlantedRich said:


> I might suggest going a different way on the water temperature control. You may find the incoming water will vary in temperature enough to make it a hassle to fiddle with adjusting the hot and cold to get an even temperature. Since you may need to do some water treatment to some water, how about a cheap reservoir to store water while it comes up to room temperature and then pump it to the tanks? It might at first seem this would not be a problem in the Sothern states but I found it MORE trouble when moving here to central Texas. The water lines are not buried as deep as in northern areas. That leaves the cold water temperature to vary quite a lot. With eleven tanks I find it very nice to have a stock of water at the right temp to add to tanks during water changes or when I need to fish those fry out. Just bringing it to room temp brings it close enough to not shock the tanks.
> 
> Have you also worked out a steady place to sell fry or growouts? I'm getting out of breeding due to the hassles of trying to dispose of the fish without a shop or dealer who has a steady demand for my fish.


In regards too the water temp issue, i have thought this over for months now and the method i came up with seems the most logical and easy. 

In regards too buyers, i have all lfs around ( atleast 7 of them ) literally begging me too sell them fish. I will have little too no overhead so they know my prices will be much better than what they currently have.


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## Big O

incredible! I would make sure you would have enough room for some lazy boy's(with wheels) and a fridge full of cold beers, so you could enjoy and relax:icon_smil
Cheers,
big o


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## bgallodoro24

Big O said:


> incredible! I would make sure you would have enough room for some lazy boy's(with wheels) and a fridge full of cold beers, so you could enjoy and relax:icon_smil
> Cheers,
> big o


Ha!!!:hihi: I dont think my wife and kids would like that too much. Sounds like fun though. Too be honest the one thing im looking forward too the most out of all of this is the sound of 72 tanks going. Can you say relaxing:wink:


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## bgallodoro24

Well spray foam is going in!!!!!!


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## bgallodoro24

Little update... ordered tanks today. Will be picking up 29's and 10's this thurday and friday and start building racks. Wont get 75's for 2 weeks.


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## they call me bruce

very good progress


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## n00dl3

cool project. I would recommend a central heating unit than individual heaters. It is more expensive upfront but more efficient and cheaper to run and temperature controls. Also, less chance of your tank potentially get cooked if you have a heater malfunction.


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## bgallodoro24

n00dl3 said:


> cool project. I would recommend a central heating unit than individual heaters. It is more expensive upfront but more efficient and cheaper to run and temperature controls. Also, less chance of your tank potentially get cooked if you have a heater malfunction.


Point well taken. I am getting a mini split system installed.


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## Turtlemaxxx

So did you purpose build this building for this? Or was it included with a new house or something like that? 

-matt


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## bgallodoro24

Turtlemaxxx said:


> So did you purpose build this building for this? Or was it included with a new house or something like that?
> 
> -matt


I purpose built it. I live on 9.6 acres and my house is about 100ft from this building.


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## In.a.Box

From the outside it look like a part/playground restroom.

Male on the left, female on the right. Haha 

That room is just the right place for a fish room. 
Have fun spending 10-20g on your dream, will be worth every sec.


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## bgallodoro24

In.a.Box said:


> From the outside it look like a part/playground restroom.
> 
> Male on the left, female on the right. Haha
> 
> That room is just the right place for a fish room. Also a good place for drugs. Haha
> Have fun spending 10-20g on your dream, will be worth every sec.


Well as of now i'm at 11 grand. Dont expect too exceed 15.:icon_roll


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## Overfloater

Are all your circuits protected by a GFCI?


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## bgallodoro24

Overfloater said:


> Are all your circuits protected by a GFCI?


You know to be honest i forgot all about it lol One more thing to add to my list.roud:


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## bgallodoro24

Quick question... I have 3 overhead cfl bulbs spaced around the room. I am going too use these as nightlight for fish. The will be on timer. Was wondering if they should be soft white or blue in color.


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## Overfloater

bgallodoro24 said:


> You know to be honest i forgot all about it lol One more thing to add to my list.roud:


It's a good idea. Trust me.


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## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> Quick question... I have 3 overhead cfl bulbs spaced around the room. I am going too use these as nightlight for fish. The will be on timer. Was wondering if they should be soft white or blue in color.


 
red as a moonlight, fish apparently cannot see red but it will put out more than just red light and will keep things dim for the fishies 

personally i leave no lights on in the house at bedtime because i want them to have a goo drest period


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## In.a.Box

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well as of now i'm at 11 grand. Dont expect too exceed 15.:icon_roll


doesnt matter how much you spend, whats important is happiness.
happiness doesnt come with a price 

as long your wife doesnt slap u in the face. lol


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## bgallodoro24

Update.... just brought home 29's and 10's. Broke 1 29 strapping tanks down. My stupidity. Will take pics tomorrow. Other than that all went well seeing how we had too transport them 90 miles. Picking up 75's in 2 weeks and starting racks this weekend.


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## bgallodoro24




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## acitydweller

Nice work here. Love to have one myself.

Was there any reason other than cost why Romex was used over bx cable?

Was a slanted roof an option as they tend to deal better with both rain run off and cooling.

Are you relying on ac to cool/dehumidify this room? Passive ventilation would have helped cut the electric bill a bit as well.

Consider adding a radiant barrier beneath the roof beams to help keep the room cooler. I'm in the process of a roof redo on my 1935 built home adding boh intake and ridge ventilation and a radiant barrier. The attic is unbearable so One of the goals is to passively cool that level to make it livable during the summer months.

Anyway, you have the best fish room I've ever seen here. Keen to see your filtration and plumbing progress ahead.

All the best,
Ac


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## bgallodoro24

acitydweller said:


> Nice work here. Love to have one myself.
> 
> Was there any reason other than cost why Romex was used over bx cable?
> 
> Was a slanted roof an option as they tend to deal better with both rain run off and cooling.
> 
> Are you relying on ac to cool/dehumidify this room? Passive ventilation would have helped cut the electric bill a bit as well.
> 
> Consider adding a radiant barrier beneath the roof beams to help keep the room cooler. I'm in the process of a roof redo on my 1935 built home adding boh intake and ridge ventilation and a radiant barrier. The attic is unbearable so One of the goals is to passively cool that level to make it livable during the summer months.
> 
> Anyway, you have the best fish room I've ever seen here. Keen to see your filtration and plumbing progress ahead.
> 
> All the best,
> Ac


I used romex cause i used closed cell insulation which is hard like concrete. The roof is slanted, 10' to 8'6" in 20'. The closed cell insulation is a complete air barrier which will allow you to heat or cool this room with minimal effort. I am using a high efficiency mini split unit.

Another question for u guys... i have 6.5 well water that im using and all tanks will be hooked up to water in out method. I know an ro unit produces soft water. Is there something that will make 6.5 water 8.5. Im asking cause if we can find an easy way to manipulate water we
would like to setup some tanks for africans. We dont want to get into chemical additives for each tank.


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## acitydweller

Woah, that's a pretty big ph swing in the other direction.... Maybe crushed coral in a large whole house single stage pre filter would work? They seek these at home depot. I think they carry GE branded ones.


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## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> I used romex cause i used closed cell insulation which is hard like concrete. The roof is slanted, 10' to 8'6" in 20'. The closed cell insulation is a complete air barrier which will allow you to heat or cool this room with minimal effort. I am using a high efficiency mini split unit.
> 
> Another question for u guys... i have 6.5 well water that im using and all tanks will be hooked up to water in out method. I know an ro unit produces soft water. Is there something that will make 6.5 water 8.5. Im asking cause if we can find an easy way to manipulate water we
> would like to setup some tanks for africans. We dont want to get into chemical additives for each tank.


 
RO doesnt just create soft water. it creates "nothing water" u could add a drop of pee and drop the ph 2 degrees it has NOTHING to buffer it
i would be easy to manipulate the ro to whatever ph and hardness u want

othewise crushed coral is a great option


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## bgallodoro24

Update.... started building racks will post pics tomorrow morning.


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## HD Blazingwolf

Coolness


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## madness

Might be able to do a second holding tank for water with crushed coral in it and just 'age' and circulate the water in the holding tank for a while before using.

There are people doing similar things (though usually for the opposite reason - to soften water or lower pH) so there is probably someone out there who has a good system set-up that you can copy if you just get pointed in the right direction.


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## bgallodoro24

UPDATE..... This is where im at as of now. Will be picking up 75's on thursday.


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## Overfloater

Looks great. You will have more tank space than some LFS I have been in, and certainly better organized.


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## duff

Wow What a build! Very impressed and totally agree with Overfloater - better then some we have around here as well! Then my next thought was - Boy, I'd hate to be the one to take all those tank stickers off  It's great to follow along in the creation of your fish room. So very cool!


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## bgallodoro24

duff said:


> Wow What a build! Very impressed and totally agree with Overfloater - better then some we have around here as well! Then my next thought was - Boy, I'd hate to be the one to take all those tank stickers off  It's great to follow along in the creation of your fish room. So very cool!


Now i hate you for saying that lol. I totally forgot all about having too take the stickers off. Im just praying they come off easy and the person putting them on was feeling lazy and didnt run his hand all over it pressing it down,:hihi:


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## The Trigger

This is absolutely awesome


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## HD Blazingwolf

One thought. Make sure the fish on the top tanks are easy to ctach. U didnt give urself much wiggle room.

At least thats how the pictures appear


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## duff

whoops. Here's a thought ... Each one of those little (& easy to pull off) stickers means you're one step closer to fishies!!


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## bgallodoro24

duff said:


> whoops. Here's a thought ... Each one of those little (& easy to pull off) stickers means you're one step closer to fishies!!


Thanks... i know i cant wait. After 75's come next step is drilling all tanks for 1" bulkhead and then paint backs and bottoms. Ive been torn on what color to paint but i think i deceided on brown for bottoms and blue for backs.


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## HD Blazingwolf

i hate blue backs perosnally.

if u wanna do it go you! i support u fully. but its brightness detracts from the color of the fish

black is my weapon of choice


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## PlantedTankLover

HD Blazingwolf said:


> i hate blue backs perosnally.


I agree. I've always liked black better then blue, makes the fish POP more.


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## rreekers

I also agree with black, I've had both but think black is the way to go

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using Tapatalk 2


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## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> Now i hate you for saying that lol. I totally forgot all about having too take the stickers off. Im just praying they come off easy and the person putting them on was feeling lazy and didnt run his hand all over it pressing it down,:hihi:


Goo Gone will work wonders for that sticker residue. I really admire your build. Your build is right up there with that 50,000 gallon tank that's from Monster Fish Keepers IMO. Looks like you got quite a task on your hands but the pay off will be huge. I wish I could afford something like that. I also wish you nothing but the best with your project. Are you retired and making this a full time hobby or this is after a 40hrs work week on the side type thing.




bgallodoro24 said:


> Tell me what you think of this one. http://www.kingersons.com/9000btuminisplitac-inverter.html
> 
> I guess i need to invest in pet king snake lol.


I agree that these are pretty cost effective. I work at Home Depot on the weekends and we have alot of questions about the system we sell. On my day job alot of the engineers I work with spec them for small rooms to save some money,space and duct routing.




bgallodoro24 said:


> You know to be honest i forgot all about it lol One more thing to add to my list.roud:


If it were me, I'd use GFCI breakers instead of outlets. Its more expensive but they are more assuring IMO.


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## BrayN

This is awesome!! Subscribed!


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## LB79

Wow. Unparalleled. This is epic. All those water changes... wha-hoo!!! Other than that, I'm hugely jealous. You need do devote at least some of these to displays, not just breeding. You should do one for every biotope! Central American, South American, West African, East African, Southeast Asian, Indonesian, Australian... You could even do North American and European as well. Does anyone know what a Hawaiian biotope looks like?


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## n00dl3

HD Blazingwolf said:


> One thought. Make sure the fish on the top tanks are easy to ctach. U didnt give urself much wiggle room.
> 
> At least thats how the pictures appear


1+... IME taller tanks that you've to climb to catch is difficult to maintain... and it always the tank I neglected. Even with an auto water changing system.


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## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> Goo Gone will work wonders for that sticker residue. I really admire your build. Your build is right up there with that 50,000 gallon tank that's from Monster Fish Keepers IMO. Looks like you got quite a task on your hands but the pay off will be huge. I wish I could afford something like that. I also wish you nothing but the best with your project. Are you retired and making this a full time hobby or this is after a 40hrs work week on the side type thing.


Well too be honest im only 26 years old and i have a full time job as an equipment operator for a construction company. This will be something that i hope will one day allow me too quit my job since i dont need much money too live. Lol

As far as paint color i have black on my 90 and 10g and i love it. But my dad has a breeding pair of discus in a 55g and his is painted black as well. But we notice that the babies are drawn to the dark backround hence swimming up and down. They should be drawn to parents for mucus dinner but i think they are confused by the dark backround. Just my observation. If this is true that is the reason for a lighter backround. I also figured sincebottom will be brown the fish would match that instead of the blue. Oh and we i didnt plan on using a sea blue but a more medium non flouresent blue if u know what i mean.


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## flight50

BrayN said:


> This is awesome!! Subscribed!


Ditto. I had to subscribe myself. Although I just found out that I could do this.


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## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well too be honest im only 26 years old and i have a full time job as an equipment operator for a construction company. This will be something that i hope will one day allow me too quit my job since i dont need much money too live. Lol


My bad. I hope I didn't offend you. This project will be a milestone for you. I can imagine how successful this will be for you. I can vision one of these in the back of my house but then I snap out of daydreaming and all I see is grass,lol.


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## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> My bad. I hope I didn't offend you. This project will be a milestone for you. I can imagine how successful this will be for you. I can vision one of these in the back of my house but then I snap out of daydreaming and all I see is grass,lol.


You didnt offend me at all. Actually i was impressed that someone is willing to know more than just about the fish lol. I couldnt do this either without the support of my dad as well.


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## msawdey

i. want. more. pictures.

And for you to charge admission to help pay for this thing


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## bgallodoro24

msawdey said:


> i. want. more. pictures.
> 
> And for you to charge admission to help pay for this thing


Lol... what you think i have here, an aquarium of the america's?


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## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> Lol... what you think i have here, an aquarium of the america's?


Technically yes. Most hobbyist fish breeders produce far superior fish than farms. Fish stores will love u. Mine loves my shrimp very much. He's about to low my neon rainbow fish too  he's as excited about the fry as I am


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## msawdey

bgallodoro24 said:


> Lol... what you think i have here, an aquarium of the america's?


haha just about.. all of the comments about this being better than a LFS.. so true... i wish i was close to you just to come see this.. I wasnt joking about the 10 dollar admission charge


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## EntoCraig

Awesome Room. I just had to down size mine :/ oh well. Cant wait to see how you plumb it!


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## blink

Any plans to devote a tank or two to shrimp?
They're fairly low maintenance and your low ph water would be put to good use with a 75 full of shrimp and moss imo. 
Good luck with the rest of the build and keep us updated.


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## In.a.Box

You should run 1 canister per tank. Haha kidding 
The room looking good so far, would be better with water and fish. 
Hehe


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## bgallodoro24

blink said:


> Any plans to devote a tank or two to shrimp?
> They're fairly low maintenance and your low ph water would be put to good use with a 75 full of shrimp and moss imo.
> Good luck with the rest of the build and keep us updated.


Yes i do plan on doing some shrimp even though i have absolutley no experience with them. But i guess thats where you guys come in handy. Im pretty sure its straight forward though. Just put them in and let em go at it right?


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## bgallodoro24

EntoCraig said:


> Awesome Room. I just had to down size mine :/ oh well. Cant wait to see how you plumb it!


I cant wait to see how i do it too. Lol Just picked up 10" drill press to do holes in tanks. Will be getting hole saw from glass company sometime this week. Then im ready for a solid years worth of glass screeching and praying that i dont screw up.:eek5:


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## bgallodoro24

msawdey said:


> haha just about.. all of the comments about this being better than a LFS.. so true... i wish i was close to you just to come see this.. I wasnt joking about the 10 dollar admission charge


Well i do promise that once i get some fish going you guys will get prices you cant refuse. Probably just cover the cost of shipping. Its nice not having any overhead like lfs. Im sure this will make a few people upset but oh well thats life lol.


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## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> Technically yes. Most hobbyist fish breeders produce far superior fish than farms. Fish stores will love u. Mine loves my shrimp very much. He's about to low my neon rainbow fish too  he's as excited about the fry as I am


Well once i get going i will hit you up for some pointers on the swimps.


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## bgallodoro24

Will post pics thursday when i get 75's in. Lets hope i dont break any of these. Man you guys have no idea how much haggling i had too do to get these tanks at a good price. Through all this i got a good repore with a lfs and he sold me all the tanks at cost and i gave him $300 for his efforts.


----------



## drbotts

Did your camera break? pictures!

I just came across this thread today... wow. I wanted to comment and follow this because I'm looking and building some grow/breeder racks myself for about 10 or 15 tanks. This is great information. 

So, maybe I missed it but I didn't see why you didn't drywall the walls? Looks like you are doing everything to prevent moisture/humidity. Just figured aesthetically, it would look good.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

drbotts said:


> Did your camera break? pictures!
> 
> I just came across this thread today... wow. I wanted to comment and follow this because I'm looking and building some grow/breeder racks myself for about 10 or 15 tanks. This is great information.
> 
> So, maybe I missed it but I didn't see why you didn't drywall the walls? Looks like you are doing everything to prevent moisture/humidity. Just figured aesthetically, it would look good.


FUNCTIONALITY. open walls are easy to modulate extra power ports if needed and spray insulation is wicked awesome

also you will probably never see the back with all the tanks

..........

Now that i think about it. did you add any thermal blocking to the roof?


----------



## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> FUNCTIONALITY. open walls are easy to modulate extra power ports if needed and spray insulation is wicked awesome
> 
> also you will probably never see the back with all the tanks
> 
> ..........
> 
> Now that i think about it. did you add any thermal blocking to the roof?


Entire roof is spray foamed as well. 

Just got done unloading 20 75g and i am so tired. Might post pics tonight if not tomorrow definitely.


----------



## bgallodoro24




----------



## bgallodoro24

One step closer too drilling tanks.


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## bgallodoro24

Deceided that i am going to stain and seal racks. I think its best for looks ang longevity.


----------



## knuggs

Good idea. Try a waterproof stain, it should help with the longevity. Awesome fish room btw, Im def. jealous. Puts mine to shame. Hopefully your retired cause if your gonna plant all these your gonna need to hire someone just to keep up with the trimming.


----------



## Palm Tree

Seroiusly think of all the biotopes you could do with those 75's ...


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## drbotts

So did you do any calculations on weight with those tanks. I like your concept of only using 2x4's but I began to wonder if that's actually enough support for all the weight?


----------



## bgallodoro24

drbotts said:


> So did you do any calculations on weight with those tanks. I like your concept of only using 2x4's but I began to wonder if that's actually enough support for all the weight?












------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wood selection:

Now, to set the basis for this, you would have to make an assumption about the type of wood that most persons' 2x4 would be made from. After a little research, you will soon find that the most common form of wood that is used for construction lumber is pine. From there, I pulled a little data regarding the tensile strength of various woods. (Seenhere (http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/strength_table.htm))

For this discussion, I decided to go with the norm, pine. I also chose to use the weakest pine available, which would be eastern white pine. Now, eastern white pine, which will further be referred to as just pine, has a perpendicular compression rate of 440 psi. This is the weight that is placed upon the wood when it is used for vertical support of an aquarium stand. The parallel compression strength is much higher, so there won't be a need to address it in this analysis as it will not be the weak link in the chain.

The design behind the 2x4 stand:

There is one common design for an aquarium stand that is commonly used. I have attached the drawing below. In my opinion, this stand has a couple extra 2x4s in the design, but as stated before, we DIY people like to overbuild things. I will say however, that the green vertical 2x4s are not needed. The purple 2x4s will be more than adequate to support your tank. I recommend saving yourself a couple bucks and removing these from the design.

As you can see by the drawing, the vertical 2x4s support the weight of the tank as it is distributed across the frame. These vertical 2x4s (colored purple) will be the load bearing parts of the stand. They are also the weakest link in the design. In saying this, these vertical supports will be addressed in relation to the ability of a stand to hold weight.

