Neptune Aquatics

Concrete or deck

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SuryaKoti

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quite far from actually starting a tank, there other priorities but hey priorities can be mixed up on the sly two birds one shot isn't that the saying?

so whats a good base for a largish tank in the bay area? concrete slab or a deck style base?

some thoughts - --
concrete slab - its solid, will keep some warmth for radiant heating esp in the winters and colder nights,
Cons- plumbing under the slab or through the slab so limits options for reconfiguring plumbing etc, may crack if the earth shakes or settling occurs for whatever reason, not easy to remove/trash

deck style - strong enough if built right, Invisible plumbing that can be accessed for changes that are always around the corner, insulation is possible. fed up? rip it up easily and repurpose the lumber :p

What else? I'd love to hear from you

ofcourse - mixing in priorities: need to run something around the home to use a pathway that will also help drain the water away
 
Are you planing an outdoor tank?

Most wooden floor systems can take a tank if you put it in a structurally sound place. Ground floor with crawlspace is most likely the easiest to modify if needed. Unless you have a basement!
 
Outdoor? sort of. Not enough room indoors for anything over a 75g tank. So thinking of a sun room/greenhouse or something in dimensions that will keep it under the radar. I am trying to stay away from anything elaborate like plans, permits etc. I have basic understanding and experience of deck construction and load physics.
 
Opinions:

Choice depends on height.
If your flooring is right near the dirt level, I really suggest concrete.
A tiny space is just asking for mold and critters.
If it is raised, wood makes more sense. Easy enough to build strong.

Side opinion: Build a real sunroom, nicely done, with permits.
Great for tank, and for more living space.
And if done correctly, adds a fair bit to value of property.
If you are spending all that effort, why not do it right?
 
So will this GH be attached to the house or freestanding? The tank could be on a nicely supported stand and the greenhouse could have almost any surface. Dirt if you want more informal or, well the sky's the limit. Keeping it 'under the radar' is more a function of where you live and the neighbors.

I'd do a good rock foundation for the stand and go for a 'little piece of the tropics' feel. Fish, corals, ferns, orchids, reptiles, amphibians, OH MY!

Keeping heat in and getting rid of heat are the big issues with a GH.

How big a tank you talking about?
 
Mark, all the right questions that make my pocket cringe. I would love a large sunroom however the basic costing puts it out of reach for the next 3-4 years, I think I will suffer from withdrawal symptoms if I go tankless for so long. Looking for a quick way out to get a tank running, especially while my wife is agreeable :D

Or maybe there is a trick I should know about?

flooring is about 6-8 higher than the dirt.. look at it like this I can see the slab pretty much sitting on the dirt. The dirt around the house is fairly level
 
We do love the tropics! I have kept a tropical garden before but water wasnt a constraint and there was sufficient natural rainfall. my wife draws the line at two kids (fish dont count as kids thankfully) but I'd love a dog!

I was curious how far I can push tank temps if it was to be in a greenhouse - last summer in Minneapolis I let it get and stay as high as 83-84F for about 45 days. first thing that comes to mind the water starts to smell a lot. Algae seems to like this temps too and this adds to the smell too. Didnt see any visible loss of health of livestock. Dunno if managing a steady 83F will be an uphill task. I picked up some free single pane windows to put together a ragtag greenhouse and a brand new 40G to test it. It should give me a fair idea; I'm still thinking of digging up a hole in the ground and adding a water resorvoir to see it will help keep the tank temps fairly steady. how hot does the ground get around here - say 6-40" down?

GH is sort of freestanding, it will next to the house but not really attached. we want a full view of the backyard including the sky - biggest reason for buying this house - although small we liked the openness! thats where the GH wins over a sunroom. I'm still weighing the pros and cons.

tank size is still up in the air, but if the peices fall into place something along the lines of 6'x 4' x 20 0r 24" (I have short arms)
 
A bit will depend on how stable your dirt is also, and if it will stay dry.
Having a pier settle or move would be a big problem with a tank.
Constant heavy weight can be good at forcing mud to creep.

I would go with a nice slab. Preferably sized for a future sunroom.

On the cheap, one idea:
Just lay a bunch of 4x6 treated beams in the dirt, maybe 1 foot apart under tank, less in other areas,
and put lots of 2x6 boards crosswise.
Distributes the weight around well, like a raft in a way. Probably overkill.
Replace later when you do something fancy.

Temp sounds like a much bigger issue. My sun-room gets HOT in the summer.
You will need a strong chiller.
 
Deck wins over a concrete slab; deck trumps for two reasons - will not get blazing hot so the feet of little ones and the grown ups will not get scorched - we are more likely/prefer to step out bare feet. Second reason almost always trumps others - looks!! we feel a deck will look much nicer and will be more natural.

Due to the first reason I had ruled out composite decking and the possibility that they are not designed for heavy loads (ofcourse the load bearing area could be different however a continuous structure would spread the load better I think - elasticity); but maybe I missed a key point so your inputs will be valuable.
As for wood decking, what would you prefer - Redwood, Ipe, tigerwood, treated, processed pine, others. I only have very limited experience with treated wood outdoors.
 
When it comes to wood, imo nothing beats out redwood but the expense can be kind of high. The other and I'm sure cheaper option would be to use just regular treated lumber. Either way would work fine for you.

Sent using tapatalk4 from my GS III
 
Are you planning on putting in a deck then add a GH on top of that? Will the deck be at ground level?

I would not like any pressure treated wood to be visible. Using it as substructure is probably OK but as decking, NO WAY! Human skin should not come into regular contact with PT.

Typical inexpensive construction of a GH would have a foundation made from PT timbers. These need to be attached to the ground to prevent the GH from blowing away! Once the GH is up then you could build a tank sized platform out of wood/concrete or ??.

You might want to take a look at some of the 'Sunset' books available at any home center for ideas. Also google 'greenhouse kits images' for everything from expensive show pieces to practical butt ugly!
 
Deck will be at ground level; deck goes first and then the greenhouse over it. i plan to pour footings for the greenhouse structure and construction brackets so it will stay put. Same for the foundations on which the tank will sit.

Agree about using pressure treated for the substructure.

trying to get a sense on prices - whats a good place to be looking for redwood decking lumber? (besides HD and Lowe's)
 
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