Witness the transformation

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 25 Jun 2007, 09:09

I am going to transform this area out the back of my house into a fish house hopefully over the course of this week. If you fancy you can witness this transformation.

Please feel free to slag off anything you see or read that you do not like the look of as more eyes are better than two, or something like that anyway.
Matt

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 26 Jun 2007, 08:16

Come on!!!When will you start the transformation???

I think it will be a more than intresting project...

Cant wait to see it going...

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 26 Jun 2007, 11:29

grokefish wrote:I am going to transform this area out the back of my house into a fish house hopefully over the course of this week.

In a week? Do you happen to have a magic wand (which I could borrow once?)

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 27 Jun 2007, 13:35

A week indeed.
I'm sorry Bas but I cannot, and will not lend you my majic wand for if I lent it to you how on earth would I maintain my myriad of aquaria!
Eh? I ask you!
You kids want it all on a plate now don't you?
I didn't get where I am today...........blah,blah,blah

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 27 Jun 2007, 19:36

The work begins.....
First a basic frame for the roof

tomorrow I will be finishing off the end and putting in the purlings? The beams between these main beams.

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 27 Jun 2007, 20:23

this is huge, how big will it be? over 6 * 3 meters (20 8 10 feet) for sure

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:02

Those beams are 16ft long and the wall plate is 13ft wide so that makes 208 square feet.
it doesn't look that big but it is outside and things look smaller when they are outside.
Matt

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 28 Jun 2007, 08:23

Wow...208 square feet fishroom?????

Thats great,you can have quite a few and quite big tanks there

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 28 Jun 2007, 11:35

Very, very nice size. I have my garage turned into a fishroom, it measured 6 * 3 meters - before I started insulating it, now I only have 5.6 * 2.8 meters left

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 28 Jun 2007, 12:32

Matt,
Don't you need all kinds of local permits for such a rebuild?
Overhere it would take you ages and loads of money to be allowed to do such a thing....
Looking good btw. Nice place for lots of Auchenipterids

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 28 Jun 2007, 14:08

In the UK you can build "anything" on your land that isn't:
1) Severely obstructing the view of your neightbours.
2) A permanent building.

Since this is in the form of a "shed" or "conservatory", it's not a permanent building, and it's not too high above the ground, so the neighbours won't be able to object that they can't see out the windows on the upper floor.

--
Mats

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 28 Jun 2007, 17:31

Well said Mr P
Here is a few pictures of how I did today before rain stopped play. I'm still hopefull for the one week deadline and I had better pull my finger out I'm off to Dublin for three weeks on the 9th, anyone know any good fish shops in Dublin?

To give you an Idea of the size it is in real terms that little wooden box in the corner contains a 4ft by 3ft by 1.5ft pond which will soon be part of my plant filter system.
Marc have you seen my cats list the number of woodcat species is getting worryingly low I don't know what happened to my Zamorra he must have passed away and been scavenged and I gave my galxaiaeseses to my mate to look after for me to prevent death by trachy-optomy when I thought I had a nasty one, which reminds me I must hassle her for them back!
I told you I was slowly turning into a loricaridophile.
Anyhoo, tomorrow it shall be on with the underfloor insulation and maybe pipework for underfloor heating I'm not sure yet, I am thinking about using solar water heating panels for that bit just to get a bit more free heating but I'm not sure if the units are up to it, and after my last venture into alternative energy went a bit askew (my supplier went bust as the demand just wasn't high enough yet, shame on you all, the end of the world is nigh, oil is running out and all that. Solar pannels aren't any good then, why is that? because they are made of plastic! so? well plastic is made of oil and using energy derived from oil you dimwit, oh yeah right, well what are we going to do then? I don't know but I think you're on the wrong forum you want treehuggersdotcom, go on get lost, right now I've dealt with that...)
As you can see my Kitchen has a massive flat roof, this is south facing and will be perfect for loads of photo voltaic pannels so they are gonna go up there as soon as I have replaced the roof with fiberglass, which will mean I will be able to collect loads of rain water as well and that coupled with the wind turbine down the back should make my fish (and house) room greener than a green thing from greenland in a big green room and totally humusmuncher and tree hugger friendly (not to mention the fact that I will be free from all services bills cept. drinking water for the house

And Bas here is a picture of me and my majic wand.

"It's my wand and I'm Keeping it"

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 28 Jun 2007, 19:28

As we all know, a 3 feet sledgehammer is a perfect magic wand - to ttear things down.

If I need one, I'll get one, I have 2 DIYS shops on 5 min by car distance. In fact, I need to go to one now, to get me some PVC glue.

Still a nice procect, keep posting these pics

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 28 Jun 2007, 19:58

grokefish wrote:I told you I was slowly turning into a loricaridophile.

Hit yourself on the head with your magic wand and perhaps this silly idea may go away

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 28 Jun 2007, 20:08

Not one like this you can't 'smajic see, it's got stars.