In the design pictured below, there are eight vertical 2x4s. Depending on your stand, you may have more or less in relation to the size and length of your tank. But for those instances, we can simply change a few numbers to evaluate your stand individually.

Credit where credit is due: Pic below came from reef central where the design is explained in detail.

Facts for the discussion:

-The perpendicular compression rate of a2x4 -- 440 psi -The rough end measurements of a 2x4 -- 1.5" x 3.5" -Number of 2x4 in the pictured stand -- 8

The Math behind the discussion:

First, we take the end measurements of the 2x4 and figure the contact area. This is

1.5 * 3.5 = 5.25

This gives us 5.25 square inches of contact are per 2x4.

Second, we figure the total area that will be in contact. Remember that we have eight 2x4s supporting the frame of the tank. So, we multiply the number of 2x4s by the end area of a single 2x4.

8* 5.25 = 42.

We have 42 square inches of contact area.

Third, we bring in the compression rate of the 2x4s in relation to the number of square inches of contact area.

42 * 440 = 18,480.

This tells us that the stand in question will support 18,480lbs, assuming all other factors remain constant.

The verdict:

So our final answer comes to 18,490lbs. As we all know, that is a lot of weight. This would be the equivalent of about 2,200 gallons of water. Right about this time I am going to throw in my disclaimer. I do not recommend pushing the load capacity of a 2x4 to its limit, but it is important to know where you stand in regard to structural support. I personally feel more comfortable using a 1/4 factor when calculating. The would reduce the load capacity to 25% of the rated value. This is what some would refer to as a bit of a safety factor when designing your stand. Let's see where that puts us in regard to our stand by figuring one of two ways;

42 * (440/4) =4,620

18,480 / 4 = 4,620

I think this is a reasonable number that will keep us far inside the safety limits of a2x4. In any case, you would be hard pressed to design an aquarium that would actually reach this stress limit. I would venture to say that is would have to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 x 48 x 48. Now, lets keep in mind that a tank of this size would need additional vertical supports in order to support the horizontal frame, thus increasing the load capacity.


Just a lil side not i used spruce not pine and everything is notched and screwed together. Combined weight of 6 75g tanks with water is 3600lbs. This is evenly distributed throughout entire rack. See pics on forum.


----------



## travis.808

Speechless!!:drool:


----------



## GraphicGr8s

This is one heck of a build. Just looking at the lap joints it looks like you took your time with them and they're nice and tight. With the care you've taken here I've no doubt the building construction is top notch.
I wouldn't paint the tanks at all. None of the fish farms I've been to down here paint the tanks. Even the ones I bought off a farm are plain.

So if you don't mind. How much do you have in tanks?

Build it up big enough and maybe Meriweather Capital will buy you out. They did it to Ekk Will and Segrest (One of the largest in the world.)

What size is the building? Come on over and finish off mine. It's 95% done.


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## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> This is one heck of a build. Just looking at the lap joints it looks like you took your time with them and they're nice and tight. With the care you've taken here I've no doubt the building construction is top notch.
> I wouldn't paint the tanks at all. None of the fish farms I've been to down here paint the tanks. Even the ones I bought off a farm are plain.
> 
> So if you don't mind. How much do you have in tanks?
> 
> Build it up big enough and maybe Meriweather Capital will buy you out. They did it to Ekk Will and Segrest (One of the largest in the world.)
> 
> What size is the building? Come on over and finish off mine. It's 95% done.


Not painting the tanks isnt an option. Tanks were right at 5 grand. Building is 20 x 30.


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## DaveK

bgallodoro24 said:


> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Wood selection:
> 
> Now, to set the basis for this, you would have to make an assumption about the type of wood that most persons' 2x4 would be made from....
> 
> [no need to quote entire post]


Excellent post! Most people that make DIY stands and so on over design them to really absurd levels. Then when they see something reasonabally done, it looks like its not nearly enough to do the job. 

Keep up the good work!


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## duff

Very exciting to see your progress, quick question - are you drilling the back or bottoms? 

You may already have seen this or know about it, but I ran across a thread somewhere that showed someone with a long piece of pvc pipe with a small weight on the end of it. He put the PVC pipe on the arm of the drill and used just enough weight to give it pressure to drill the holes without needing to manually do it. If that makes sense... 

Did you decide on a background color?

Keep up the amazing (and hard) work! If were closer, I'd stop by to help


----------



## bgallodoro24

duff said:


> Very exciting to see your progress, quick question - are you drilling the back or bottoms?
> 
> You may already have seen this or know about it, but I ran across a thread somewhere that showed someone with a long piece of pvc pipe with a small weight on the end of it. He put the PVC pipe on the arm of the drill and used just enough weight to give it pressure to drill the holes without needing to manually do it. If that makes sense...
> 
> Did you decide on a background color?
> 
> Keep up the amazing (and hard) work! If were closer, I'd stop by to help


No i have never seen that before but sounds like a good idea. Deceided too paint backs and bottoms black. And im drilling backs.:thumbsup:


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## bgallodoro24

Progress for today......built another rack for 75's and started staining racks.


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## Couesfanatic

stain looks awesome.


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## jhays79

absolutely awe inspiring!


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## knuggs

That stain is looking good! Worth the time IMO.


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## bgallodoro24

knuggs said:


> That stain is looking good! Worth the time IMO.


Man i cant tell you how much i hate putting it on.:angryfire I deceided to do it with a rag and it takes forever. Even wearing latex gloves, the stain must eat it up cause after about 5min the glove is torn and its all over my hands. Lol


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## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> Man i cant tell you how much i hate putting it on.:angryfire I deceided to do it with a rag and it takes forever. Even wearing latex gloves, the stain must eat it up cause after about 5min the glove is torn and its all over my hands. Lol


Pickup nitrile gloves they will last much longer.


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## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> Pickup nitrile gloves they will last much longer.


Ive heard of them. Is it still a form of latex or no?


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

Not entirely sure but when I was detailing cars as a professional they saved my hands a lot. The lasted about 20x longer than latex with pure acetone and toulene


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## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> Not entirely sure but when I was detailing cars as a professional they saved my hands a lot. The lasted about 20x longer than latex with pure acetone and toulene


K thanks


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## GraphicGr8s

Try using cleaning gloves instead of the nitrile/vinyl/latex ones. 

Whether you put it on with a rag or a brush I can tell you one thing. It's not really a comfort but here goes: Either way takes a LOOOOOONG time.


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## flight50

knuggs said:


> That stain is looking good! Worth the time IMO.


I agree. Stain looks great. Your hard work and dedication to this project will pay off. Don't be surprised if you put one of the fish suppliers out of business,lol. Good luck with the drilling. Just take your time like you have with everything else.

I can't imagine the plumbing system. That will be a master piece in itself. But I don't recall seeing area drains though. As an emergency or for ease of clean up, a few area drains scattered around on the floor would catch any water spills or breakage.


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## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> I agree. Stain looks great. Your hard work and dedication to this project will pay off. Don't be surprised if you put one of the fish suppliers out of business,lol. Good luck with the drilling. Just take your time like you have with everything else.
> 
> I can't imagine the plumbing system. That will be a master piece in itself. But I don't recall seeing area drains though. As an emergency or for ease of clean up, a few area drains scattered around on the floor would catch any water spills or breakage.


Yea that would have been nice but i had poured the slab before i deceided to do a fish room. It was going to be a shed for my lawnmower and tools. :icon_bigg


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## FisheriesOmen

Man this is awesome. . . .


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## Turtlemaxxx

First: awesome.
Second: if you ever try to breed discus just swap out the tank for one with a lighter paint job. Discus fry find their parents by finding the dark spot, that's why albino and snow whites/ whatever's are more expensive. The fry can't locate the parents to feed as easily. Kinda like baby sea turtles going into town because of street lights instead of to sea by moon light.
3rd: if I ever get to do this, at any scale, I will steal all the good ideas you have.

-matt


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## kamikazi

When I first saw this post when you started the thread I was like, oh someone making a fish room blah blah not interested moving on....but WOW its alot bigger than I expected and soooo many tanks, its amazing! Since you are planning on breeding are they going to be blank tanks or do you plan to put substrate and plant/scape them at all because if so that would be incredible.

Are you going to offer tours b/c if I'm ever on a road trip back to New Orleans I'd love to see it all set up in person. You could probably even charge admission.


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## WoodRiverTroutBum

Subscribed. This is a great build.


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## dannylill1981

mental build but sooooo cool props to you man, excellent job, a fish house most of us can only dream about.....


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## bgallodoro24

kamikazi said:


> When I first saw this post when you started the thread I was like, oh someone making a fish room blah blah not interested moving on....but WOW its alot bigger than I expected and soooo many tanks, its amazing! Since you are planning on breeding are they going to be blank tanks or do you plan to put substrate and plant/scape them at all because if so that would be incredible.
> 
> Are you going to offer tours b/c if I'm ever on a road trip back to New Orleans I'd love to see it all set up in person. You could probably even charge admission.


Just pm me when you come down. Guests are always welcome. I must warn you though, admission will be high for the first few cause i got alot of money to get back. Lol


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## DogFish

Late on this one. Look at commercial Chicken coups/batrns for ideas. They share simular issues concerning heat/cold and ventilation. Use as much passive environmental controls as you can. Roof vents, insulation, windows that work with the location of the sun, opening sky lights, fans vs. AC, 

Central systems (drain/filtration)....Not all the tanks on one....cut it in 1/2 or 1/4s. Good [pont earlier about heating cooling the whole place.


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## JasonG75

Sorry if already posted, but why did you decide NOT to put up atleast plywood after the blown insulation.


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## bgallodoro24

JasonG75 said:


> Sorry if already posted, but why did you decide NOT to put up atleast plywood after the blown insulation.


Too save money and make my life alot easier. Could you imagine cutting out all those outlets?:icon_roll


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## JasonG75

LOL gotcha


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## bgallodoro24

Little update. Drilled all 29g and painted bottoms and backs. Tried to drill 10g but broke both times. Any suggestions please!!!!!


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## mr_bob

it prolly the thickness of the galss and the pressure from the press i would make a small jig to hold the bit in the same place and try to hand drill it

if i run across a picture of the jig i'm talking about ill let to it but what it is is just a hole in a piece of work the size of your bit so that it doesn't walk when drilling the glass

oh and keep the glass wet as the heat will cause it to crack also


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## Razorworm

drilling tanks.... get some plumbers putty. grab a little more than a golf ball sized bit. knead it in your hands to softern. roll it out so it looks like a snake. fror a circle around the spot you will be drilling, about 5" in diamater, creating a "bowl". fill the bowl with water. I drill my tanks by hand, going pretty slow and steady. The water keeps the bit cool and I have never broken one yet. IMO, the drill press is problematic due to the fact that it is hard to judge the pressure you are exerting on the glass. 

a very nice build I might add.


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## bgallodoro24

Razorworm said:


> drilling tanks.... get some plumbers putty. grab a little more than a golf ball sized bit. knead it in your hands to softern. roll it out so it looks like a snake. fror a circle around the spot you will be drilling, about 5" in diamater, creating a "bowl". fill the bowl with water. I drill my tanks by hand, going pretty slow and steady. The water keeps the bit cool and I have never broken one yet. IMO, the drill press is problematic due to the fact that it is hard to judge the pressure you are exerting on the glass.
> 
> a very nice build I might add.


I am using this same technique but instead of just water im using a glass cutting fluid as well. Both broke the same way. They drilled fine but as soon as the bit cut through all the way it broke. I actually got the coupon from the bit. I could try with a drill but i just dont trust it.


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## Razorworm

try it with the drill on one of the broken ones.


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## steven p

+1 for Razorworm, do you have anything between the glass and the level plate of the drill press? I feel like at the very last second, the bit would otherwise take a scoop/chip out and spider web the pane of glass. softer force/lower speeds?


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## msawdey

work faster!!!! i want pictures


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## HD Blazingwolf

i believe the thin UNTEMPERD glass is ur drilling issue. a 10 gallon is very thin and is no way temepered on the bottom. hard to drill for sure


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## Razorworm

cant drill tempered glass


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## bgallodoro24

Razorworm said:


> cant drill tempered glass


Its not tempered and i know lol


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## Razorworm

Im thinking that mabey back bracing or suporting from underneath ( as steven mentioned ) may help. I know that when I drill delicate tile, for example, resting the tile on a piece of wood prevents the bit from "pushing " through the material. Ha ha, I tried drilling tempered glass once as an experiment...not good


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## HD Blazingwolf

I wasnt sure which way it went. I do know a lot of bigger tank the bottom glass is tempered and there are success stories there. Just couldnt remember which way was worse


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## LaSirena

This is the coolest thing ever! My dream- just awesome!


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## HunterX

Love to see some updated pictures. Hope all is going well!


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## bgallodoro24

I have been doing alot of work but nothing that will really show in pics. I almost have all tanks drilled and painted. Got the utility sink and faucet coming monday. Now have a/c hooked up but not using cause of paint fumes. As soon as tanks are finished which should be very soon i am starting the plumbing. 

Quick question. I will have 92 sponge filters running on all tanks. My plan is to use the alita al-120. Says its rated for 145 outlets. Does this sound sufficient or am i pushing the pump too hard. Some suggested using 2 80 pumps and running the system on 2 seperate loops. Price wise its about $80 more to do 2 pumps and a tad more plumbing.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

going with two pumps gives redundancy in case one fails.. and would thus be safer i would imagine


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## driftwoodhunter

Wow - I just found this, and it's unbelievable! Subscribed (and I see a future road trip for me - lol)


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## Lapja

*Redundancy*

Go for redundancy, lesson learned on my reef... the more pumps the better ($80 more isn't much at the point you're at). 

1 tank could have more value in it than $80...

my 2cents.

cheers.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Lapja said:


> Go for redundancy, lesson learned on my reef... the more pumps the better ($80 more isn't much at the point you're at).
> 
> 1 tank could have more value in it than $80...
> 
> my 2cents.
> 
> cheers.


I think you are right.:thumbsup:


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## wetbizquit

pictures!!!!! this is my dream come true, im actually designing a room to build for breeding shrimp when i move to my new house, maybe i'll make a road trip out there see how you did it 

whos down??? .....ROAD TRIP!!!


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## AndrewGreen

Im speechless. Goodwork!


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## Razorworm

the Alita pumps are great but, I would definatly go with the 2-80s. I would also connect the two loops (with a valve inbetween) so if one fails, you will still have an emergency back up.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Razorworm said:


> the Alita pumps are great but, I would definatly go with the 2-80s. I would also connect the two loops (with a valve inbetween) so if one fails, you will still have an emergency back up.


Thats exactly what i was going to do.

We can have a big opening party as long as whoever comes brings me something for my tanks. Lol :icon_mrgr


----------



## Michiba54

bgallodoro24 said:


> Thats exactly what i was going to do.
> 
> We can have a big opening party as long as whoever comes brings me something for my tanks. Lol :icon_mrgr


I haven't looked at this thread in awhile, but you seem to be steam rolling this project. Good job!

p.s. Grand opening? I'll bring the duckweed :biggrin:


----------



## Newf0rm

this is bad a**!


----------



## BuyAllTheBettas!

Oh my...! This is incredible, even without the fish! ^_^


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## wetbizquit

Update!!!


----------



## bgallodoro24

All tanks are painted and drilled. Buying foam too put under all tanks this weekend and will be starting plumbing next. All 50 bulkheads are arriving tomorrow so thats a start. Installed utility sink and faucet yesterday. Dont know if thats interesting enough for a pic but i can upon request. Lol


----------



## bgallodoro24

I deceided ot to drill 10g tanks cause my ratio was 3 to 1. Not in a good way. I will still run a water line for each tank but they will have no overflow. I need some ideas on a siphon setup that will be much easier than a regular siphon hose. I can post pics if you guys cant imagine what im trying to explain. On a good note all 29g and 75g were drilled without a hiccup.


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## infamouz23

Subscribed. This is pretty interesting.


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## Lapja

bgallodoro24 said:


> I deceided ot to drill 10g tanks cause my ratio was 3 to 1. Not in a good way. I will still run a water line for each tank but they will have no overflow. I need some ideas on a siphon setup that will be much easier than a regular siphon hose. I can post pics if you guys cant imagine what im trying to explain. On a good note all 29g and 75g were drilled without a hiccup.


I drilled many 10 gal tanks for a tank room once, i found it easier to drill the short pane on the side rather the bottom. Broke too many drilling the bottom, not the sides. The tanks were put on the shelves with the short sides facing forward (instead of the long side forward). I was able to put more tanks per shelf and had less stress induced problems due to less real estate open to the public. The overflows were simple 1" stack pipes which flowed into a 2" pipe i had running along the shelfs into sumps (each section had their own sump). 

Can't wait to see updated pics with the plumbing in place. 

Keep up the good work!

Cheers!


----------



## bgallodoro24

Lapja said:


> I drilled many 10 gal tanks for a tank room once, i found it easier to drill the short pane on the side rather the bottom. Broke too many drilling the bottom, not the sides. The tanks were put on the shelves with the short sides facing forward (instead of the long side forward). I was able to put more tanks per shelf and had less stress induced problems due to less real estate open to the public. The overflows were simple 1" stack pipes which flowed into a 2" pipe i had running along the shelfs into sumps (each section had their own sump).
> 
> Can't wait to see updated pics with the plumbing in place.
> 
> Keep up the good work!
> 
> Cheers!


Well i was drilling the long side close to the top and it kept breaking. How were you drilling them? Kind of be specific please.


----------



## Lapja

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well i was drilling the long side close to the top and it kept breaking. How were you drilling them? Kind of be specific please.



I made a wooden "jig" for my diamond saw (5/8 plywood). Essentially it is a piece of wood with the same size hole drilled in it.
I duct taped that to the inside of panel (mini glass chips on outside). Make sure it is well stuck there and it doesn't move.
I apply duct tape on the outside of glass (larger than the hole I'm drillin)
I spray a lot of water inside the jig.
Put diamond saw blade inside of jig and start slowly until groove is worn in
I regularly stop drillin and spray the inside of jig with water, i try and free up the grooved channel of all glass dust (i find that it will jam if you leave the glass dust. This also allows me to see if even pressure is applied evenly.
Basically drill it slowly until you hit the tape. Do not remove the tape! Let the drill completely gut the glass and tape, be careful, this is when most beakages happen, let the saw do its job slowly without jammin.
I like applying the water with a good spraybottle, the kind janitors use which is adjustable
I do not use paste dams as I find it hard to keep free of the glass dust and I really like using the jig, no f****ing around with the initial "groove".

I use a regular hand drill at low speeds, no press drill and only shattered 3-4 tanks in my life and I drilled 100's (literally). Those tanks we're 10 and 20 gal tanks drilled for 1,5" bulkheads so a 2" hole (it can be done ).

It would be an honor for me to go down and drill them for you but Montreal is kinda far (although I could use a road trip and I have been unemployed since January...)

Hope this helps.

Cheers!


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

Lapja said:


> It would be an honor for me to go down and drill them for you but Montreal is kinda far (although I could use a road trip and I have been unemployed since January...)
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Cheers!


THANK YOU! this is proof that we are here trying to further this hobby you are a prime example!


----------



## Pickled_Herring

I second Lapja's method with a few changes. I've used a hand drill, drill press, or a special tripod drill for drilling glass all with success. The key is backing off the pressure when you get to the end of the hole. Since you're using a drill press you can set the stop to just below the hole which helps. Duct tape underneath the hole keeps the glass plug from doing any damage to the tank once the hole is through. I always use the damn around the hole, whether it's putty or a piece of pipe with a bead of silicone as a seal. When you drill lower the bit down in the hole and let it go for about 10-15 seconds then bob it back out letting the water flow down into the groove to keep the glass cool and the grinding out. Heat is the killer when drilling holes in glass. I've drilled many holes in 1/4 mirrors and glass this method works 100% of the time. Also a good bit makes all the difference. Oh yeah great job so far your fish room is you of my life long dreams.


