Not everyone is lucky enough to have a fish room, but those who do enjoy the benefits they provide. There is plenty of room for sumps, shelters, skimmers, filters, sterilizers, etc. It also gives many fish tank owners a place to hide from life’s burdens. Ask the owner of a fish room and you will find that there are many DIY projects in such a company. Curiously, one of the areas that receives less attention is the floor. Why is that?
When dealing with large amounts of water, salts, chemicals, skimmate, etc. Shouldn’t the floor be an instrumental part of any fish room? Maybe it’s just that many fishing room owners were unaware that there were options available. The good news is that there are many to choose from. Here are a few:
- bare concrete
- Carpeting
- Wood
- Linoleum
- roof tile
- rubber flooring
Many fish rooms are located in the basement, which usually means that many homeowners have bare concrete floors. These floors offer the advantage of being extremely resistant to the weight that many of the components of a fish room can have. However, concrete is quite cold and uncomfortable to spend a lot of time on. Also, concrete is porous, so over time it can absorb water and salts from spills. Lastly, many chemicals are used in fishing halls and these spills are difficult to clean off of concrete.
Carpets are the worst thing to do in a fish room. Spills of any kind are difficult to clean up and it’s best not to use rugs if you have the option. However, rugs have good qualities that make them attractive. First, it’s warmer and more comfortable than the other options available. In addition, it has soundproofing qualities that will help keep the noise from all the pumps and splashing water to a minimum.
Wood is another possible option, although not very common. Wood is cold and has very little soundproofing properties. Also, without regular maintenance, the wood finish can decay and absorb spills.
Linoleum is a pretty good option for many fish room owners. It’s warmer than wood or bare concrete and spills are easy to clean up. It is also quite durable. If you’re just building your fish room, linoleum might be a good option. It takes a bit of effort to install and requires the use of adhesives to install properly. Spills should be cleaned up immediately because, if left, they can reduce the bond between the linoleum and the subfloor below, causing it to peel and warp.
Tile is another option, but it’s generally not a very good option. Grout can break down over time and the weight of fish tanks and other items in the fish room can crack the tiles. Also, it is still cold and offers little to no soundproofing qualities.
Rolled flooring (sometimes called rubber flooring) is probably the best option for almost any fish room. Made from truly high-quality polyvinyl, rubber flooring was originally designed to be used in the garage and its durability is one of its best selling points.
Rubber floors are warmer and more comfortable than wood, tile and concrete. Its anti-fatigue properties also make it a joy to work with. Spills wipe up easily and it won’t absorb water, salts or chemicals. Rubber flooring is fairly inexpensive and offers very good sound deadening properties. Because the rubber flooring is not glued down, it can also be easily removed from the fish room and taken outside for a good cleaning and rinsing with a garden hose.
One of the best benefits of rubber flooring is that it is very easy to install. Because it does not use adhesives, it is simply unrolled, trimmed as needed, and placed.
If you already have another type of flooring (such as wood) and prefer the look of it, a clear rubber flooring would be a good choice. Enjoy the benefits of the look of wood with the qualities of rubber flooring.
What if your fish room is already stocked? Again, not a big problem with rubber floors. Because it’s easy to install, you can trim away any obstacles for a nice clean look. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the dangers chemically installed flooring can pose to your precious aquatic life.
If you’re lucky enough to have that fishy room, take it to the next level with a new floor. Not only will it look better, it will be safer and easier to clean than any other flooring available.