I was working in this power station and just hanging out by the engineering stores when this guy went up to the storeman and said "I need a 0-25mm micrometer and a 14lb sledgehammer please", what do you think he was going to do with this combination of tools? That has always baffled me, I should have tagged along to see what he was up to.

Edris · Post by **Edris** » 01 Jul 2007, 10:23

rofl

i'm really curious how it comes together. it's a lot of hard work i think.

keep it going!

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 01 Jul 2007, 18:42

Rain had stopped play for all of Saturday (yesterday)but this is what I got done today.

The Little Grokling balancing on the floor joist.
Not much really but it is Sunday and I'm feeling lazy.

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 01 Jul 2007, 19:32

grokefish wrote:Not one like this you can't 'smajic see, it's got stars.

I love it!!! That's great!!! It's nice to know construction sites/engineering,etc. are the same the world over. I look forward to seeing the finished Grokeroom.

Amanda

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 02 Jul 2007, 21:54

Rain stopped!!!

AquaKat lends a hand.

Builders Bum

The result of AquaKats labor as the supervisor looks on

The Supervisor "Get back to work you bone idle good for nothing lollygaggers!!!"

Pink Floyd

Tomorrow the roof!!!
Matt
Ps. is anyone any good with photoshop?
If you are could you try to cut and paste this picture of my big tank

Into this picture of the fish house so that it is sitting ontop the raised bed?

It would be very much appreciated as I'm useless at photo shop.
Thanks.

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 03 Jul 2007, 00:46

Behold my mighty photoshop skills!

An empty tank is a bit boring so I had a rummage through your photo gallery (hope you don't mind).

How about this?

or this?

or, better yet, this!

btw you seem to be making quite good progress, good work. Though I don't like the look of your supervisor, methinks he might get a magic wand to the back of his nutty noggin!

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 03 Jul 2007, 08:06

Behold indeed you truly are a master of the photoshop trickery. I especially like the grokefish one, thats going on my wall.
Thanks snowball.
Yes the supervisor was really grating on AquaKats nerves yesterday and I had to split them up a few times, but I think it is just a covering act and that she is having an affair with him, it's just all the overtime she's putting in, late night meetings, that bright red lipstick on her collar.......

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 03 Jul 2007, 16:42

Great job grokefish,its starting to look wonderfull...I especially like the wood dressing...

Your plans about a big tank on there are great to...Cant wait to see a montser tank on there

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 03 Jul 2007, 19:57

The version with what appears to contain discus hiding under the log. That's the one to go with. One can never have enough Discus.
I'd put these in it. One is hiding.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 03 Jul 2007, 21:07

Those are some great discus Larry.

Oh know it's true AquaKat Is having an afair with the supervisor

Well I can bide my time, the foundation for the fish tank is going in soon....then it'll be goodnight Irene down with the fishy's he'll go.

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 04 Jul 2007, 00:51

Are you pouring any more concrete? It'd be a shame if someone fell in, no one would ever know what happened to them...

Sorry to stray off topic, but Larry are those wild Heckels or the results of a captive bred cross? If so they are stunning. We can get wild Heckels down here (via Germany as we can't import direct from S.A.), but even the nicest never colour up like that.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 05 Jul 2007, 12:59

Ah well it's thursday and the roof still hasn't arrived, I will have to take my majic wand back to the shop, it's faulty.
Any way this is what we did when the rain stopped for a brief period yesterday.
The roof timber was sealed with a polyurethane varnish to stop any leaching of the wood treatment. The door was manufactured and hung and the weather boards were mostly sealed up.

Maybe the rain will stop long enough for me to repair the wall pointing and lay the concrete base for the tank later.
I hope so because I have to be in Ireland soon (I've put it off for a week)
Matt

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 12 Jul 2007, 22:34

Ah the house is complete.....
Well almost.

We had to take the big tank through someone elses house and across the gardens to get it in cos it wouldn't fit through the kitchen door.
It has a running tank in it so I think it is now a fish house don't you think?

Some Microglanis live in there.
I'm moving more tanks and fishy's in there tomorrow before I go to catch my plane to Dublin at 2:05 pm tomorrow so I'll have to get up early!! Grrrrr!

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 13 Jul 2007, 19:31

The result looks very good, and I'm glad you did not try to use the magic wand to get the tank through the kitchen, butr did it the old fashioned way

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 14 Jul 2007, 15:48

Fabulous job thus far, Groke. I look forward to the finished product. Will you be putting a reclining lounge chair in the middle of the room?

Amanda

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 15 Jul 2007, 17:05

Thank you,
I'm having temperature problems at the minute, well I say I am but actually AquaKat is, she is looking after it all while I am in Dublin for a few weeks. I think she is going to post about it and any help would be appreciated as my spotted dora breeding project is over for the minute as the mature specimens died due to overheating.
Matt

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