----------



## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> I deceided ot to drill 10g tanks cause my ratio was 3 to 1. Not in a good way. I will still run a water line for each tank but they will have no overflow. I need some ideas on a siphon setup that will be much easier than a regular siphon hose. I can post pics if you guys cant imagine what im trying to explain. On a good note all 29g and 75g were drilled without a hiccup.


Have you considered diy pvc overflow. I recently purchased (4) 40gb and (4)10g for sumps during this petco $1 per gallon sale. Your build inspired me to do a multiple tank setup so my 4 tanks against your empire,lol. Not even close huh. Anyways, as an emergency backup, I planned to use the diy pvc overflow in my 10g tanks to plumb outside my house. I didn't even want to attempt drilling because they are so thin. Actually I decided to not drill anything and just use diy pvc overflow for everything. I'd be pissed if I broke a tank and the sale ended and I couldn't pick up a replacement until the sale returned.


----------



## Newf0rm

picture update picture update picture update!!!


----------



## bgallodoro24

Sorry guys been real busy lately. I have started on plumbing ( yippy ) and its not too bad just time consuming. Will post pics tomorrow evening for you guys.


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## Newf0rm

tomorrow evening never came


----------



## hedge_fund

Best thread ever! I would love to do something like this when I retire I about 30 years. haha

Make sure to post everything STEP by STEP so I can print it and save it in case this forum no longer exists in 30 yrs.


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## bgallodoro24

Well heres some pics... man am i tired but i can see the light at the end of the tunnel... we also bought a pair of deepwater haps just because we never see them in the store... had to setup 10gallon tank for themin my house for the time being...i know its small but it will have to do..


----------



## bgallodoro24




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## wetbizquit

looking great so far, keep it up!! how do you fund all of this? geez i could only imagine how much its cost so far


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## craigofva

Looks good.


----------



## WestHaven

What is your intent with all of this? Do you want to become a small commercial breeding operation?


----------



## bgallodoro24

wetbizquit said:


> looking great so far, keep it up!! how do you fund all of this? geez i could only imagine how much its cost so far


Well i work my behind off and its nice having wealty parents.


----------



## bgallodoro24

WestHaven said:


> What is your intent with all of this? Do you want to become a small commercial breeding operation?


My intent is too breed enough fish too support me and family. Would love to be able to quit my job and work from home. This originall was only suppose to be half this size. We were going to leave half the room untouched for future use but we figured might as well setup it up now and be done with it. I think as of now we are at about 15 grand. Expecting no more than 20 grand. Im only 26 and my dad is helping me set this up as pretty much an early inheritance. I know im spoiled lol. Oh well.:icon_roll


----------



## WestHaven

bgallodoro24 said:


> My intent is too breed enough fish too support me and family. Would love to be able to quit my job and work from home. This originall was only suppose to be half this size. We were going to leave half the room untouched for future use but we figured might as well setup it up now and be done with it. I think as of now we are at about 15 grand. Expecting no more than 20 grand. Im only 26 and my dad is helping me set this up as pretty much an early inheritance. I know im spoiled lol. Oh well.:icon_roll


I think it's a great effort and wish you the best of luck. Your parents should be proud. I am only 25 and I know it's hard to find your place in the world. I graduated from college two years ago. Since then I have worked 5 jobs, but I have been at my new job for 10 weeks and it's awesome. I moved halfway across the country to get it (Michigan to Connecticut). I think I finally found the right job for me with a great company (the casual dress code and free used computer equipment are nice perks  )

Anyway, good luck.


----------



## bgallodoro24

:icon_cry:I guess nobody is interested in my build anymore..lol


----------



## craigofva

maybe one day ill have a cool set up like this


----------



## WestHaven

We are still interested. Any new pictures?


----------



## steveo

I check this thread on a regular basis to view any new photos. Very cool!


----------



## combswillie

I been waiting!


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well i did post new pics yesterday. Are u guys not seeing them?


----------



## craigofva

I saw them


----------



## kamikazi

I'm waiting to see what all kinds of fish you are going to be breeding. I'm assuming you will sell on here? I like to support the little guys when I can.


----------



## wetbizquit

nice, wow thats a lot of flow.... you should definately share the love on here, tons of people will support!


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## bgallodoro24

I plan on selling on here.. dont worry... and yes please help the little guy


----------



## craigofva

I plan on buying on here. Sweet


----------



## Gatekeeper

Dude..... you bypassed fish room and went too fish house. 

Just read this whole thing through and I can say this, I think the work you did setting this up is worth the end all product line. Its going to be very laborious to maintain all of that, even with the water changer system.

I wish you the best of luck and success. You have certainly invested and done it all the way.

Never seen so many brand new tanks at one time. Hope you got a deal. The 75 gallon tanks alone had to be a few grand.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Gatekeeper said:


> Dude..... you bypassed fish room and went too fish house.
> 
> Just read this whole thing through and I can say this, I think the work you did setting this up is worth the end all product line. Its going to be very laborious to maintain all of that, even with the water changer system.
> 
> I wish you the best of luck and success. You have certainly invested and done it all the way.
> 
> Never seen so many brand new tanks at one time. Hope you got a deal. The 75 gallon tanks alone had to be a few grand.


$5000 for all the tanks. And i dont mind the work. I do it now and it doesnt make me any money so i know i can do it when it is.


----------



## viwwo

And this was the day the kids lost their father. BUT SO COOOL!


----------



## bgallodoro24

viwwo said:


> And this was the day the kids lost their father. BUT SO COOOL!


I dont get it.....:icon_roll


----------



## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> I dont get it.....:icon_roll


I think he is saying that this will take soo much of your time that you won't have time for the family. Speaking of family, hey I am up for adoption if you and your family want to take in a 33 year old. We have a lot of catching up to do so we better get started on the paper work now,lol. 

Are you setting mildstones for yourself with this project. What is the estimated or intended goal for completion. Completion as far as right up to the point when the fish can be introduced.


----------



## fusiongt

1. Awesome, love the stain (dark stain makes it look so much more classier, instantly!) I bet it stinks like stain in there heh... I know my place was really bad for a while even though I stained my stand outside and then brought it back in. I'll assume you're going to add a finish to it as well?

2. Have you fauna you wanted to sell? What's the best out there you could sell for good amounts of money?

Any rare Apistogrammas? I know my LFS sells them and they're definitely going to get my money soon.


3. Finally, I saw your post about you saying you're spoiled. I don't think so. You're going to be running a successful business... the initial costs are nothing compared to the amount of work you'll be putting in. No need to apologize =) It's still hard work!


----------



## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> I think he is saying that this will take soo much of your time that you won't have time for the family. Speaking of family, hey I am up for adoption if you and your family want to take in a 33 year old. We have a lot of catching up to do so we better get started on the paper work now,lol.
> 
> Are you setting mildstones for yourself with this project. What is the estimated or intended goal for completion. Completion as far as right up to the point when the fish can be introduced.


I kind of figured that was the point i just didnt remeber saying i had kids. Ah well better reread my thread huh. As far as project completion we are going to have half the building completed and running so we can get some fish going and while those are doing their thing we can tidy up the other side. Should have 1 side done with in the next month.


----------



## bgallodoro24

fusiongt said:


> 1. Awesome, love the stain (dark stain makes it look so much more classier, instantly!) I bet it stinks like stain in there heh... I know my place was really bad for a while even though I stained my stand outside and then brought it back in. I'll assume you're going to add a finish to it as well?
> 
> 2. Have you fauna you wanted to sell? What's the best out there you could sell for good amounts of money?
> 
> Any rare Apistogrammas? I know my LFS sells them and they're definitely going to get my money soon.
> 
> 
> 3. Finally, I saw your post about you saying you're spoiled. I don't think so. You're going to be running a successful business... the initial costs are nothing compared to the amount of work you'll be putting in. No need to apologize =) It's still hard work!


Yea it does smell pretty bad but i think the smell went from the stain too glue and primer. No matter how i position the fan i always get a big wif of that stuff. I think before its over i will be an addict.

Yes we want to do apitos but we are going to have too order cause the lfs never have any here.

Nice too hear im not spoiled, u know thats the first thing jealous people tell me.


----------



## deeda

Beautiful job on the new fishroom. You sure put a lot of thought into the layout and it looks great.

Quick question on the drain system though. Is this going to discharge into a sewer system or into a swale on your property? I didn't notice any trap(s) to prevent sewer gas from entering into the system.


----------



## bgallodoro24

deeda said:


> Beautiful job on the new fishroom. You sure put a lot of thought into the layout and it looks great.
> 
> Quick question on the drain system though. Is this going to discharge into a sewer system or into a swale on your property? I didn't notice any trap(s) to prevent sewer gas from entering into the system.


Going to a swale on property. Going to be digging that soon as well. I have very sandy soil so it wont have a problem draining out.


----------



## viwwo

bgallodoro24 said:


>


Its just there is a kid in that picture playing ...... seeeeeeeee....... not yours? Is he a stray? Will he live in one of the aquariums?


----------



## SaltyNC

Awesome fish room and very observant Viwwo.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Yea i try my hardest not to have pics of family on internet but i guess this one slipped by. Atleast its not his face lol. Thats my future work force one day.


----------



## viwwo

I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable about the little guy... but he is soo cute playing on the floor. 
And you can use all the help you can get with that room


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

IF only my so was interested.. man that would be awesome


----------



## bgallodoro24

viwwo said:


> I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable about the little guy... but he is soo cute playing on the floor.
> And you can use all the help you can get with that room


Oh u didnt dont worry. I just have something against all this posting of personal info on the interweb. But thats a topic for another forum lol.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> Oh u didnt dont worry. I just have something against all this posting of personal info on the interweb. But thats a topic for another forum lol.


 
ANNNNTT WRONG ANSWER

ur going to have to post ur address so we can all come look at ur fish store


----------



## OverStocked

I don't need his address. The DEA will be publishing it soon as I'm sure satellites will show the heat signature of this building. It is going to look like a marijuana grow house from the sky!

I'm not sure how I missed this, but I demand this to be finished now with thousands of dollars in fish in it. ASAP. 

Wow.


----------



## KlintZquarium

bgallodoro24 said:


>


It looks like you used regular 2x4s rather than pressure treated. Pressure treated costs more and may leach chemicals (just guessing, here--I don't know).

You notched the 2x4s rather than using king & jack framing. In the long run, will this compromise your framing stability? Tanks get very heavy when loaded with water. Will the number of screws you use hold up to all that weight? May I suggest a screw from the horizontal cross-beams into the front-to-back horizontals to add some extra stability. Did you use rust proof screws?

I don't see any waterproofing on your building or rack hardware. That might prove costly later on as moisture/splashing water soaks into the wood. Damp wood will be very inviting to termites.


----------



## KlintZquarium

How many circuits are you running in there?

Water and electricity don't mix. I don't see any GFCI plugs on the walls--did you use panel-mounted GFCIs? Is the whole building on a GFCI or AFGI?

I didn't see any floor drains in your first few pics before stuff started going in. If one of your tanks burst, you'll have all that water just pooling on the floor, with no where to go.

Your wood racks are also sitting directly on the concrete. What life expectancy are you giving to your racks? 5-10 years before having to replace framing members and/or racks? As you start replacing framing components, may I suggest using blue-wood (rot/mold/insect resistant). Blue-wood may be more expensive up front, but could pay for itself in the long run with increased longevity. Also, as you replace your racks, consider king/jack studding for the frames: king = no cuts whatsoever, just straight vertical; jack = screwed to king with horizontal cross-members tied into the jacks.

I'm not out to burst your bubble or anything. Just noting where some improvements can be made if you decide to expand or someone else wants to follow your lead.

Please, for you and your family's safety, ensure _everything_ is GFCI protected.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Klint, you really don't want to use PT around fish tanks. As for the construction of his racks. The lap joint done as tight as it appears he has done is plenty strong enough. Every tank has a vertical member for support. from the pictures it looks well built and should last a lifetime. In later pictures you can see he did stain the racks. True, stain offers no protection. Not sure if he put topcoat on it or not. How do I know the stand will last? My aunt and uncle had a fish farm for 30 years in Miami. Breeding racks were built the same way. Sure you could see the wear and tear. But they did last.
He's got A/C (or will have) so that should solve the humidity problem. Plus the whole building is sprayed in foam.

At least at my local HD PT is cheaper than WW.


----------



## KlintZquarium

GraphicGr8s said:


> Klint, you really don't want to use PT around fish tanks.


Which is why I suggested BluWood for any future expansion/repairs.



> From BluWood's website:
> 
> _*Are there environmental, toxicological or regulatory concerns with the use or disposal of BluWood building components?*_
> 
> BluWood can be recycled and has the same disposal requirements as non-treated wood. There are virtually no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) that can be released into the environment, and is non-hazardous, non-polluting and non-carcinogenic and contains no heavy metals. BluWood contributes no additional gassing or odor to wood.


For anyone wanting to build a breeder house, frame the walls in BluWood, then mold-resistant foam. No worries about mold or water damage to the building--_ever_.

(Okay, so I catch DIY Network.)


----------



## KlintZquarium

Regarding my previous post, I found your calculations:



> Just a lil side not i used spruce not pine and everything is notched and screwed together. Combined weight of 6 75g tanks with water is 3600lbs. This is evenly distributed throughout entire rack. See pics on forum.


Roger that.

What about GFCIs? I don't see any in your pics. Do you have integrated GFCI in your circuit breaker panel?


----------



## bgallodoro24

KlintZquarium said:


> Regarding my previous post, I found your calculations:
> 
> 
> 
> Roger that.
> 
> What about GFCIs? I don't see any in your pics. Do you have integrated GFCI in your circuit breaker panel?


No i donthave any gfci breakers in yet but that can be added once i get everything running. I actually forgot about it. As far as circuits go. Each tank has its own outlet and there are 10 tanks on each circuit. Only thing getting plugged in may be a heater. Lighting is split up into 4 circuits which all run on digital wall timers. A/c is on own circuit as well as refrigerator. Interior room is own own circuit. Also have generator hookup on 30amp circuit. 

In regards to using treated lumber, we didnt want any chemicals to leach out. I dont plan on spilling too much water but i guess it wouldnt be a bad idea to put some kind of protection around legs that touch ground.

As far a floor drains, that wasnt an option because i poured the slab before i deceided to do fish room. I figure if a tank breaks then the contents lost inside will be way more detrimental than some water on the ground. I can always mop up the water, but my fish...:icon_cry:.


----------



## KlintZquarium

*Protect your most valuable investments -- you and your family*



bgallodoro24 said:


> No i donthave any gfci breakers in yet but that can be added once i get everything running. I actually forgot about it. As far as circuits go. Each tank has its own outlet and there are 10 tanks on each circuit.


These panel-mount GFCI breakers run about $35 at HomeDepot: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/51/515322f3-ac16-4c6f-b8f7-2c8fe2d9dbce_300.jpg

Otherwise, the outlet style run around $15+ each. One outlet can protect several other outlets if installed properly.

However, for your application, it may be better to use panel-mount GFCIs. With the outlet style, if something trips, you'll have to be fumbling back behind the tanks trying to find the reset button. Panel-mounts protect the whole circuit and everything is right there in the panel itself.




> In regards to using treated lumber, we didnt want any chemicals to leach out.


I hate the smell of PT. And if you can smell it, it's off-gassing quite a bit. Off-gassing will affect aquariums. I wasn't suggesting using PT.

I've never been around BluWood, so I don't know if it off-gasses any. Company website says its safe with no VOCs. (Anyone ever use BluWood?) 

BluWood is of course blue. Blue for water. How appropriate, eh?




> As far a floor drains, that wasnt an option because i poured the slab before i deceided to do fish room.


Breaking new concrete to lay drains just isn't cost effective in your case. Proper drain setups require sloping floors. I just mention it as a consideration for any future expansion plans or for someone contemplating following your lead. :wink:


----------



## PinkRasbora

Like good god, this is a fish tank builders dream. You could almost turn that into a small pet store lol

So are you doing the Wall system of tanks or gonna build like one big counter and set various tanks on that with your filtration systems below each tank?


----------



## bgallodoro24

PinkRasbora said:


> Like good god, this is a fish tank builders dream. You could almost turn that into a small pet store lol
> 
> So are you doing the Wall system of tanks or gonna build like one big counter and set various tanks on that with your filtration systems below each tank?


Sorry but dont understan your question


----------



## KlintZquarium

PinkRasbora said:


> Like good god, this is a fish tank builders dream. You could almost turn that into a small pet store lol
> 
> So are you doing the Wall system of tanks or gonna build like one big counter and set various tanks on that with your filtration systems below each tank?


These are from Page-12 of this post:
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/bgallodoro24/IMG_20120722_161837.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/bgallodoro24/IMG_20120722_161913.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/bgallodoro24/IMG_20120722_161905.jpg


----------



## PinkRasbora

Ahh I see, thanks for pointing that out, my comp read them as broken images the first time thru the thread. =[


----------



## craigofva

i see you have a ductless mini split, do you think that will work to cool dosnt thoes tank? did you do a heat load calc?


----------



## bgallodoro24

Almost all of the tanks will be 80 and below so i dont see any problem coming from the tanks temp heating up the room. Only tanks over 80 are discus tanks and thats just 4 as of now.


----------



## craigofva

Ahhh ok. Cool. I cant wait see every thing set up. Im sure u feel the same way.


----------



## bgallodoro24

craigofva said:


> Ahhh ok. Cool. I cant wait see every thing set up. Im sure u feel the same way.


I am. Im getting so close. Just picked up 50 gallon water heater yesterday and ordered 300 gallon storage tank, which should be here this week. I am ordering 2 alita al-80's and valves tomorrow as well. Im almost there cant wait. Oh and im ordering sponge filters for tanks as well. All tanks will have 1 except 75 gallons which will have 2. :icon_smil


----------



## craigofva

you putting in a ro system or any type of filtering system so u can treat the water befor it gets to the tanks? thats alot of sponges. can u buy a big bulk sponge and cut it down?


----------



## bgallodoro24

craigofva said:


> you putting in a ro system or any type of filtering system so u can treat the water befor it gets to the tanks? thats alot of sponges. can u buy a big bulk sponge and cut it down?


No need to treat water as im on well. Has a ph of 6.7 so all my S.A. fish will be fine. Water in water out. I am setting up 300gallon tank and a 35 gallon storage tank to make water for africans. My plan is to fill 300 gallon storage tank with 6.7 water. Then fill 35 gallon storage tank with crushed coral and use a pump to cirrculate water through coral and back into big tank. From there i will use it to change african tanks. Pretty much a big reaction chamber. Will also put crushed coral in african tanks to help out. If anyonesees any flaws please let me know.


----------



## craigofva

ahhh cool, what kind of conditions do africans need?


----------



## bgallodoro24

craigofva said:


> ahhh cool, what kind of conditions do africans need?


Ha that all depends. Most people say anywhere between 7.8 and 8.4. Some people keep them even lower. Im shooting for high 7 and keep it stable.


----------



## craigofva

ahhh ok


----------



## wetbizquit

nice work, cant wait to see more pics, i love drooling over this.... once i get my new house, i want something similar on a much smaller scale in my unfinished basement, and will also have an emersed plant growing farm as well, have you had any thoughts on plants? also are you making your own sponge filters? if so can you post how your doing it, or just ordering large amounts of sponge filters from somewhere?


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Which type of sponge filters are you using? And how much $$$$? I need about 50 for my room and have actually been looking at corner box filters since I can get them for less than $2 each.


----------



## KlintZquarium

bgallodoro24 said:


> No need to treat water as im on well.


You're planning on drawing well-water into your 300G storage tank, then pump it straight into your tanks?

The concern for well-water is contamination. If fuel, oil, or other toxic substances get into the groundwater, that could spell disaster for your fish. 

May I suggest an isolation storage tank set-up? IOW, use two storage tanks. 1st tank takes in direct well-water and acts as an isolation unit. Once full, you can test the water for any contaminants, proper pH, etc. Then pump the water from your isolation tank into your fish-house storage tank with no worries.

