Aquariums in control rooms?

NeveSSL

NeveSSL

New member
Hi all!

Quick question... has anyone ever put an aquarium in their control room?

I was thinking of doing a 180gallon bow front (I'm into reef tanks... so it would be saltwater :) ). I figured the bow front would help keep resonation in the tank down and also not be a flat surface I would need to treat... because that wouldn't work so well... :p

I'm far from ever constructing a studio in my basement, mainly because I'm still in school and need and job and house first. :D

Any thoughts are welcomed!

Brandon
 
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that if you've keep guitars in the room, they're going to love the extra humidity.

The next thing that comes to me is...I'm wondering if you can get submersible lava lamps. It would be cool as hell and the fishys would dig the extra Nemo vibe.:D
 
Very true on the humidity...

I was planning on having the tank in wall (ie, not in the room directly) and all of my equipment behind the tank, possibly in a garage (obviously depends on what kind of house we get :) ). I think I could probably work just some simple fans that could take the humidity elsewhere... great point, though!

Not sure on the submersible lava lamps, but please do share a link if you find some! :D

Brandon
 
Just think about your treatment plan carefully and what will need to be done prior to committing to doing this. You'd hate to have to deal with a problem only to see that you can't because there's a big glass tank there.

Also, hate to say it, but not only will the tank blow any kind of iso you might have, it will likely act to magnify sound transmission between spaces.

Hate to be a downer.

Bryan
 
No, no, no... no worries about being a "downer"... thats the whole reason I posted. :) I appreciate your input and you have a very valid point. This is something that I think can work, I just need to do it carefully and well. I've got a couple of years before it actually will be done, I'm just wanting to plan a bit. :)

I'm hoping the tank may have a room of its own behind it, or at least a garage.

That is another thing I shall take into consideration.

Anyone else?

Thanks!

Brandon
 
Cool man... a 180g bow front is my dream reef tank. :D They're actually not hard at all to make quiet, believe it or not. But I will almost have to have a separate room somewhere... too much equipment... but, again, all in good time. :)

Brandon
 
NeveSSL said:
..a 180gallon bow front (I'm into reef tanks... so it would be saltwater :) ). ..and need and job and house first. :D
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My thoughts are.. the house is expensive, a studio is expensive, and a flippin' 180 reef is expensive. I dropped 2k easy on my 75g reef.

There came a time when I had to choose between the studio and tank. (no joke) There is just not enough money, or time in the day to do a good job at both.

























That said, I'd get a 180 bow front FOWLR (fish only with live rock) for the studio. Much easier to take care of, easier on the $$, and fish are much more entertaining to watch when taking mix breaks. THe tank itself will not trasmit much sound, but you'll have a bitch of a time sealing around it. (if you are trying to sound proof) As for just a convex diffuser, you're good to go.:D
 
Definitely a lot of money... that being said, this is definitely in a perfect world... :D ;)

There are potential job opportunities coming up (after graduation) that could be around $70k a year after a couple of years, starting at around $36k a year, and this being in a place where a 2 bedroom apartment is only about $450/month. Plus, gear would be at COST. :D

Again, this is all in theory. I know I'll have a studio, and I know I'll have a tank (because I already have a 45g that I've just about already sunk $2k into ;) ), but we'll see.

Thanks for the reply!

Brandon
 
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Maybe I presented it incorrectly but I was thinking the added humidity would be like a good thing...really. Singers voices would certainly appreciate it, wooden stuff would love it and during the winter months when the heater is running, it would help to keep the static down. All pluses in my book.

Didn't consider the pump noises though and the occassional flipper splash but hey, aquatic ambiance. :D
 
Oh, ok... gotcha. I'll pump the air INTO the studio then. :D

Aquatic Ambiance... maybe thats what I'll call the studio. ;)

Brandon
 
If the tank you refer to has a curved front, use it as a poly diffuser centered at the rear wall.:) However, polys that really work, are NOT parts of a circle, they are parts of an ELIPSE.
fitZ
 
As nice as it would look, you are going to have some stressed fish if you keep a tank anywhere in a studio. In the control room, they are going to have to deal with blasting speakers and won't get lights out unless you quit working on music when your light timers go off. A lounge area would be a better choice, but then you are going to deal with band members messing with the fish while you are in the control room and, again, no guarantee of lights out on a schedule.
 
You're assuming I'll have business! :D :D :D

Yeah, I've thought about that. I don't think light issues are as big of a deal for fish as many people think. Their lights will go out, and most likely the studio's lights won't be blaring. Consider it dusk/dawn effect. :P I do hear what you're saying, though.

As far as loud sound, in theory I won't go above 85dB SPL too much. ;) At least I'll try not to... :D I'll be interested to see exactly how it truly effects my inhabitants. It very well may stress them out like crazy, to the point of illness, but I think it may not. We'll just have to see! If I have enough room for a lounge, I will definitely try to take that route, but I may or may not have enough room.

Thanks!

Brandon
 
dude, your idea for a fish tank in a studio is awesome. plain awesome. Go for it imo :D good luck
 
Thanks man. :) I think it would be really awesome, too. There's a lot to consider, and everyone has given me some great advice and things to think about. But I'm pretty sure I can pull it off... as long as we don't track Marshall's on 11 in the control room. :D

Brandon
 
NeveSSL said:
Thanks man. :) I think it would be really awesome, too. There's a lot to consider, and everyone has given me some great advice and things to think about. But I'm pretty sure I can pull it off... as long as we don't track Marshall's on 11 in the control room. :D

Brandon
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just use carvins. :D lol

in case you don't get it, carvins are known to be quiter amps
 
I'm a huge guitar geek... I have Bogner, Selmer, amps I've built... dreaming of Suhr, Tyler, and Andersons... lol ... but I've never heard of Carvin amps being quieter. :)

Brandon
 
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