If you should ever detect fuel, oil or other contaminants in the isolation tank, you'll know your fish-house is safe. You'll have the second 300G tank to water your fishies while tracking down and eliminating the source of contamination. (If contaminated, you'll have to drain and replace the 300G isolation tank; but, replacing one 300G tank will be much lighter on the checkbook than replacing all the dead fish and fish tanks.)

Did your groundwater get contaminated during Hurricane Katrina? (or any other hurricanes coming up through Southern Mississippi?)

------

BTW, having a storage tank is great idea for anyone thinking of following your lead. A storage tank supplies water during any drought or water restriction bans in an area. There will still be enough water for the fishies for a few days/weeks.


----------



## KlintZquarium

Have you looked into insurance for your fish-house? Your current homeowners insurance probably will not cover it. You'll at least need a rider on your policy, one that covers for-profit adventures.

You may even need to go with a commercial policy since you'll be raising fish for profit. $15K so far, plus however much will be tied up in your fishies. That's a lot that needs protection from potential tornado, hurricane, and other storm damage, as well as other unforeseen calamities. If your well-water ever became contaminated, an insurance policy could help you recover.

I just don't want you to lose all your investment.

A commercial policy could also kick in if some unscrupulous person ever decides to sue you. "I ate the fish and got sick and had to go to the hospital. BGalladoro never put a warning on his fish not to _eat_ them, so he should pay for my medical bills!"

And yes, unfortunately, there are people in this country that would do just that...


----------



## bgallodoro24

These are the ones im using. Its going to cost about $400. 
http://www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSponge.htm


----------



## xenxes

Also curious about how plumbing works in these large operations, how do all those connected PVC pipes work lol?


----------



## bgallodoro24

xenxes said:


> Also curious about how plumbing works in these large operations, how do all those connected PVC pipes work lol?


They all flow to a 2" pvc line running under tank stands and then exit building to a ditch running through the property.


----------



## somewhatshocked

Any plans for collecting at least a portion of the old tank water for lawn/plants/garden/flowers/etc?


----------



## bgallodoro24

somewhatshocked said:


> Any plans for collecting at least a portion of the old tank water for lawn/plants/garden/flowers/etc?


Not as of now but it has crossed my mind. Getting up an running is most important right now.:thumbsup:


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Have to say this is a great read. Love your setup and quite frankly I am jealous. For me I am going to have to go back to my original idea of the box filters. Half the cost.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

KlintZquarium said:


> You're planning on drawing well-water into your 300G storage tank, then pump it straight into your tanks?
> 
> The concern for well-water is contamination. If fuel, oil, or other toxic substances get into the groundwater, that could spell disaster for your fish.
> 
> May I suggest an isolation storage tank set-up? IOW, use two storage tanks. 1st tank takes in direct well-water and acts as an isolation unit. Once full, you can test the water for any contaminants, proper pH, etc. Then pump the water from your isolation tank into your fish-house storage tank with no worries.
> 
> If you should ever detect fuel, oil or other contaminants in the isolation tank, you'll know your fish-house is safe. You'll have the second 300G tank to water your fishies while tracking down and eliminating the source of contamination. (If contaminated, you'll have to drain and replace the 300G isolation tank; but, replacing one 300G tank will be much lighter on the checkbook than replacing all the dead fish and fish tanks.)
> 
> Did your groundwater get contaminated during Hurricane Katrina? (or any other hurricanes coming up through Southern Mississippi?)
> 
> ------
> 
> BTW, having a storage tank is great idea for anyone thinking of following your lead. A storage tank supplies water during any drought or water restriction bans in an area. There will still be enough water for the fishies for a few days/weeks.


If he should detect fuel in his well he's got bigger problems than his fish if that's also his potable water supply.
I run my well water right into my tanks without a problem. Most of the fish farms here do the same especially during winter freezes. No losses from the water only the temps. My aunt did the same on her fish farm in Miami.


----------



## OverStocked

bgallodoro24 said:


> Not as of now but it has crossed my mind. Getting up an running is most important right now.:thumbsup:


Oh NO NO NO! Do yourself(and the big blue mother earth!) a favor! Set up a diverter. All you would need is an "off" valve before the drain drops into the floor/sewer and a T splitter with an on/off valve attached to a hose that goes outside. Attach a 100 foot garden hose and you can water your whole yard, trees(garden!) with the water from your tanks. Effortlessly!

You seriously have to do this.... No need for a collection tank or any of that. It just gives you an easy way to dump water into your yard and such. Your grass trees and plants will LOVE the fish poop water!

IF you need help I can direct to the exact parts and where and how to do it. It is so cheap and easy that at this point it seems foolish to me to not do it. I wouldn't waste energy with collecting the waste water. Just pass it on!


----------



## xenxes

Thanks for the pic of the pipes! Still seems like an insurmountable task for me to do it lol.



OverStocked said:


> Oh NO NO NO! Do yourself(and the big blue mother earth!) a favor! Set up a diverter. All you would need is an "off" valve before the drain drops into the floor/sewer and a T splitter with an on/off valve attached to a hose that goes outside. Attach a 100 foot garden hose and you can water your whole yard, trees(garden!) with the water from your tanks. Effortlessly!
> 
> You seriously have to do this.... No need for a collection tank or any of that. It just gives you an easy way to dump water into your yard and such. Your grass trees and plants will LOVE the fish poop water!
> 
> IF you need help I can direct to the exact parts and where and how to do it. It is so cheap and easy that at this point it seems foolish to me to not do it. I wouldn't waste energy with collecting the waste water. Just pass it on!


+1


----------



## GraphicGr8s

OverStocked said:


> Oh NO NO NO! Do yourself(and the big blue mother earth!) a favor! Set up a diverter. All you would need is an "off" valve before the drain drops into the floor/sewer and a T splitter with an on/off valve attached to a hose that goes outside. Attach a 100 foot garden hose and you can water your whole yard, trees(garden!) with the water from your tanks. Effortlessly!
> 
> You seriously have to do this.... No need for a collection tank or any of that. It just gives you an easy way to dump water into your yard and such. Your grass trees and plants will LOVE the fish poop water!
> 
> IF you need help I can direct to the exact parts and where and how to do it. It is so cheap and easy that at this point it seems foolish to me to not do it. I wouldn't waste energy with collecting the waste water. Just pass it on!


My understanding is he is draining the water into a ditch/swale on his property. The tanks are for "new" water. I think in the beginning he said he was on well water. Might also assume he's on a septic system also. Of course this is speculation on my part but if so he still is "watering the grass" even if it were going septic. Also he did state the building has no floor drains since the fish room was an afterthought.

In my own fish building I am going to pump the "waste" water into a storage tank so that when the veggies need watering I can use it at anytime not just when doing a water change. If they don't need all of it (doubtful) I have more control.


----------



## OverStocked

GraphicGr8s said:


> My understanding is he is draining the water into a ditch/swale on his property. The tanks are for "new" water. I think in the beginning he said he was on well water. Might also assume he's on a septic system also. Of course this is speculation on my part but if so he still is "watering the grass" even if it were going septic. Also he did state the building has no floor drains since the fish room was an afterthought.


My reference to collection tanks is in reference to this post:



somewhatshocked said:


> Any plans for collecting at least a portion of the old tank water for lawn/plants/garden/flowers/etc?


----------



## GraphicGr8s

All I can really say to that is "Oops." Right now I do store my waste water in 55 gallon drums. The wife uses it for her house plants. I am looking to get a 275 tote to store it when all of my tanks are running. During our rainy season it's not really needed. During our dry season however it really is needed. 275 isn't much but until I can get a cistern down it will have to do. In certain areas, at certain times of the year, collection tanks are worth it.


----------



## bgallodoro24

As far as well water being comtaminated, like graphic gr8s said, ive got much bigger problems than my fish. I do have a septic tank so all my waste water goes into ground anyways. My well is 250' deep and i have never had a problem. In fact anyone who comes too my house likes it more than bottled water.

As far as insurance goes all i can say is im a god fearing man and i trust in him alone. Now this isnt going to be the start of a heated debate. Its just my belief and i have too answer truthfully. Everything i have is payed for meaning no debt so if something happens i will cross that bridge when i get there.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> im a god fearing man and i trust in him alone.


there with ya.
something to mull over. 
my parents used to say it all the time.
God will only do for those who do for themselves. is it true? i dunno but i live my life by it


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well just bought setup for making water for africans. Our setup is as follows. 300 gallon storage tank. From there water is pumped with 1hp pump at flow rate of 2400gph to pool filter. Pool filter will be filled with crushed coral. Then it is pushed back into 300 gallon tank. Now i just have to figure out how long it will take for water perameters to change. Filter will hold 150lbs of coral. 

Will be filling tanks in next few days to finish and fine tune plumbing. 

Ordering 2 - al80 alita air pumps, 92 - level valves, 500ft air line, and 92 - sponge filters tomorrow.


----------



## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> there with ya.
> something to mull over.
> my parents used to say it all the time.
> God will only do for those who do for themselves. is it true? i dunno but i live my life by it


I would re-word that... God will only do for those who love and serve them with all their heart.:thumbsup:


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> I would re-word that... God will only do for those who love and serve them with all their heart.:thumbsup:


its translation to me, is you've been given gifts and talents, don't expect God to do thigns for you that you are capable of doing yourself.
not that u should be a selfish **** and focus solely on yourself

but you deffinitely have a valid point


----------



## KlintZquarium

bgallodoro24 said:


> As far as insurance goes ...


The US is a sue-happy nation.

Insurance goes both ways--it protects you from stuff that happens _*to*_ you and your property (theft, disaster, etc), and pays the bills for stuff that happens _*because*_ of you and your property (customer or friend trips and crashes into a tank and needs stitches).

Homeowner insurance may not cover liability for business-related harm to others. One stupid person does business with you, gets injured, and his lawyer sues you for everything you've got.



{BTW, if you haven't guessed, I have a background in safety and risk management... but I _AM NOT_ an insurance peddler. I don't like paying insurance any more than the next guy. But it is a cost of doing business.}


----------



## malady

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well just bought setup for making water for africans. Our setup is as follows. 300 gallon storage tank. From there water is pumped with 1hp pump at flow rate of 2400gph to pool filter. Pool filter will be filled with crushed coral. Then it is pushed back into 300 gallon tank. Now i just have to figure out how long it will take for water perameters to change. Filter will hold 150lbs of coral.
> 
> Will be filling tanks in next few days to finish and fine tune plumbing.
> 
> Ordering 2 - al80 alita air pumps, 92 - level valves, 500ft air line, and 92 - sponge filters tomorrow.


I have a lot of experience with lake Malawi cichlids 
ph is important but imo gh and kh are most important when it comes to Africans

I keep my water around 8.2 ph 10gh 9kh (water is very hard in fl, but fish seem to love it)
heres a helpful article on water chemistry if your interested
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_chemistry.php
great build
enjoy it


----------



## bgallodoro24

malady said:


> I have a lot of experience with lake Malawi cichlids
> ph is important but imo gh and kh are most important when it comes to Africans
> 
> I keep my water around 8.2 ph 10gh 9kh (water is very hard in fl, but fish seem to love it)
> heres a helpful article on water chemistry if your interested
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_chemistry.php
> great build
> enjoy it


Thank you that was very helpful. So if for some reason the crushed coral wont raise ph from6.5 to 7.8 then i can use baking soda.:thumbsup: Hopefully that wont be necessary.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

I can assure u, the coral will. Unless ur water is lllooooaaadded with acidic substances kh of 4 at, my place is over 7.6 for sure api test kit is wicked blue


----------



## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> I can assure u, the coral will. Unless ur water is lllooooaaadded with acidic substances kh of 4 at, my place is over 7.6 for sure api test kit is wicked blue


So your saying that the coral will definitely raise and maintain a ph of 7.8 or so with no problem? I am also planing on putting crused coral or aragonite for substrate in their tanks as well. Im hoping that i will only have to run filter and pump a few hours a day to create harder water. But i wont know exactly till i set it up. Then i will fill storage tank, test ph, then check every hour till it reaches wanted ph. Does anyone know what the coral will raise ph to and then max out. Im assuming it cant go over natural sea water right? Just asking cause water might sit in storage for a few days in between water changes.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

crushed coral is slower than adding baking soda but it will probably go crazy high sitting in a barrel

for a test get a bucket of water and throw some coral in and see what happens every hour
try to do it in a ratio for what u will have


----------



## bgallodoro24

But i dont see how it can go crazy high it has to stop at some point


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

8.4-6ish i believe


----------



## Yamaz

I think you need a sign in front of your building..


----------



## Lapja

sorry double post


----------



## Lapja

African cichlids (malawi) were the fish we were breeding a few years ago. We went all out and imported a whole bunch of F0 trios. We had to keep most trios in a 60gal tank then transfer the pregnant females in a 10 gallon tank (in the same system) for the brooding period. The female was removed after she started to spit them out. 

The babies sold real well for about a year, then sales dried. Couldn't compete against asia which are turning them out at cheap prices. YEs we sold F1 cichlids but people in general don't pay for top of line cichlids in quantities worth sustaining the expenses incurred. 

This is a work of love and passion!

Lake Victoria cichlids around here are rare and expensive when available. I would check that route out if i were to do it again.

Keep up the good work, you're gonna have a blast for a while!

Try mixing crushed coral with natural aquarium gravel. I found this mix to be stable.


----------



## Jmlampert23

That is just awsome!!!!


----------



## bgallodoro24

Just a lilttle update... have 2 alita 80, airline, heaters, 92 level valves, 82 sponge filters, and 300 gallon storage tank coming next week. Everything has shipped anyways.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well filled up 8 29's and 8 75's today. So exciting seeing water finally go into tanks. Finishing up plumbing now i have to run airline because all my air equip is coming next week. Will post new pics.


----------



## WestHaven

The world demands pictures!


----------



## HunterX

Pics pics pics


----------



## bgallodoro24

Does anyone know of a ph controller that can handle a 12amp max pump? Im asking cause i ordered the Milwaukee sms122 controller but i just realized that the plug output is only rated for 5amps. 

I need something that will shut the pump on and off for the reactor once the ph gets up too set ph in storage tank. For those that dont know what i am talking about i suggest u read thread.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

You could use the controller output to activate/deactivate a relay that could handle the amperage. Just be sure it has a 120v coil


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> You could use the controller output to activate/deactivate a relay that could handle the amperage. Just be sure it has a 120v coil


If u dont mind can u point me in the right direction with a link too what ur talking about.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Is this what your talking about?

http://www.dan-marcrvparts.com/20amp120voac.html


----------



## GraphicGr8s

More or less. Just put it in a metal enclosure for safety.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Finally some pics for you guys.


















































































Just a reminder from the family of whats important!!!!!


----------



## KlintZquarium

How many tanks can one of those Alita's handle? I count four in your pic. Those are some monster air pumps. How much volume will the pump per minute?


----------



## bgallodoro24

AL-80

Power: 76W @ 3 psi 39 dB Output: 85 lpm @ 2.18 psi - Typically good for at least 80-95 aquarium air outlets at depths less than 24".


----------



## bgallodoro24

300 gallon storage tank is coming in tomorrow. Will be installing air lines this weekend.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well 300 gallons tank wont be here till monday.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

How much were the bulkheads you used and what size?


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> How much were the bulkheads you used and what size?


1" bulkheads....$4 a piece


----------



## wetbizquit

hooooly nuts, you should post those pics in my deliveries thread


----------



## craigofva

you running hot water threw pvc? or is that cpvc? color looks white not gold.


----------



## bgallodoro24

craigofva said:


> you running hot water threw pvc? or is that cpvc? color looks white not gold.


Used hot water pipe up to where it mixes then its reg pvc. Temp in pipes will only be around 78.


----------



## tdw1989

MAN!! i just read every page, mostly looking for pictures this is a awesome fish room. one day i'd like something like it i cant want to see them stcoked


----------



## craigofva

ahhh ok cool.


----------



## bgallodoro24

First additions for fishroom... right now their in 10 gallon tank in my room...


----------



## craigofva

what are they?


----------



## bgallodoro24

craigofva said:


> what are they?


Brichardi Fairy cichlids


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well i got air running too half the tanks....yippy....these pumps are much stronger than i anticipated. I have a 1" valve open about 1/4 and 36 tanks running and still lots of air. And thats only on 1 pump. Dont know if i need the other or not as of now. Will be putting pressure gauge on line to see if i build any pressure. On a diaphragm pump are u suppose to build any pressure at all? Will post new pics tomorrow of air setup.


----------



## wetbizquit

nice!! im sooo excited, getting so close, love those fish, we should have a a reveal party lol, get a big red ribbon with big scissors to cut it and then we can all help acclimate the fish


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well here it is as it stands....

These are the pumps.










I used flexible hosing for bends as to not restrict flow.




























This is the ball valve that im using as of now to bleed excess air. The other loop i am building tomorrow for other half of tanks will connect here so i can use 1 or 2 pumps too run system.










Heres some pics of bubbling tanks. Right now they are only running at about 50%. Turned valves down so i dont get too much splashing untill i put tops on.


----------



## bgallodoro24

On a diaphragm pump are u suppose to build any pressure at all?

Also need some ideas on what you guys think is the best way to get all these tanks cycling. I was thinking just adding ammonia.


----------



## wetbizquit

nice love the tubing setup, sleek and complex, for cycling i would go with getting a good amount of pure ammonia, but make sure the only ingredients are ammonia and water, and make sure it doesnt foam when shaken, thats your cheapest option, or buy a crap ton of tetra safestart but that will be suuuuuper costly! lol i have some for sale but probably will only treat up to 200 gallons


----------



## Ozydego

What you should set up is a seed tank. A tank where you keep the BB in the sponges alive by feeding ammonia. Then move them to tanks as needed, this will allow sponges to seed quicker later and not have to worry about dosing and testing a hundred tanks. Just dose and test one and keep it healthy by feeding ammonia. Then as you start filling with fish, move them to the separate tanks. You would have to run air to move water through the individual sponges though, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue...


----------



## sepulvd

jus read this whole tread while at work. incredible job man keep it up and good luck


----------



## bgallodoro24

Ozydego said:


> What you should set up is a seed tank. A tank where you keep the BB in the sponges alive by feeding ammonia. Then move them to tanks as needed, this will allow sponges to seed quicker later and not have to worry about dosing and testing a hundred tanks. Just dose and test one and keep it healthy by feeding ammonia. Then as you start filling with fish, move them to the separate tanks. You would have to run air to move water through the individual sponges though, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue...


So ur saying that i need a maifold or something too run air to a 75g tank ful of sponges.

Technically cant u just run air too the 2 sponges and just put the others in there. They would seed just like substrate in a tank right?


----------



## Blue Falcon

bgallodoro24 said:


> So ur saying that i need a maifold or something too run air to a 75g tank ful of sponges.
> 
> Technically cant u just run air too the 2 sponges and just put the others in there. They would seed just like substrate in a tank right?



Simply dropping the sponges in there will grow bacteria, but nowhere near the amount as if you had water running THROUGH the sponge. This provides more oxygen and food to the bacteria throughout the entire sponge and not just on the surface.

He had a pretty good idea about the seed tank. Would allow you to cycle all your sponges at one time at the same rate from the same source of ammonia rather than having to dose and test individual tanks.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Blue Falcon said:


> Simply dropping the sponges in there will grow bacteria, but nowhere near the amount as if you had water running THROUGH the sponge. This provides more oxygen and food to the bacteria throughout the entire sponge and not just on the surface.
> 
> He had a pretty good idea about the seed tank. Would allow you to cycle all your sponges at one time at the same rate from the same source of ammonia rather than having to dose and test individual tanks.


Could u put a circ pump in there instead. Just trying too figure out an easier way. I mean putting 40 airlines toone tank seems obserd. And thats just half of the filters.


----------



## Ozydego

Thats true... thats a lot of airline and manifolds.... circulaton would definitely help. You are right about it being like substrate, but in this case much denser... more like sand... the top 1/4 in grows bacteria, but below that nothing. I think though by circulating the water, you could get bacteria at least 1/2 in or more into each sponge side and more than likely that would be plenty given the surface area for when you use one in a tank. I wonder if having air in the 4 corners and periodically swapping sponges when first seeding would be helpful. 

From what I know about BB (beneficial bacteria), if you can get the seeding tank converting 4ppm of ammonia daily, then even if the inner sponge is not helping, it would be more than enough for even a heavily stocked tank which would be hard pressed to produce 4ppm of ammonia daily. Also remember that the sponge will further cycle once you get water circulating through it and would get better over time once in a tank. It should also be noted that you do need to continually "feed" the bacteria if no fish are present, so going back to the seed tank, it would be much easier to just feed that one tank. Think of it as living storage for the sponges.


----------



## Ozydego

Just now thinking about it, how about forcing water through the sponges by putting a layer down, then a divider and another layer and divider. You would plumb pipes down to the lower layer and pump water, it would move across the bottom, at the end up to the next level and back and then have a pump up top.... it would take some ingenuity to accomplish it, but would definitely serve the purpose... *Better yet, create a sump set up with slots to stack sponges... at the end of the sump, just recirculate back to the beginning....*


----------



## rodcuda

Just a sugggestion here, for your seed tank runa circulation pump to keep the water moving and put in as many sponges as you can. Ant then just run air to maybe 5-10 at a time and those will be the ones you use first. When you remove one and move the line to another filter already in the tank it will be fully ready in a couple days since it already has a good headstart.

By the way I just read this whole thread and am cheering you on!!!! I will be watching. I am getting ready to start a dedicated 12x12 room and really like to see what others are doing.


----------



## deeda

You do not want to restrict the Alita's pump discharge as excessive back pressure can shorten the life of the pump diaphragms.

You need to vent any excess air volume using your bleed valve.


----------



## Blue Falcon

If you dont want to run a bunch of airlines, perhaps you could make something like, a long piece of pvc with holes drilled all over it, then slide a bunch of sponges over top of the pvc and just pump water into the pvc pipe. Maybe cap off the end of the pvc so the water is forced out the holes and through the sponges. Just a thought.


----------



## bgallodoro24

St


deeda said:


> You do not want to restrict the Alita's pump discharge as excessive back pressure can shorten the life of the pump diaphragms.
> 
> You need to vent any excess air volume using your bleed valve.


Well put in a pressure gauge inline today and closed off bleed valve to see how much pressure i was building. Come to find out im not building any which is great since i hated the hissing sound while i was working. 

Finished plumbing up the last of the 75g tanks. So of now i have 20 75g, 12 29g, and 10 10g running right now. 

I put the rest of the sponges in a 75 and put a 750gph circ pump in there with one of the sponge filters right under it so the pump breaks up the air and distributes it throughout the tank. All took filter media from 2 10g and 1 90g tank in my house and dumped them into said seed tank.

300g storage tank will be here tomorrow around 4:30pm. Then i can plumb that to reactor and get my 150lbs of crushed coral going.


----------



## OverStocked

bgallodoro24 said:


> Could u put a circ pump in there instead. Just trying too figure out an easier way. I mean putting 40 airlines toone tank seems obserd. And thats just half of the filters.


What I would do is run your PVC air line all the way to the "seed" tank and then use a drill and barbed fittings to adapt it to airline. I haven't looked closely but assume this is what you did for each tank. If you don't want to drill out each of them.... You could just buy a commercial manifold to use AT the tank. 


The other, very easy option that should be very effective would be to put an undergravel filter in the tank and power it by a powerhead on each end. Reverse UGF would be perfect as it would keep the UGF clean while pushing water through the filters. Should be more than sufficient. You'll want to put a pretty sizable amount of ammonia in this tank, and KEEP doing it every day or two at most. If you stop, the bacteria will die off. You'll need to dose it at pretty high levels to make it sufficient to matter when you pull out a single sponge and move it to a new tank.


----------



## bgallodoro24

I think word got out about me breeding something in this building. Already have guests showing up.:icon_eek:

5' 3"...11 rattles....biggest one i have ever seen in person!


----------



## HunterX

Holy cow that's a big snake!


----------



## ua hua

bgallodoro24 said:


> I think word got out about me breeding something in this building. Already have guests showing up.:icon_eek:
> 
> 5' 3"...11 rattles....biggest one i have ever seen in person!


 
Now that would be enough to make me pack up and move if I found that in my yard. I about stepped on a rattelsnake last summer fishing and I haven't been back to that pond again. If you can't tell I hate snakes especially ones that have fangs and venom.


----------



## knuggs

Wow that's a good sized rattler. Guess you got dinner and a new pair of shoes


----------



## bgallodoro24

knuggs said:


> Wow that's a good sized rattler. Guess you got dinner and a new pair of shoes


Actually my uncle took it cause he has been looking for one. He lives right up the road. Looks to me like the snake was about to shed cause his color fades towards his tail.

Got 300gallon tank yesterday. Also started putting ammonia in 75g tank with other sponges. Right at 4ppm


----------



## PinkRasbora

Your insane! hehe

Gonna do the sponge "seeds" to start your other tanks?

300 gallon show tank?


----------



## bgallodoro24

PinkRasbora said:


> Your insane! hehe
> 
> Gonna do the sponge "seeds" to start your other tanks?
> 
> 300 gallon show tank?


Yes much easier than checking ammonia levels in 72 seperate tanks lol. No the 300 gallon tank is a storage tank for my african water.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Just a comparison...thats a 50 gallon water heater


----------



## sphack

Cool snake. I've lived in mountain snake country but never saw a snake. Kinda glad kinda wish I would have seen something. 

So what are you going to do with it?


----------



## bgallodoro24

sphack said:


> Cool snake. I've lived in mountain snake country but never saw a snake. Kinda glad kinda wish I would have seen something.
> 
> So what are you going to do with it?


My uncle wants to skin it and do something with it. Not quite sure.


----------



## LB79

You're lucky he didn't see you first...


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well i bought 2 cheap plastic 4-way manifolds for seed tank. Now i have 8 sponges running right now. Added another half cap ful of ammonia as well to get back to 4ppm. Other than that nothing new.


----------



## Diana

Here is the most efficient way to cycle a LOT of sponges:
1) 3/4" PVC on the bottom of the tank running the full length. 90 degree fitting at one end, tee at the other. 
2) Power head at one end fitted to the PVC 90, or to a short piece of pipe in the 90. 
3) The tee simply sits at the bottom at the other end so water can enter, and holds the structure stable. A bit of pipe in each part of the tee can help, but not long enough to end at the front or back of the tank. 
4) Pack the aquarium full of sponges except right where the power head is. Allow a gap so the force of the water is not deflected to splash out of the tank. Keep the power head high enough to create some ripple in the water at this point (better oxygen level in the water)

Reasoning:
The intake of the power head is via the PVC pipe at the other end of the tank. 
The water has to flow through pretty much all the sponges to get there. 

For a bit more about this idea have a look at this:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/hillstream-loaches-the-specialists-at-life-in-the-fast-lane
Never mind reading through it. Scroll to the bottom and look at the manifold. You are not even building one that complex. (though you could).


----------



## flight50

Great to always come thru here to see updates and that everything is progressing. I doubt if everything has gone smoothly for you for most large projects will need some improvising. The good thing is your making everything look easy like it is going smooth. Very time consuming project but the light is getting brighter on the other side. Your doing a phenomenal job bgallodoro. I bet you can publish a book with this journal for inspiration to us all and for those that may want to follow.

Ozydego, you have given a sticky quality piece of advice imo. A seed tank for this magnitude of a project is perfect. Bgallodoro glad so see you taking this advice. It should really speed up the process and we can get pics sooner of a full operation. I will try to incorporate this advice as well with any future multi tank builds I do.


----------



## PinkRasbora

We want updated room pictures! lol


----------



## FisheriesOmen

Wow, lost track of this thread for a while. Now I'm subbing...won't make that mistake again lol


----------



## bgallodoro24

Diana said:


> Here is the most efficient way to cycle a LOT of sponges:
> 1) 3/4" PVC on the bottom of the tank running the full length. 90 degree fitting at one end, tee at the other.
> 2) Power head at one end fitted to the PVC 90, or to a short piece of pipe in the 90.
> 3) The tee simply sits at the bottom at the other end so water can enter, and holds the structure stable. A bit of pipe in each part of the tee can help, but not long enough to end at the front or back of the tank.
> 4) Pack the aquarium full of sponges except right where the power head is. Allow a gap so the force of the water is not deflected to splash out of the tank. Keep the power head high enough to create some ripple in the water at this point (better oxygen level in the water)
> 
> Reasoning:
> The intake of the power head is via the PVC pipe at the other end of the tank.
> The water has to flow through pretty much all the sponges to get there.
> 
> For a bit more about this idea have a look at this:
> http://www.loaches.com/articles/hillstream-loaches-the-specialists-at-life-in-the-fast-lane
> Never mind reading through it. Scroll to the bottom and look at the manifold. You are not even building one that complex. (though you could).


This actually sounds as if it would work. Right now i have 8 sponges running spaced troughout the tank. I also have a 750gph circ pump running the length of the tank aimed at the front glass a little as to make a swirling effect in tank. I am hoping this is enough. Also i mentioned to my dad that u guys suggested setting up and maintaing a seed tank, but he didnt quite understand the concept after the original sponges are seeded. He views it as a waste of a big tank. Can u guys give me some pros for doing this or is he right?


----------



## sphack

How long are you looking at keeping the seed tank running? Also, can you utilize all the 75's right from the start? I thought you were using a seed tank to get the filters started while starting to use the first set of tanks. So, is the seed tank to get the sponges started until the tanks get plumbed and filled, or is it a long term tank?


----------



## bgallodoro24

sphack said:


> How long are you looking at keeping the seed tank running? Also, can you utilize all the 75's right from the start? I thought you were using a seed tank to get the filters started while starting to use the first set of tanks. So, is the seed tank to get the sponges started until the tanks get plumbed and filled, or is it a long term tank?


Well thats what im asking. Do i need to keep a seed tank after everything is up and running.


----------



## Lurch98

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well thats what im asking. Do i need to keep a seed tank after everything is up and running.


Wouldn't think so. Once all your tanks are cycled with healthy bacteria, you may want to keep an extra sponge or two just in case. Shouldn't need a dedicated tank, though.


----------



## bgallodoro24

K thanks. 

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...0053&langId=-1&keyword=jet+pump&storeId=10051

Just purchased this to pump water from storage tank to 3/4" line going to tanks setup for africans. Figure that should be more than i need to change water in tanks. This is only going to change water in 5 - 10g, 8 - 29g, and 8 - 75g.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Why such an expensive well pump? A regular pump would have sufficed.


----------



## PinkRasbora

Go big or go home? lol


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Why such an expensive well pump? A regular pump would have sufficed.


Well because i want to be able to keep pressure on the lines and use them when i want just like the line i have ran to all thetanks that feeds from my main well. If i used a regular pump uwould have to have an open end somewhere or else it would build pressure. This might cost a bit more but i figured it will be much easier to handel.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Not only that but i wanted something that can handle the water changes without slacking up. This one is rated for right under 1000gph.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Just throwing this out there so don't get mad.
With the height you have on the tank, so long as your cichlid tanks weren't too high you'd have enough pressure just from the gravity on the water if the tank had an open top or a vent. Since you're pumping the water out of the tank wouldn't you need a vent anyway?


----------



## sphack

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well thats what im asking. Do i need to keep a seed tank after everything is up and running.


One advantage I can see with keeping a seed tank long term would be a holding tank for breeding tanks w/o fish. To maintain a health BB colony, you should keep feeding it ammonia. If some of your breeding tanks sit too long without fish in them, the BB colony will shrink. It will take some time to grow again once the tank is repopulated. If you store the filters in a single seed tank and keep it fed with ammonia, all the filters could be kept health and strong indefinitely. That way, the risk of mini-cycles/re-cycles goes down and you can even tear down tanks without worrying about the filters. 

I don't have good numbers about how long you can keep a filter running w/o fish/ammonia, or how long you can keep filters out of a tank (damp) before the BB die off sufficiently to cause problems.

The alternatives could be:
a) feed empty tanks w/ ammonia every so often. To add fish, you'd likely need to do a water change to reduce the nitrate.
b) move filters to another occupied tank. Good for a short term, but long term I'd be concerned about killing off the BB of the primary filter for the tank when the extra sponges are removed.
c) re-cycle tanks before you need them again
d) cycle with fish


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Just throwing this out there so don't get mad.
> With the height you have on the tank, so long as your cichlid tanks weren't too high you'd have enough pressure just from the gravity on the water if the tank had an open top or a vent. Since you're pumping the water out of the tank wouldn't you need a vent anyway?


Not mad lol. And yes your right will have to have a vent on tank.


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## bgallodoro24

Deceided to put 80 feeder goldfish in tank to cycle instead of ammonia. Did this for a couple reasons. Oneis i dont feel like adding ammonia everyday and two, this tank will be used as a seed tank until all other tanks are stocked so i figire get something in there that will stay awhile. If and when they get too big i will just move them too pond outside.


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## FisheriesOmen

pic.tures.NOW


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## bgallodoro24




----------



## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> Deceided to put 80 feeder goldfish in tank to cycle instead of ammonia. Did this for a couple reasons. Oneis i dont feel like adding ammonia everyday and two, this tank will be used as a seed tank until all other tanks are stocked so i figire get something in there that will stay awhile. If and when they get too big i will just move them too pond outside.


Adding ammonia will be quicker than fishing out dead fish. Pure ammonia would be a bigger boost than fish and cheaper and no fish loss. I believe I paid like 3-5 bucks for one bottle back in 02' and I still have it today. One bottle for you would definitely last for one seed tank. 

As far as keeping a seed, I'd think that once the filters are set, you could get rid of it if you wanted. If there are tanks that will be emptied you can treat them with ammonia until filled again. Just do a 100% water change and refill. Tank will be instantly ready. Or as mentioned you can always keep a seed tank on hand. One tank used for a seeded tank with your operation would be nothing. You have upteen tanks that would be filled with product. Construct an auto feed ammonia system of some sort if desired. That would eliminate the need to watch the tank all the time.


----------



## Stella Blue

Wow.... this thread makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside!!

Nice work!!


----------



## Ozydego

Yeah, the one reason for the ammonia and not fish is that the levels in the tank are going to be toxic, you will be doing daily or EOD water changes on that tank now to keep those feeders alive through the cycle. The auto dosing is an awesome idea, get it set and then you just let it go check it once a week or so after the cycle...


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## bgallodoro24

Maybe yall forgot but all i have to do to do a water change is just turn on the ball valve and let the water flow


----------



## bgallodoro24

What do you think the time difference is between fish and fishless cycle.


----------



## bgallodoro24

I think i made a mistake. I just feel like i jumped the gun on this seeding process. Now im thinking i need to remove the fish and just go fishless, unless u guys convince me otherwise. Im mostly worried about disease. If they have a disease can it transfer to the sponges.


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## bgallodoro24

Well just came back inside from catching 80 frickin fish. I think i learned my lesson. Guess im just getting excited about things. Will do fishless cycle. Put fish in pond so for those of you who care....i didnt kill them. Ok now i can sleep tonight.


----------



## Ozydego

Ehh, feeders are feeders... I do think the better choice is the fishless though, you are right, disease free seed tank is a must. I think the doser suggestion is a cool idea, once you get the dosage down from repeats, just set the dial and focus on the rest of the room.

It is pretty cool to be able to just dump the water and go, that's got to be a good feeling...


----------



## GraphicGr8s

bgallodoro24 said:


> Maybe yall forgot but all i have to do to do a water change is just turn on the ball valve and let the water flow


Just doing that though won't get rid of the uneaten food and other undesirables from the bottom of the tank. That still needs to be siphoned out.
You've done a lot right with this project.
Now I'm just throwing this out there for you. Don't get mad now. It's just ramblings.
In my opinion, and this is just my opinion of course but it's what I would do, (wait, it's what I did do 30 years ago) instead of trying to get all of your tanks up at once, or maybe just a large portion, why not find out what's hot and start breeding that? It gets you started and gives you a feel for things. It gets you use to the systems, gets you familiar with what's needed for commercial breeding and it minimizes the cost of the mistakes you are going to make. And you will make mistakes. Start with 10 tanks and ramp up from there.


----------



## bawigga

Seriously, this is very well done. Subscribed.


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## PinkRasbora

Its like an Atlantis made up of sponge filters


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## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Just doing that though won't get rid of the uneaten food and other undesirables from the bottom of the tank. That still needs to be siphoned out.
> You've done a lot right with this project.
> Now I'm just throwing this out there for you. Don't get mad now. It's just ramblings.
> In my opinion, and this is just my opinion of course but it's what I would do, (wait, it's what I did do 30 years ago) instead of trying to get all of your tanks up at once, or maybe just a large portion, why not find out what's hot and start breeding that? It gets you started and gives you a feel for things. It gets you use to the systems, gets you familiar with what's needed for commercial breeding and it minimizes the cost of the mistakes you are going to make. And you will make mistakes. Start with 10 tanks and ramp up from there.


Well actually thats what we are going to do. As of now all we havefish wise is a pair of blue diamond discus, german blue rams, and some juvenile fairy cichlids.


----------



## Pickled_Herring

It seems that you have a well thought out plan and covered all the bases. You should get yourself some Potassium Permanganate and Hydrogen Peroxide and be ready to combat any disease outbreaks that may occur, if you haven't already. Most hatcheries and fish farms encounter disease at some time. Things come in on plants and fish it just happens. Both of these chemicals are cheap and can be obtained locally. You can treat your tanks and fish them.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well finished running all air lines. While rushing to get done cause i was getting tired i broke a 29g. Really aggravated with myself but atleast it was empty.


----------



## FisheriesOmen

that's a shame...but at least it was only a 29g and at least it was only 1 tank. Can't wait till you start stocking!


----------



## Diana

Fish in cycle:
Low stocking level of cycle fish breeds low bacteria population. 
Diseases and parasites in feeder fish can infest the sponges. 
Daily care for the fish includes feeding them (the more you feed the higher the ammonia, so feed 'em twice a day)
Daily care also includes water changes. Even if it is just turning a valve, it has to be done. The more you feed the higher the ammonia, and the more water changes you do to keep the level low enough. See the contradiction? 
When the initial cycle is done you have grown a very small population of bacteria, and now you need to nurture all those sponges into growing enough bacteria to support the ultimate fish population in each tank. 
This initial fish-in cycle can take 6-8 weeks, then another month to two months to further grow the bacteria populations. 

Fishless cycle:
Grows a giant bacteria population. 
No diseases or parasites. 
Daily care for the bacteria includes feeding them.
Care may also includes water changes, but not daily.
Daily care does include testing for ammonia and nitrite. Use the dip sticks, they are fast and accurate enough for this. 
When the initial cycle is done you have grown enough bacteria to support the ultimate fish population in each tank. 
The fishless cycle can be complete in as little as 3 weeks. Even faster if you can seed the tank with some bacteria from a healthy tank, or get the right species (Nitrospira) from a bottle.
__________________________________________________________

Maintaining a colony of bacteria:

1) Do you need to do this? Probably yes. As a wholesaler you are going to have large fluctuations of fish populations leaving your facility. Will you also be buying juveniles to raise and sell? When those youngsters arrive you had better have a cycled tank to put them in. 
If each tank is separate, not connected to a main filter, then each tank can be maintained separately. The breeding tanks will always have Mom, Dad and the kids. When the kids are ready to move to a tank of their own, that tank must be ready. 
So, yes, whether you buy fish to raise, or start them from breeders, you will need a tank that is fully cycled waiting for the new fish. 

2) Where to get the bacteria:
a) If a tank recently had a large stock, then they were all sold, that tank has a big bacteria population. If you move new fish into it within a few days the bacteria will still be there. If you know new fish are coming in a week or two you can keep the bacteria alive by continuing with the fishless cycle. Feed that tank ammonia until the new fish arrive. 
b) Allow the bacteria in that tank to die, then repopulate with a bacteria in a bottle product that contains Nitrospira. Expensive way to do things on a large scale. 
c) Maintain a few cycled sponges, perhaps in a 10 gallon tank. Keep them cycled with ammonia. This way you will always have some cycled sponges for a tank with a problem or new fish arriving. 
d) Share bacteria on cycled sponges among the tanks.
Good if the tank had a breeder pair and their growing babies, then you split this tank, babies and one sponge to a grow out tank, parents keep the other sponge in the breeder tank. 
e) Keep several sponges in more than one tank. If you keep only 2 sponges per tank, and you remove one you have removed half the bacteria population. This is not good for the fish remaining in that tank. If you keep several sponges (say 4) and you remove only one you have removed perhaps 1/4 of the bacteria. Still not great, but a lot better than removing half the population. If several tanks donate cycled sponges then the new set up will have a reasonable bacteria population. But do you want to run that many sponges? I can easily see a couple of sponges in one tank, but when you remove one sponge you will need to remove the equivalent fish population. (see d).

Since you are running a business you will be aware of when a large order of fish will be coming in, so you can plan ahead. Keep several cycled sponges ready, and if you have 2 weeks move one or two to an empty tank and finish out the fishless cycle, using these cycled sponges as the seed.


----------



## mistergreen

Plan for the worst when it comes to disease. People have lost thousands of dollars when their fish dies of columnaris and other fast acting diseases.

I'm not sure how your designs can stop an outbreak, hope all the tanks dont cycle the same water source


----------



## Diana

Minimize the spread with as many nets as possible, and dip them every time. Any other equipment, the same. Never share anything between tanks without sterilizing it. 
Keep a separate set of all equipment for tanks that become hospital tanks. Label these, or paint them bright red or something. Have some glaring obvious way of ID for a tank that has a disease or parasite. 
Keep the floor clean. If you drop something on the floor wash it before putting it into a tank. 
If you bring in outside fish after you have your own breeding stock established quarantine the new comers, and treat for any hidden problems such as internal parasites before they are mixed with your established fish. 
As you buy breeding stock quarantine and treat. Keep each population isolated until you know they are clean. 
Wash your hands between tanks.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Thanks for all the help. I deceided yesterday to remove trim and side glass to repair tank that i broke. Im assuming my lfs can order me a new plastic trim cause this one split. Took out broken pane and cleaned all existing silicone off with no problem.


----------



## Pickled_Herring

Make sure to clean the glass with denatured alcohol to get any oils off it before you silicone it. You can leave the trim off if you want I have a few tanks like that. It's mostly just decorative.


----------



## b10n

OMG, i hate snakes!
thats crazy, so dangerous
good thing you spotted that thing first
where was it?



bgallodoro24 said:


> I think word got out about me breeding something in this building. Already have guests showing up.:icon_eek:
> 
> 5' 3"...11 rattles....biggest one i have ever seen in person!


----------



## Ozydego

Pickled_Herring said:


> Make sure to clean the glass with denatured alcohol to get any oils off it before you silicone it. You can leave the trim off if you want I have a few tanks like that. It's mostly just decorative.


Not sure thats the best advice, depending on the brand and size of the tank. Im sure Bgallodoro would want new trim just to make it match the rest of the tanks, and on a 29 gal it may not bust without it, but another member may read it and think they can do it on their 55 or 75 gallon and have issues. just sayin...


----------



## bgallodoro24

Ozydego said:


> Not sure thats the best advice, depending on the brand and size of the tank. Im sure Bgallodoro would want new trim just to make it match the rest of the tanks, and on a 29 gal it may not bust without it, but another member may read it and think they can do it on their 55 or 75 gallon and have issues. just sayin...


Yea u hit the nail on the head. I am going to put it on just for the reason to make it match the rest of the tanks. I also wouldnt trust it without one.


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## nalu86

Ozydego said:


> Not sure thats the best advice, depending on the brand and size of the tank. Im sure Bgallodoro would want new trim just to make it match the rest of the tanks, and on a 29 gal it may not bust without it, but another member may read it and think they can do it on their 55 or 75 gallon and have issues. just sayin...


I did remove both rims on one of my 75 gals  

And yes, now it doesn't match with the other tanks on my breeding shelve. 









btw, so jealous of your fish room, its awesome, wish I had the time to do this...


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## bgallodoro24

So i have been cycling with ammonia in seed tank for a week now and ammonia levels have not dropped yet. I have also squeezed sponges from established tanks in my house to help. Temp in seed tank is 78 degrees. How long till i can expect ammonia levels to drop?


----------



## bgallodoro24

nalu86 said:


> I did remove both rims on one of my 75 gals
> 
> And yes, now it doesn't match with the other tanks on my breeding shelve.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> btw, so jealous of your fish room, its awesome, wish I had the time to do this...


Wow your brave. I never would have thought you can go rimless on a 75:icon_eek:. Seeing is believing right?


----------



## bgallodoro24

Also.... once the sponges are cycled, do i still have to keep seed tank with ammonia level at 4ppm or can i reduce that once original cycle is through?


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## bgallodoro24

Just realized it but i finally have a breeding pair of black lace angels in my 90g. They laid their first batch of eggs today. One is twice the size of the other, does that me its a male?


----------



## Mike1239

bgallodoro24 said:


> Also.... once the sponges are cycled, do i still have to keep seed tank with ammonia level at 4ppm or can i reduce that once original cycle is through?


I would think once you get enough tanks running with fish you can use the seed tank for whatever it you need just keep extra sponges running in a few tanks and when you need them they should be good to go


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## Ozydego

On the angels, I have read that the only way to sex them is during spawning when the Females ovipositor is showing. It will be larger than the male's. I have never heard that typically one sex is bigger than the other in angels...


----------



## flight50

bgallodoro24 said:


> So i have been cycling with ammonia in seed tank for a week now and ammonia levels have not dropped yet. I have also squeezed sponges from established tanks in my house to help. Temp in seed tank is 78 degrees. How long till i can expect ammonia levels to drop?


Be patient. It can take a few weeks to do this. Raise your temperature a bit as well to aid growth. Raising the temperature is fine since you have no fish. Bacteria also grows faster. Once your ammonia consistently drops after continuously feeding with ammonia, you will then know your bacteria is thriving. Remember that the bacteria we are growing here, grows on surfaces only. Squeezing the sponges won't get you the jump that your thinking. I am sure some will transfer over but not enough to call it a jump. To properly seed a new batch of media, the established filter is best if dropped in adjacent to the new media so that the bacteria can transfer and expand to colonize.



bgallodoro24 said:


> Also.... once the sponges are cycled, do i still have to keep seed tank with ammonia level at 4ppm or can i reduce that once original cycle is through?


2-3ppm is about the lowest I'd go. With as many sponges you will have, you will have a very very hungry batch of bacteria. Your levels would probably be back at 0ppm within a day or so. Low ammonia additions = faster depletion rate. Bacteria doesn't die off all of a sudden once the ammonia is used up. There is a slow drop off so keeping the ammonia levels consistent will prevent the drop off rate.


----------



## sphack

flight50 said:


> 2-3ppm is about the lowest I'd go. With as many sponges you will have, you will have a very very hungry batch of bacteria. Your levels would probably be back at 0ppm within a day or so. Low ammonia additions = faster depletion rate. Bacteria doesn't die off all of a sudden once the ammonia is used up. There is a slow drop off so keeping the ammonia levels consistent will prevent the drop off rate.


Most of the fishless cycling guides state that when a normal tank can convert 4-5ppm ammonia to nitrate, then it is done. With the amount of sponges in the tank, there is much less water volume per sponge consequently a much smaller colony would be present. 

To build up the sponges to the same level as a single-sponge-per-tank fishless cycles, you'd need significantly more ammonia. I would think at the larges BB sizes, you'd likely need to feed many times a day or better yet break into the smaller tanks and let them finish cycling.

The flip side of this is that everything should have some BB and when they move into their individual tanks, will be nicely seeded. I would be monitoring the water once I stock tanks for depending on stockings, might over whelm the BB. If your tanks are lightly stocked, it might not be an issue.


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## Jmlampert23

Time for some new pictures


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## bgallodoro24

Just a little update... put 20lbs of aragonite in tanks for africans. Also moved my pair of black lace angels to fish room. Filled up pool filter with150lbs of aragonite but have to plumb it to backwash before it goes to tanks. Very cloudy stuff. Would take pics but its raining here because of hurricane issac. And yes i do have a generator if power goes out.


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## Jmlampert23

stay safe!!


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## flight50

sphack said:


> Most of the fishless cycling guides state that when a normal tank can convert 4-5ppm ammonia to nitrate, then it is done. With the amount of sponges in the tank, there is much less water volume per sponge consequently a much smaller colony would be present.
> 
> To build up the sponges to the same level as a single-sponge-per-tank fishless cycles, you'd need significantly more ammonia. I would think at the larges BB sizes, you'd likely need to feed many times a day or better yet break into the smaller tanks and let them finish cycling.
> 
> The flip side of this is that everything should have some BB and when they move into their individual tanks, will be nicely seeded. I would be monitoring the water once I stock tanks for depending on stockings, might over whelm the BB. If your tanks are lightly stocked, it might not be an issue.


There will always be a time table in which ammonia should be converted to 0ppm. You can't assume that if your tank cycle 4-5ppm of ammonia that its cycled. What these guides may not tell you is the time that it should do this on a consistent basis. Regardless of what any guide says, I do it my way and my way works for me. Once my tanks cycle 2-3ppm in a 12-24 hour period, regardless the size/quantity of my media, I dose another 2-3ppm. Sometimes I may go up to 4-5ppm. I will continue to do that for 1-2 weeks. If or when the ammonia is consistently depleted every single time, then and only then, I declare my tanks cycle and stockable. This is the way I do it. I have all the time in the world to stock with fish so I can wait. I am not one to jump into throwing fish in my tanks just because I have signs of BB. Fish are secondary for me. My tanks are about the aquascape.


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## FreshwaterHunter

One thing I missed here and was wondering. Did you build the unit for tanks or was this an already existing unit?


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## bgallodoro24

FreshwaterHunter said:


> One thing I missed here and was wondering. Did you build the unit for tanks or was this an already existing unit?


If ur referring to the building then yes i built it for the tanks.


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## FreshwaterHunter

bgallodoro24 said:


> If ur referring to the building then yes i built it for the tanks.


Yes I was.


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## WestHaven

Do you have a backup generator for the building?


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## Blue Falcon

WestHaven said:


> Do you have a backup generator for the building?


he does


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## bgallodoro24

WestHaven said:


> Do you have a backup generator for the building?


Just picked one up monday


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## Diana

Is the cycle going OK? 

If not, see that the water parameters are correct for the fastest growth. The bacteria will live under a wide range of conditions, but will reproduce fastest under these conditions:

High oxygen. Keep the water flowing really well. 
Do not overdo the 'raise the temperature' idea. Warmer water holds less oxygen. 
GH and KH at least 3 German degrees of hardness, and higher is better. (The original tests to ID these bacteria were done with very hard water)
pH on the alkaline side of neutral, anywhere in the 7s to low 8s.


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## bgallodoro24

Will be updating with pics of new goodies including FISH!!!!!! Stay tunedroud:


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## NQuaday

Amazing. So jealous of your setup and cant wait for the update!


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## Silenced

Awesome and Congratulation on your life time dream really goes forward! 
It will be exciting to see them done one by one!


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## GraphicGr8s

I think this fish room needs a webcam.


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## NQuaday

Second that!


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## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> I think this fish room needs a webcam.


I dont think anyone wants to see me obsess about spilling water on concrete floors in a FISH ROOM so i think i will save myself the embarrassment:icon_roll


----------



## GraphicGr8s

bgallodoro24 said:


> I dont think anyone wants to see me obsess about spilling water on concrete floors in a FISH ROOM so i think i will save myself the embarrassment:icon_roll


We could put a poll up for you. But I think we both know everyone would want to see a webcam. 

Best Fishes


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## bgallodoro24

25 africans and 22 angels arriving today via ups. So excited.


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## hoffman

great shed. I wish you all the best, it seems like a great adventure.


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## PinkRasbora

So where is this webcam feed I keep hearing about?

*hint, hint, nudge, nudge*


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## bgallodoro24

Sorry guys been so busy acclimating fish that i didnt get a chance to take pics. Will do tomorrow. Everything is going great. Check this out. I ordered 12 HR select angels from angels plus right. Well i acclimate them and they are doing just fine. The next morning i go in the building and i see 1 angel freaking the crap out. Spinning in circles and stuff. Well needless to say he dies. I figure i turned the lights on and scared the crap out of him. So now im all upset cause i just lost a fish. The later that afternoon i am sitting in front of the tank makingsure everything else is fine and i deceide to count. I count 12! So i count again thinking i counted the reflection of a fish. Well turns out they actually sent me 13. Now i dont feel so bad.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Some companies will send an extra fish, or 2 depending on size of order. In the long run it's cheaper for them.


----------



## Jonnywhoop

updated pics of the whole inside of the building


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## bgallodoro24

Just a few pics of where im at as of now. Pics arent good of some fish cause they are still scared. Couldnt even take a pic of deepwater haps. cause they were so afraid. Takes time u know.


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## Merth

WoW just WOW!!!


----------



## caykuu

:bounce::bounce::bounce::thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup::eek5:
If it's not something you'd like to keep private, can I know the total cost of this whole project?


----------



## bgallodoro24

caykuu said:


> :bounce::bounce::bounce::thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup::eek5:
> If it's not something you'd like to keep private, can I know the total cost of this whole project?


As of now im at 21k. Not done yet, but almost.


----------



## Newf0rm

bgallodoro24 said:


> As of now im at 21k. Not done yet, but almost.


Im sure it will be worth every penny once its all up and operational!  nice angels!


----------



## HunterX

When can we start buying fish from you?


----------



## bgallodoro24

HunterX said:


> When can we start buying fish from you?


As soon as i get some babies going, or fish pair up and i have loners.


----------



## PinkRasbora

Oh I love angelfish!! that is some really nice specimens too. Black lace veils are my fav.


----------



## WestHaven

Congratulations and we wish you the best of luck!


----------



## 245Bettalover

WOW loove your fish room!


----------



## dougolasjr

subscribed


----------



## NQuaday

Absolutely amazing!


----------



## In.a.Box

What you need is a Yellow White Discus Pair 
Yellow Body, White Face. A yellow Melon Pair or Red Melon Pair

I would love to buy some fry


----------



## Maechael

*Dang.... Just dang.*

This thing is a beauty, a true work of art, in the works.

I've now read this entire thread 2 times, and I want to go through again.


I say add a few tank cams!, mute them and just have them attached to the tanks. viewers can get a live view of what they might be purchasing from you directly online? I think it would be the best D**n sales gimmick ever for an online vendor.


I would love to see more of the entire setup, maybe a youtube walk through video once everything has realized this is home now?

Kudos on the amazing build, and setups.

I'm thinking soon you should have a website link here for all the amazing fish you'll be breeding.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Thanks for all the at-a-boys!!!! Everything is going great. Have another order of fish coming in this saturday. Includes 2 female deepwater haps, 6 albino eureka red peacocks, and 6 congo compressiceps. Will take some new pics for u guys. 

Also have my first batch of black angel fish babies hatching tomorrow. May be first fish for sale, who knows.


----------



## AquariumNoob

Flippin AWESOME man! Love it. Wish i had the room & Money for somethin insane like that, haha.
Good for you 
Btw, you should totally grow moss. Offers additional security for your fish, plus you could make a few bucks off it (Doesnt hurt to include some free moss with purchases of 25$+ or whatever,for example, either ).


----------



## Maechael

*UpDATES!*

We need more updates and pictures!

You teased us with the awesomeness of this thing.

Now you have to feed the monsters with MTS haha.


----------



## dougolasjr

Are you only doing fish? NO inverts or Phibs


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## bgallodoro24

Only fish right now. Have more fish coming in this coming friday. Have been really busy lately so havent been able to do many updates. Will try to take pics soon.


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## FisheriesOmen

This is your JOB now. You should be focused on the well-being of your customers from this point on


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## bgallodoro24

FisheriesOmen said:


> This is your JOB now. You should be focused on the well-being of your customers from this point on


Sounds like ur trying to make me feel bad. As you should know already, there is a period between getting fish and producing babies. Unless u expect me to sell my breeding stock you have to be patient. All fish are too small to show color right now but are starting too as we speak. Another couple weeks and then i will have something to show you guys. Sorry:icon_roll


----------



## FORREST3320

Love it


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## Deano37

looks great but hard work lol


----------



## gt turbo

*Congrats.*

It took me three (2) days to read through this post. which meant that my mouth hurts from being slack jawed for 2 whole days.

This is a masterpiece. I wish to do something on a much smaller scale here in Barbados for the purposes of supplying some lfs.

I bow to you awesomeness and eagerly await more pics.


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## GraphicGr8s

gt turbo said:


> It took me three (2) days to read through this post. which meant that my mouth hurts from being slack jawed for 2 whole days.
> 
> This is a masterpiece. I wish to do something on a much smaller scale here in Barbados for the purposes of supplying some lfs.
> 
> I bow to you awesomeness and eagerly await more pics.


We're waiting for his webcam.


----------



## johnson18

WOW!!! I just read through this whole thread!! Amazing!! You have done an amazing job with your build! Congratulations! 

Subscribed!!


----------



## bgallodoro24

Thanks for all the feed back guys. I really appreciate it. Angels are growing rapidly and am expecting them to start pairing up soon. Africans are starting to get color and one anchor island female has eggs in her mouth. Moved her to herown tank today.


----------



## jtfromcharlotte

Any updates?


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well my angels are almost ready to start pairing up. As of now i have a flavus mbuna, flavesent peacock, and lethrinops hap with babies in their mouth. Just got a 6" blue diamond discus (female) for my male that i already have. Black angel pair will be laying any day now. 

Right now im to the point of just waiting.

Has anyone heard of "holy rock"? I got a bunch ofit from lfs and put it in african tanks. We have since then lost a few fish. One morning i walked in and saw my tank of albino eureka peacocks with 3 dead in it. Check water params and everything was fine. I took remaining 3 out and put in tank with out rocks only aragonite sub and all is well. This is not the only time this has happened. Before fish dye they act as if they would if they were going through ph shock. They only thing we can see is that there is something in this rock. As of now all rocks have been removed and all is well. Any ideas?


----------



## OverStocked

holey rock is limestone. Did you rinse it before hand? 

It will raise pH(gh and kh too). If it is particularly crumbly it could jack the pH quick. But i suspect this tank has a pH high that it wouldn't go up much.


----------



## bgallodoro24

OverStocked said:


> holey rock is limestone. Did you rinse it before hand?
> 
> It will raise pH(gh and kh too). If it is particularly crumbly it could jack the pH quick. But i suspect this tank has a pH high that it wouldn't go up much.


Ph is always around 7.8


----------



## bgallodoro24

Anchor island babies are now 3 days free swimming and doing great. Have about 20. Another female has eggs in her mouth right now. Flavesent peacock and flavus mbuna should be letting their babies out any day now.


----------



## PinkRasbora

When is the webcam install? =]


----------



## bgallodoro24

PinkRasbora said:


> When is the webcam install? =]


Never said i was.


----------



## Exie

amazing build


----------



## akdylpickles

Wow this is so cool! Wish I could do something like this...

Got any plans for more discus pairs?


----------



## bgallodoro24

akdylpickles said:


> Wow this is so cool! Wish I could do something like this...
> 
> Got any plans for more discus pairs?


As of now i have 3. Plan for 1 more.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

This room needs a webcam 24/7


----------



## CatSoup

*jealous* 

Great work, daddy-o!


----------



## CatSoup

GraphicGr8s said:


> This room needs a webcam 24/7


I agree. We can live vicariously through video.


----------



## bgallodoro24

I can make a video if u guys want. Do u post it just like u do pictures through photobucket or no?


----------



## CatSoup

I don't know how to do it here, but I'm sure photobucket works.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Need live video. 24/7 Anything less is, well, less. In fact we need 360 surround vision. With audio.


----------



## CatSoup

GraphicGr8s said:


> Need live video. 24/7 Anything less is, well, less. In fact we need 360 surround vision. With audio.


LOL Agree!


----------



## Lurch98

Photobucket, Youtube, Vimeo, whatever works.


----------



## Tetranerd

GraphicGr8s said:


> Need live video. 24/7 Anything less is, well, less. In fact we need 360 surround vision. With audio.


Don't want much, do we? :icon_roll Sure would be nice, though - I'd subscribe!


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Just never believed in settling for second best is all. I mean if you're not in the game to win why are you playing?


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Just never believed in settling for second best is all. I mean if you're not in the game to win why are you playing?


Im in it to win just dont want to burn out in 1st half. I will make a video soon. Fish are getting much bigger now and coloring up nice so there is something to see.


----------



## GraphicGr8s

I was referring to the web cam buddy. A video is second best. Maybe third. We require a 24/7 webcam now.

I know you're in it to win it. With what you have invested so far you have to be. Or you need a shrink. Jury might be out on this come to think of it.


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> I was referring to the web cam buddy. A video is second best. Maybe third. We require a 24/7 webcam now.
> 
> I know you're in it to win it. With what you have invested so far you have to be. Or you need a shrink. Jury might be out on this come to think of it.


I'll tell ya'll what. Ya'll get together and send me the webcam and i will put it up. Since im officially broke now lol.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Update. Female hap let babies out of her mouth today. Counted 20. Doing very good. Also started putting acrylic sheets for tops on tanks. I got 12 29g and 14 75g tanks done so far. Came out very nice i must say. Must easier than glass since i had to notch corners for airlines and notch a hole for water pipes into tanks.

Also finally got ph controller setup on 300g tank and aragonite filter. Now when i refill tank i just fill it up and ph controller turns filter on until ph reaches 8.0. Thats the highest i can get the ph to go using this setup. Not bad since my water is 6.5. Did a time test today and it took 1.5hrs to raise ph from 7.1 to 8.0.


----------



## Robotponys

Nice! Can't wait for babies to start popping out.


----------



## mountaindew

Huge Project you have going.
this will be fun to look at years from now as the design and use matures!
Nice!
mD


----------



## Amandas tank

Just read your entire thread. Very nice! You have done an incredible job, great craftsmenship, well thought out and ingenious  I agree with some others that this is better designed than fish stores I've been in! I love the stain you went with. Great plan for the water changes. I hope this will accomplish for you exactly what you want...to retire from your main job. It will be sweet if it pays for itself quickly. 21K+ is a lot! 

Congratulations and the great success to ya! I will have to look you up when we make our big move to Florida in a few years to order some fish! We travel to MS and head down to New Orleans every summer (visiting family) If we are ever in the area, I would love to see this place in person! How much is the admission charge again? LOL!

Great Thread!


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Amandas tank said:


> Congratulations and the great success to ya! I will have to look you up when we make our big move to Florida in a few years to order some fish! We travel to MS and head down to New Orleans every summer (visiting family) If we are ever in the area, I would love to see this place in person! How much is the admission charge again? LOL!
> 
> Great Thread!


Why would anyone in their right mind move to Florida?


----------



## cableguy69846

:icon_eek:


----------



## bgallodoro24

Another update. Female anchor island and female flavus mbuna released babies today. So now i have 2 groups of anchor island totaling 40 babies. Flavus had about 15 or so from what i can see. Pair of blue diamond discus laid eggs yesterday as well but they are young so who knows.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Also lethrinops intermedius let babies out yesterday and another female will be next week sometime.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Lethrinops intermedius hap...










Flavus mbuna...










Anchor Island....


----------



## bgallodoro24

These arent my pics just wanted to show you guys what i have. I will do a fish database of what i have as soon as their fully colored.


----------



## Amandas tank

GraphicGr8s said:


> Why would anyone in their right mind move to Florida?


Honestly, I don't want to! :redface: I am a mountain girl and love snow! Not much snow in Florida We vacation to Florida every summer and have a blast, but I am totally ready to get back after 5 weeks. We are moving to Kissimmee.

Anyway...sorry for being waaaaaay off topic with this post OP!


----------



## Amandas tank

bgallodoro24 said:


> Another update. Female anchor island and female flavus mbuna released babies today. So now i have 2 groups of anchor island totaling 40 babies. Flavus had about 15 or so from what i can see. Pair of blue diamond discus laid eggs yesterday as well but they are young so who knows.


Awesome! Congrats!!!!


----------



## thefisherman

i love those cichlids... lethrinops are awesome. i've been looking to get a shoal but have no room in my tank. i have cynotilapia afras and a victorian similar to yours, mine i think is a sp44 thickskin










- thefisherman


----------



## sspark

Very envious of you!! I wish you the best!! :fish:


----------



## Green_Flash

very nice fish posted above.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well another lethrinops has eggs today.


----------



## thefisherman

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well another lethrinops has eggs today.


bhallodoro congratz!



Green_Flash said:


> very nice fish posted above.





sspark said:


> Very envious of you!! I wish you the best!! :fish:


thank you for the kind words sspark & flash 

i got him from the pot luck "assorted africans" tank at the LFS. the majority of victorian sp. in my area are either zebra obliques or mislabeled as those.

he was a pale silvery looking thing when i first got him and one of the first cichlids in my tank...the most color he showed was a faint blush of yellow, i guess thats what made me feel he was different. 

i'm still new to cichlids, so it made me very happy to see him color up. i know he looks big in the pic but he's still very small (2"). he's a tough fish, i just hope to see him grow to his full potential 


- thefisherman


----------



## bgallodoro24

U would be amazed at how well africans color up if u put them in a higher ph such as 8.0 and in a species only tank containing just a male and a few females. Petshops usually keep their fish around neutral cause its easier fir them to maintain all different tanks. 

When i brought home my deepwater haps they looked good in store but once home and adjusted they the male atleast doubled in intensity. Also there is always a dominant male in a tank so if u have a community of africans in a tank all the other males will probably never show their full potential.


----------



## thefisherman

bgallodoro24 said:


> U would be amazed at how well africans color up if u put them in a higher ph such as 8.0 and in a species only tank containing just a male and a few females. Petshops usually keep their fish around neutral cause its easier fir them to maintain all different tanks.
> 
> When i brought home my deepwater haps they looked good in store but once home and adjusted they the male atleast doubled in intensity. Also there is always a dominant male in a tank so if u have a community of africans in a tank all the other males will probably never show their full potential.


bgallodoro24, first of all i want to say i love your fishroom... the setup looks outatanding! inly thing is i wish i saw your thread sooner as i could've offered some thiughts on the envelope of your building and help keep those utility bills down ... but for the most part it everything looks sound, but feel free to PM me if h want to pick my brain about stuff 

in terms of cichlid keeping i'm totally new to them, i have a 75g mixed that has been up only since June. I'd like to think of them as water puppies because they are soo smart, they are completely aware of whts outside their tank and they recognize who's feeding them lol so onviously i fell in love.

its a shame some LFS keep then in low pH but i guess they are meant to be sold so they don't bother.

i hear horror stories about the "assorted" tanks as some could be hybrid or whacky fish. i'm glad i found a gem... what you said about males is totally true. in fact i had to net three subdominents already, two i donated and one is living in my sump for the moment lol






- thefisherman


----------



## bgallodoro24

Yea feel free to give me any suggestions you may have. I also love the fact that africans have such great personalities.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Well i finally made a video. Is their a way to change topic title to include " Update 11-12-12 Video". Will post as soon as its uploaded.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Failed attempt to load vid


----------



## bgallodoro24

http://static.photobucket.com/playe...ums/w376/bgallodoro24/VID_20121112_084547.mp4


----------



## bgallodoro24

Ok long awaited video is now up and loaded. ENJOY!!!!!!!!


----------



## driftwoodhunter

That is the most amazing thing I ever saw - I hope you take time now & then to just stand back and be proud of what you made! You should be a guest speaker at clubs to discuss this build and your future plans : )


----------



## bgallodoro24

driftwoodhunter said:


> That is the most amazing thing I ever saw - I hope you take time now & then to just stand back and be proud of what you made! You should be a guest speaker at clubs to discuss this build and your future plans : )


Ha that put a huge grin on my face. Thanks so much


----------



## horsedude

Looks like a really cool project awsome!!


----------



## Amandas tank

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well i finally made a video. Is their a way to change topic title to include " Update 11-12-12 Video". Will post as soon as its uploaded.


Go to your first post to the thread, click Edit, then choose Advanced. Once there you can change or add to your title.

I love your fish house! Outstanding! You have done an absolutley amazing job! I can't believe the way it looks. So organized, so proffessional, so inviting! I would love to go "fish shopping" in your Fish House and spend hours in this place!
You should be very proud of yourself.


----------



## thefisherman

bgallodoro24 said:


> Yea feel free to give me any suggestions you may have. I also love the fact that africans have such great personalities.


got your pm, I pm'd back with my e-mail info 


- thefisherman


----------



## Tetranerd

Beautiful!


----------



## ReluctantHippy

Amazing video. Totally made my day while making me fantastically jealous at the same time. Bravo!


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I was fantastically jealous until I thought of the utility bill - lol


----------



## bgallodoro24

driftwoodhunter said:


> I was fantastically jealous until I thought of the utility bill - lol


Electric bill was $125 last month. I also left pool filter on over night twice cause i didnt have the controller on it yet.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I think you need to come here and reengineer my mobile home...roud:


----------



## bgallodoro24

driftwoodhunter said:


> I think you need to come here and reengineer my mobile home...roud:


Lol. Then you will love to know my house bill is only 150 in the middle of summer and it gets over 100 here. I focused alot on making this fishroom energy efficent. Still trying to make it better.


----------



## Amandas tank

Wow! Our electric bill is always over $300/month!


----------



## Chipster55

Absolutely Amazing...


----------



## bgallodoro24

Chipster55 said:


> Absolutely Amazing...


Thanks


----------



## Rion

That's just too cool, are you focusing on African cichlids then? I saw the discus and angels but half the house seemed to be Lake Malawi fish, other types of fish going on the other half or more cichlids? Also, did you put spray insulation on the ceiling as well?


----------



## bgallodoro24

Rion said:


> That's just too cool, are you focusing on African cichlids then? I saw the discus and angels but half the house seemed to be Lake Malawi fish, other types of fish going on the other half or more cichlids? Also, did you put spray insulation on the ceiling as well?


No the other half of the building is all for angels and discus. And yes i used spray insulation on ceiling as well. Temp outside last night was 40 degrees and building maintained 76 degrees with no help of heating.


----------



## Amandas tank

Will you have Apistogramma species? Such as the Borellii, Agassizzi and Cockatoo?


----------



## bgallodoro24

Amandas tank said:


> Will you have Apistogramma species? Such as the Borellii, Agassizzi and Cockatoo?


Havent quite deceided yet. Have to see how much tank space i have left when angels start kicking in you know. 72 tanks sounds like alot but they fill up quick.


----------



## CytoEric

I know I could never handle all the work you've put into your fish room, but it is nice to dream. You've done a great job, I'm jealous! It's cool seeing another Mississippian on here too. I'm a couple hours north, just outside of Jackson.


----------



## Rion

Spray insulation is pretty sweet then...I'll have to keep that in mind if I build an outbuilding for a fish room in the future, though it probably get a bit colder here in Michigan than down south.


----------



## bgallodoro24

CytoEric said:


> I know I could never handle all the work you've put into your fish room, but it is nice to dream. You've done a great job, I'm jealous! It's cool seeing another Mississippian on here too. I'm a couple hours north, just outside of Jackson.


Maybe you could stip by sometime if you head to the coast.


----------



## Amandas tank

bgallodoro24 said:


> Havent quite deceided yet. Have to see how much tank space i have left when angels start kicking in you know. 72 tanks sounds like alot but they fill up quick.


Amazing isn't it! LOL! I will keep watch on your fish status. I'm not looking to get any apistos right now anyway, just have been thinking about getting some in a year or so and thought I'd see if you were going to breed them. I will keep an eye on your tanks so if I do decide to get some and you have some, I will be sure and buy from you.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Pair of midas hatched eggs today. Had 1 week old babies when we bought the pair so they should do good with these.


----------



## Amandas tank

bgallodoro24 said:


> Pair of midas hatched eggs today. Had 1 week old babies when we bought the pair so they should do good with these.


Congrats!


----------



## bikinibottom

Wow, great set-up. Very impressed with the amount of work that went into this.

Wondering about the business end of things. You mentioned that you put $21k into this -- do you have an idea of how many fish you need to sell to recoup that money (plus cover whatever small amount of overhead you have -- electricity, conditioners, equipment/supplies, etc.)?

And I don't know the laws in MS, but do you have any problems with running a commercial operation on a residential property? If you have 9 acres I'm imagining you might have an ag exemption or something. I won't even ask about insurance b/c I saw your opinions on that earlier. :wink:

Finally, how are you marketing? Do you have a website? Just wondering how people can find you and your fish! 

Best of luck -- seems like a dream project and how fortunate that you can get it started so young! :fish::fish1:


----------



## bgallodoro24

bikinibottom said:


> Wow, great set-up. Very impressed with the amount of work that went into this.
> 
> Wondering about the business end of things. You mentioned that you put $21k into this -- do you have an idea of how many fish you need to sell to recoup that money (plus cover whatever small amount of overhead you have -- electricity, conditioners, equipment/supplies, etc.)?
> 
> And I don't know the laws in MS, but do you have any problems with running a commercial operation on a residential property? If you have 9 acres I'm imagining you might have an ag exemption or something. I won't even ask about insurance b/c I saw your opinions on that earlier. :wink:
> 
> Finally, how are you marketing? Do you have a website? Just wondering how people can find you and your fish!
> 
> Best of luck -- seems like a dream project and how fortunate that you can get it started so young! :fish::fish1:


It will take awhile too recoupee the money but that goes with any buisness. In time i will have a steady supply of fish to sell.

As fas as marketing.... i need so ideas for a buisness name. Im looking for something that resembles me and my families principles and morales. One that i thought of was "Father's Little Fishes." Not sure though lol. Need something catchy but simple. As soon as i get a name i can setup a website.

As far as commercial on residential.... i dont know what your talking about:wink:, this is a storage shed.


----------



## jtfromcharlotte

bgallodoro24 said:


> It will take awhile too recoupee the money but that goes with any buisness. In time i will have a steady supply of fish to sell.
> 
> As fas as marketing.... i need so ideas for a buisness name. Im looking for something that resembles me and my families principles and morales. One that i thought of was "Father's Little Fishes." Not sure though lol. Need something catchy but simple. As soon as i get a name i can setup a website.
> 
> As far as commercial on residential.... i dont know what your talking about:wink:, this is a storage shed.


With all due respect... "Father's Little Fishes" sounds _really_ creepy! Haha


----------



## bgallodoro24

jtfromcharlotte said:


> With all due respect... "Father's Little Fishes" sounds _really_ creepy! Haha


It was just an idea lol. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Amandas tank

Okay...I'll give it a shot. Might sound corny, but here's what my daughter and I came up with...BTW, I'm not sure if any of these are already business and don't know if there are copyright laws with small businesses or not. I am an artist and recall running into a problem with my business name because of one made up word that was similar to another artist first name. I tried to incoorporate "Father" into some of them.

One Stop Cichlid Shop (i think your focus is Cichlids right?)
Fishtopia
"Your first name" Tropicals
"your First name" Tropical Fish
Got Fins?
Fish R US (not sure about the copyright...you may not be able to use the R Us part)
Fishinatank
Father's Gill Shop
"Your first name" Gill Shop
"Your First Name" Fishy Shop
Father's Fish House
Underwater Pets
Wet Pets
That Fish Place
I've Got Fish
We've Got Fish
The Fish Shack
Where The Fish Are


Okay...that list should give you a direction.  Almost got carried away HaHa! Having a lot of fun coming up with names.


----------



## WestHaven

I think this could really turn into a thriving business one day. Have you applied with the state for a business license or becoming a corporation?

Can you list all what types of fish you have?

Tip: If you apply to incorporate the business, apply in Delaware, Texas or Nevada. They have the best corporate laws. Delaware doesn't charge income tax on businesses that don't do business in the state. Nevada doesn't charge either corporate income tax or personal income tax at all.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Fish include discus, angels, rams, and assorted africans such as peacocks, haps, mbunas.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Amandas tank said:


> Okay...I'll give it a shot. Might sound corny, but here's what my daughter and I came up with...BTW, I'm not sure if any of these are already business and don't know if there are copyright laws with small businesses or not. I am an artist and recall running into a problem with my business name because of one made up word that was similar to another artist first name. I tried to incoorporate "Father" into some of them.
> 
> One Stop Cichlid Shop (i think your focus is Cichlids right?)
> Fishtopia
> "Your first name" Tropicals
> "your First name" Tropical Fish
> Got Fins?
> Fish R US (not sure about the copyright...you may not be able to use the R Us part)
> Fishinatank
> Father's Gill Shop
> "Your first name" Gill Shop
> "Your First Name" Fishy Shop
> Father's Fish House
> Underwater Pets
> Wet Pets
> That Fish Place
> I've Got Fish
> We've Got Fish
> The Fish Shack
> Where The Fish Are
> 
> 
> Okay...that list should give you a direction.  Almost got carried away HaHa! Having a lot of fun coming up with names.


All those are great ideas but they sound like pet shops to me, not a hatchery/breeder. :icon_roll Lets keep trying lol.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

Father and son's hatchery
bountiful fish
lake lumberton fish home
lake lumberton hatchery
father's home grown fish

just a few stabs


----------



## Amandas tank

bgallodoro24 said:


> All those are great ideas but they sound like pet shops to me, not a hatchery/breeder. :icon_roll Lets keep trying lol.


Okay! 

How about Your families name infront of Hatchery. I will use the last name Smith as example.

-ie- 
Smith's Hatchery 
The Smith's Family Hatchery

~or something like:

Tropical Fish Specialty Hatchery
Fish is My Specialty
Tropicals Hatchery
Fish is my Thang


----------



## Amandas tank

A couple more using the last name Smith as an example.

Smith's TropicaL fish Hatchery
Smith's Tropicals
Smith's Fabulous Fish
Tropicals by Smith


and a spin off of HD Blazingwolf's idea

Homegrown Tropical Fish
Homegrown Tropicals Hatchery
Homegrown Tropicals for You


----------



## bgallodoro24

Thanks for all you guys and girls help. Lol


----------



## bgallodoro24

What about "FS Fish Hatchery". Father Son Fish Hatchery


----------



## GraphicGr8s

Hatchery should be plural not singular. Sounds better. My aunt and uncle combined their names to come up with SuMac Tropical Fish Hatcheries back in 1950. Maybe something along those lines for you?


----------



## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Hatchery should be plural not singular. Sounds better. My aunt and uncle combined their names to come up with SuMac Tropical Fish Hatcheries back in 1950. Maybe something along those lines for you?


Well woudldnt making it plural suggest that i have more than one hatchery?


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> Well woudldnt making it plural suggest that i have more than one hatchery?


technically you do.. each tank is its own hatchery?


----------



## bgallodoro24

HD Blazingwolf said:


> technically you do.. each tank is its own hatchery?


Yea i see ur point.


----------



## Stitchwod

*Noah's Arkquatic Hatcheries*

 More photos please ...


----------



## bgallodoro24

New video of midas babies!!!!!! Amazed at how many babies they have. Hard to see in video but has to be close to 1000.

http://static.photobucket.com/playe...ums/w376/bgallodoro24/VID_20121125_142055.mp4


----------



## Amandas tank

WOW! Ya ain't a kiddin that's a ton of babies!


----------



## bgallodoro24

I was watching them a few minutes ago and when i fed the parents they were chewing the food up and spitting through their gills in the school of babies. Amazing how nature works.


----------



## akdylpickles

What do you plan on feeding all the babies? pics of your feeding/food growout area?


----------



## bgallodoro24

akdylpickles said:


> What do you plan on feeding all the babies? pics of your feeding/food growout area?


Right now their still with parents. Havent quite deceided when i will move them but i have 9 75g tanks to choose from.


----------



## midlife_hobbyist

:smile:Love the fish room...Very well done...I liked the thumbs up at the end of the video- i agree thumbs up!!


----------



## msawdey

absolutely jaw dropping amazing


----------



## bgallodoro24

Thanks guys. Should have turned my thumb sideways lol.


----------



## Kayla

Hi bgallodoro24

Do you breed any discuss yet and what strain do you have?

Kayla


----------



## bgallodoro24

Kayla said:


> Hi bgallodoro24
> 
> Do you breed any discuss yet and what strain do you have?
> 
> Kayla


Yes i do. I currently have 2 pair blue diamond and 1 pair pigeon blood. I do have 10 babies about 2 1/2"
in size from a pigeon blood and blue diamond pair. As of now their still coloring up but can pm u some pics if your interested.


----------



## bgallodoro24

Hey guys its been awhile but your not gunna believe y I have been gone. I couldnt remember my password to login. Well as u can see I figured it out. Fish are doing find. For some reason I am losing a few adult African fish. Don't know why. One day their eating fine then the next their swimming funny and then die. What is boggling me is the fact that not all the fish in the tank are affected. So I cant see it being ph issues. I do regular water changes like atleast once a week so I doubt ammonia. Any ideas?


----------



## bikinibottom

bgallodoro24 said:


> Hey guys its been awhile but your not gunna believe y I have been gone. I couldnt remember my password to login. Well as u can see I figured it out. Fish are doing find. For some reason I am losing a few adult African fish. Don't know why. One day their eating fine then the next their swimming funny and then die. What is boggling me is the fact that not all the fish in the tank are affected. So I cant see it being ph issues. I do regular water changes like atleast once a week so I doubt ammonia. Any ideas?


Have you tested the water parameters?


----------



## bgallodoro24

bikinibottom said:


> Have you tested the water parameters?


No I havent but I just figured they were fine. One thing I have been doing is feeding them a fish food that is extremely oily. It leaves a oil film all around tank at water edge and it appears the fish cant digest some of it cause it stays on bottom of tank. Also turns the water a slight brown color. I just ordered different food so will try that out. The old food did grow them quic k though.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

bgallodoro24 said:


> No I havent but I just figured they were fine. One thing I have been doing is feeding them a fish food that is extremely oily. It leaves a oil film all around tank at water edge and it appears the fish cant digest some of it cause it stays on bottom of tank. Also turns the water a slight brown color. I just ordered different food so will try that out. The old food did grow them quic k though.


Very proteiny if grow rate was fast.. keep up on water changes if growth is that fast
Have u thought of growing ur own food as well? Midge larva are very nutritious and well balanced, not too fatty or too full of protein. At least thats my opinion


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## bgallodoro24

Did setup tank for mealworms. Also came up with name for company. F & S Hatchery. (Father and son)


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## MABJ

This was worth the hour of reading. And for what it cost you, I think I'll do a shrimp *WALL* someday with a price point of $5000 in mind for my first house.

Kudos and thanks for sharing the amazing journey.


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## bgallodoro24

MABJ said:


> This was worth the hour of reading. And for what it cost you, I think I'll do a shrimp *WALL* someday with a price point of $5000 in mind for my first house.
> 
> Kudos and thanks for sharing the amazing journey.


Np. That's why I do this.


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## scbrooks87

Just went through and read a lot of this thread... Definitely an amazing setup!! Have you started selling fish yet? Got local fish stores interested in buying up your "stock"?

Once my 40b is set up and running, and stable of course, I want to add GBRs, do you think you'll be breeding those?

Thanks
-Scott


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## chubky

WOW! This is one of the coolest setups I've ever seen! Congrats on getting it up and running!


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## bgallodoro24

scbrooks87 said:


> Just went through and read a lot of this thread... Definitely an amazing setup!! Have you started selling fish yet? Got local fish stores interested in buying up your "stock"?
> 
> Once my 40b is set up and running, and stable of course, I want to add GBRs, do you think you'll be breeding those?
> 
> Thanks
> -Scott


Yes I will be selling to lfs shortly. Have about 100 baby africans to sell. Baby flavus, anchor island, and lethrinop haps.

And yes I am starting to breed gbr's. Have 2 pair right now.


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## MABJ

Since you've been so up front with us on money before, please do tell us how much your returns are on your first sale. 

I hope within a year you recoup what you paid for the building.


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## bgallodoro24

MABJ said:


> Since you've been so up front with us on money before, please do tell us how much your returns are on your first sale.
> 
> I hope within a year you recoup what you paid for the building.


Np no secrets here lol.


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## bgallodoro24

Well as of now none of my angels aren't breding but will be shortly. That's what all lfs are asking for.


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## bgallodoro24

Some more pics of breeding pairs.


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## MABJ

Wow!!! Super cool. 

Do you have detailed information on how to breed each species? How many tanks are you utilizing? 

Do you have efficiency numbers?


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## bgallodoro24

MABJ said:


> Wow!!! Super cool.
> 
> Do you have detailed information on how to breed each species? How many tanks are you utilizing?
> 
> Do you have efficiency numbers?


As of now I'm only using half of my tanks.
As far as breeding the africans, their all the same. Female gets full of eggs and then deposits them on sand. As she picks them up and puts them in her mouth the male sprays sperm to fertilize. I can tell she is ready to be moved to her own tank when she has a pouch under her neck and she doesnt eat when I feed other fish in tank. Once I move her it will take roughly 14 days for eggs to hatch. After about 25 days the female will begin to let the babies out of her mouth and she will begin eating again. About another week later the babies are too much of a handfull for her to keep in her mouth. By this point the babies are completly independant. I wait another couple of days for the mom to strengthen back up and then put her in tank with me and start all over.

The midas were very simple. They did it all on their own.

Angel fish are a little more complicated. Much to much to type lol.

Not sure what u mean by efficiency numbers.


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## bikinibottom

i'm totally interested in the business end of this... specifically, what's the break even point? How many fish do you need to sell before you cover the investment plus the operating expenses? And... what's the expected useful life of the equipment before it needs to be replaced, including costs to maintain the building? I know, this is boring stuff to most, but for me it's pretty fascinating.


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## scbrooks87

I'm guessing that he won't know all of that till he really starts getting sales of fish going. Will depend heavily on how fast he is able to turn fish around, and at what price point. Not all fish go for the same $$ of course, and overhead on each type will be different based on equipment needs, length of time he has to spend feeding them, maintaining their tank, etc... It will all play in, and logistically it's probably something that will be trial and error at first, cause I don't know that fish will be an easy business model to create.


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## bgallodoro24

scbrooks87 said:


> I'm guessing that he won't know all of that till he really starts getting sales of fish going. Will depend heavily on how fast he is able to turn fish around, and at what price point. Not all fish go for the same $$ of course, and overhead on each type will be different based on equipment needs, length of time he has to spend feeding them, maintaining their tank, etc... It will all play in, and logistically it's probably something that will be trial and error at first, cause I don't know that fish will be an easy business model to create.


I couldnt have said it better myself. As of now it is costing me $130 a month in electricity. Everything else is paid for. I am invested a lil over $20k. So as far as knowing how long till its paid for itself, I have no idea. I didnt expect the first year or so to go extremely well since I knew I needed to get breeding pairs of fish and work out any kinks.

As far as maintaining the building, its all metal outside and bare walls with spray foam. Only maintenance I do is sweep and mop floors almost every week.

As far as equipment goes I anticipated tank heaters being the first to go out. Right now I only have one of two alita 80 air pumps running and from what I heard they run a long time. I do use the mini split ac to control room temp so tank heaters hardly have to run.


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## P015

bikinibottom said:


> i'm totally interested in the business end of this... specifically, what's the break even point? How many fish do you need to sell before you cover the investment plus the operating expenses? And... what's the expected useful life of the equipment before it needs to be replaced, including costs to maintain the building? I know, this is boring stuff to most, but for me it's pretty fascinating.


I agree with you the business aspect of this fish room would be highly interesting to know more about, but I know it will take you a while to figure it all out.

Anyways, I've read through this thread a few times and have never posted, but wanted to say what you are doing is pretty amazing! Best of luck to you, and I look forward to reading your future posts!!


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## MABJ

Interesting. Thanks for answering the questions. 

130 a month will be hard to overcome! 

Dwarf cichlids are also very popular and yield good returns. 

So do many livebearers. Guppy breeding, Endlers as well as least killifish. 

They all sell equally to hobbyists here and pet stores. 

If you ever master Cory/Otto breeding, you're golden.


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## AnotherHobby

I just plowed through this whole thread, and I'm thirsty for more! I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. Incredibly impressive! I hope you are proud, and I wish you the best of luck. I'll be following this thread.


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## WestHaven

Any updates on the business end of this? 
Any sales yet? 
How did you find your LFS customers? 
Have you done anything about making a website?


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## deeda

I may have missed the answer to this question but what is the purpose of the black and the red handled valves located behind each aquarium?












I know that you are adding water to the tanks for water change purposes but I wonder why there are 2 valves for each tank rather than only one.


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## bikinibottom

bgallodoro24 said:


> I couldnt have said it better myself. As of now it is costing me $130 a month in electricity. Everything else is paid for. I am invested a lil over $20k. So as far as knowing how long till its paid for itself, I have no idea. I didnt expect the first year or so to go extremely well since I knew I needed to get breeding pairs of fish and work out any kinks.
> 
> As far as maintaining the building, its all metal outside and bare walls with spray foam. Only maintenance I do is sweep and mop floors almost every week.
> 
> As far as equipment goes I anticipated tank heaters being the first to go out. Right now I only have one of two alita 80 air pumps running and from what I heard they run a long time. I do use the mini split ac to control room temp so tank heaters hardly have to run.


I understand that you don't know for sure how much you will sell, or how much additional money you will need to invest in tanks/equipment/food/etc. over time. But I imagined that you had at least done some estimates -- you could figure out how much food/electricity/etc. it would cost to raise x number of fish over y period of time, and then establish an estimated price you might sell them at in order to derive a profit. And then from that you could extrapolate out how much profit you would make in a few different scenarios: sold all but your breeding stock; sold half of your fish; or sold some fraction of your fish.... 

I'm not trying to bust your chops... just super curious! My work tangentially involves aquaculture production, and I'm very intrigued about the profitability of small commercial operations.


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## bgallodoro24

WestHaven said:


> Any updates on the business end of this?
> Any sales yet?
> How did you find your LFS customers?
> Have you done anything about making a website?


No updates on buisness end. Found lfs by visiting them and getting to know them. They are anxiously waiting lol. I am talking with someone on this site about setting up a website but nothing final.


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## bgallodoro24

deeda said:


> I may have missed the answer to this question but what is the purpose of the black and the red handled valves located behind each aquarium?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know that you are adding water to the tanks for water change purposes but I wonder why there are 2 valves for each tank rather than only one.


All tanks with 2 valves can be used for low and high ph water. Red valves are tied to my well which is 6.5ph and blue valves are tied to 300 gallon tank which has 7.9ph.


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## bgallodoro24

bikinibottom said:


> I understand that you don't know for sure how much you will sell, or how much additional money you will need to invest in tanks/equipment/food/etc. over time. But I imagined that you had at least done some estimates -- you could figure out how much food/electricity/etc. it would cost to raise x number of fish over y period of time, and then establish an estimated price you might sell them at in order to derive a profit. And then from that you could extrapolate out how much profit you would make in a few different scenarios: sold all but your breeding stock; sold half of your fish; or sold some fraction of your fish....
> 
> I'm not trying to bust your chops... just super curious! My work tangentially involves aquaculture production, and I'm very intrigued about the profitability of small commercial operations.


Dont take this the wrong way, but me and my dad aren't too worried about the profit as far as figuring out how much we will make initially. We are playing it by ear and see where it goes. Once we have a nice stock going then I might be able to answer your question.


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## deeda

Thanks for the response. I thought the 2 valves may be used for the different water parameters you have but I wasn't sure.


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## bgallodoro24

deeda said:


> Thanks for the response. I thought the 2 valves may be used for the different water parameters you have but I wasn't sure.


Np. Another question for you guys. I have an angel that's not eating like the others and looking a lil thin. I believe it to be an internal parisite and it seems that angels are prone to this. I have moved him to his own tank and raised temp to 90 degrees in order to speed up metabolism. I also put him on a food containg garlic. Is there any medicine that can be used?


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## aquanut-john

Prazipro


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## h4n

Subscribed!

someday i want something like this!!!


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## bgallodoro24

Well midas layed eggs again today. Took all previous babies out of tank and put in another 75g so parents could breed again. Only took them a week. Also angels started pairing up. Have 1 blue platinum and 1 blue marble platinum pair now. Seperated 12 orange koi into 2 groups of 6 so they have a little more room to pair off.

Africans are going strong and as of now I have 4 batches of babies to sell. All 2"+. Have another 4 pregnant females also.

Just a little update that's all.


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## bgallodoro24

Got first batch of angel fry from full coverage kois. Should be free swimming today. As of now I have 9 pair of angels. Will take some new pics.


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## midlife_hobbyist

great news....I've been lurking and subscribed a while ago. Glad to see the fsh are co-operating!!


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## II Knucklez II

AMAZING!!!!! you should get some more discus breeding in there!


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## GraphicGr8s

updates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updatesupdates updates


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## JYY626

*updates*

updates +1 



More full room shotsss! :icon_smil


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## bgallodoro24

Will post new pics tomorrow. Right now I have 7 batches of angel fry.


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## GraphicGr8s

Get that 24/7 webcam running!!

So when can I expect my shipment of angels?


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## flight50

Hey bgallodoro24, I haven't been on the forum since August but it's nice to see you made some real good progress. Last I remember you had just finishing staining, lol. Now she's operational and running with life......Sweet! I am happy for you. You put in some serious effort and funds. Have you ran any lfs out of business yet, lol.


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## bgallodoro24

GraphicGr8s said:


> Get that 24/7 webcam running!!
> 
> So when can I expect my shipment of angels?


I guess as soon as their old enough to sell. With 10 pair of angels I get atleast one batch a week. Right now my oldest batch is only 2 weeks old. So once their old enough to sell I should have angels to sell every week from that point on. If all goes well. Right now I'm still working out all the kinks such as cleaning and maintenance of fry tanks and feeding. Right now I'm feeding microworms since it is much easier and safer than bbs. Not sure if growth is any slower but if it is it cant be much. And I dont have to wory about hatching them and the bbs fouling the water. MW live in water for days.


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## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> Hey bgallodoro24, I haven't been on the forum since August but it's nice to see you made some real good progress. Last I remember you had just finishing staining, lol. Now she's operational and running with life......Sweet! I am happy for you. You but in some serious effort and funds. Have you ran any lfs out of business yet, lol.


No havent run them out of buisness yet but they are definitely in a dire need for angels. For some reason the hatchery they are buying from has none because all 10 lfs around me have none. Good for me I guess. Lfs told me they pay $5 a piece for full coverage koi, black, and blue angels. Not bad but I know I can get more selliny online. Just easier to move larger amounts with lfs. I dont think I have a hatchery around me to sell to but that would be great too.


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## jtfromcharlotte

Updates?


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## Steezy B

This journal is awesome. We need more pics!


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## GraphicGr8s

So what's going on these days? Why no updates?


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## Psychedelic

Subbed


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## lamiskool

any updates?


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## bgallodoro24

Sorry guys been pretty busy. Started a new job. Everything is going pretty good. I have three tanks of baby angels about Nickle size and five tanks of fry. My orange koi came down with a case of hex which was all 5 pairs. Only 2 are stil struggling. I will have to take so more pics for you guys. Actually have some Nickle size babies from a double dark black and a full coverage koi pair. They are my favorite. All black bodies with orange gold trim on fins. Their fins are also twice the size of their body.


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## GraphicGr8s

any updates?


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## bgallodoro24

Well im back lol and selling to pet shops. Sold $1000 in 2 weeks and that was our first sales. Its going so good right now. The pet shops are loving it. They havent had any angels in over a year for some reason. I havent even thought about selling online yet cause im just getting the hang of bagging and bringing to the lfs. As of now all my tanks are full of angels. I even bred a black with a full coverage koi and came up with a beautiful angel. Their fins are so long. I sold all i had except 8 so i can get 2 pair and then sell the rest. The africans are going really good as well. I fool with the angels and my dad does the africans. Its just too much for one person to do. As far as time involved it takes me about an hour a day during the week and about 2 to 3 hrs on Saturday. Our water in water out method is great. Everyday i change about 25% water while imdoing other things like hatching bbs and cleaning fry tanks. I will post some updated pics as soon as i can.


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## Terry6000

Don't bother with hatch bbs. You can either buy or make decapped Brine shrimp. Then fern the them strait too the fry. No hatching needed. Less waist and more nutrients. The angel fry take to them real fast.
Plus the decaps help you. Less smell. More room and time for other activities. Lastly you don't have to worry about hatch rate.


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## bgallodoro24

Terry6000 said:


> Don't bother with hatch bbs. You can either buy or make decapped Brine shrimp. Then fern the them strait too the fry. No hatching needed. Less waist and more nutrients. The angel fry take to them real fast.
> Plus the decaps help you. Less smell. More room and time for other activities. Lastly you don't have to worry about hatch rate.


Honestly I have thought about decapping my own for awhile now just don't know how. I hate hatching them everyday. Maybe you could give me a step by step.


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## bgallodoro24

Setup a Facebook page @ facebook/fshatcheries. Post some updated pics aswell.


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## merlin

Is it only me but I cant find your fb page.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


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## bgallodoro24

merlin said:


> Is it only me but I cant find your fb page.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


Sorry its "father and son hatcheries"


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## prmtime

Just read all 38 pages. Wow is about all I can say.


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## bgallodoro24

prmtime said:


> Just read all 38 pages. Wow is about all I can say.


thanks it means a lot. It is a lot of work but I love it. Especially when I make some money.


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## dear_iinsanity

That is awesome.


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## bgallodoro24

Brand new video. I will post direct link tomorrow but for now it's on our Facebook page @ "father and son hatcheries"


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## flight50

An update. Sweet! Glad to hear things are going well for you. 1k in 2 weeks isn't bad at all. Once word of mouth gets around and you have more time to toy with packaging, that 1k every 2 weeks will turn into 1k per week or more. At least your dad is helping. That is a task at hand to do all that solo. You might even have to hire help once online sales kick in, lol. I am so happy for you though bgallodoro. You put alot of time an effort into this. You have inspired alot of people to do fish rooms. To tell you the truth, your project is what inspired me to do a multi tank setup. I kid you not. I wasn't even thinking about a multi tank setup until I saw this thread. I finally got started on that setup from when I first posted here. You can see the progress from the link in my sig. It is no where near the size of yours but it is indeed a multi setup in the works. So thanks for your inspiration.


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## bgallodoro24

flight50 said:


> An update. Sweet! Glad to hear things are going well for you. 1k in 2 weeks isn't bad at all. Once word of mouth gets around and you have more time to toy with packaging, that 1k every 2 weeks will turn into 1k per week or more. At least your dad is helping. That is a task at hand to do all that solo. You might even have to hire help once online sales kick in, lol. I am so happy for you though bgallodoro. You put alot of time an effort into this. You have inspired alot of people to do fish rooms. To tell you the truth, your project is what inspired me to do a multi tank setup. I kid you not. I wasn't even thinking about a multi tank setup until I saw this thread. I finally got started on that setup from when I first posted here. You can see the progress from the link in my sig. It is no where near the size of yours but it is indeed a multi setup in the works. So thanks for your inspiration.


Pardon me while I puff out my chest lmao. No bit in all seriousness I'm glad I inspired you. It's amazing what we can do when we want to.


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## discoveringmypath

Your thread is inspiring to say the least. I'm in the military, but when ever I retire and setup shop somewhere I wouldn't mind doing something similar. Making money doing something you enjoy seems like the best way to live.


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## Couesfanatic

hows this going?


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## sphack

Any updates?


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## Clear Water

Thanks for sharing your story.

I'm in business and I can tell you your not doing this just to make money. This also has to be your love because if you figure your time and sweat in to the picture you would never do it. As far as most business go, with an investment you would like to pay back to be a minimum 5 years. So your profit would have to be somewhere around 5000.00 per year. That's just to get back your investment. That doesn't include any labor. I to breed fish and it paid for my hobby on a much smaller scale. But like I said you got to love it to do it or becomes a real job and the fastest way to kill your hobby is to make it work. 

But what you have done is just awesome. Keep up the good work.


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