u/ReefShieldAquatics

It’s been a little while since our last post, so I figured it was time for another ReefShield Aquatics update! I've been super busy with life recently, so it's been a little longer than I had planned.

We’re now about one month away from closing on the house, which means we’re getting very close to the point where this stops being a construction project for our builder and starts becoming a real fish room project for me!

The basement is basically complete and this is the state we will be inheriting it in. A little bit of drywall, exposed ceiling joists, and a whole lot of open space. Behind the scenes, a ton has happened since the first post. The electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and other mechanical systems are now in place, and we recently passed our rough building inspection. This is the part of the build where a lot of the work isn't fish focused, but it's laying the foundation for everything that comes later.

Once we close, then the fun part begins! We're getting close...

While we've been waiting, I've been using the time to plan out as much as possible so that I can hit the ground running once we get the keys.

I've been working through the tank layouts, quarantine systems, filtration, RODI / saltwater stations, water-change systems, electrical/equipment locations, storage, humidity control, and probably about a thousand other little details.

I'm trying to solve as many problems as possible before I start putting tanks and equipment in the room. I'm sure I'll still make plenty of mistakes, but hopefully I can avoid some of the really expensive ones.

Does anyone have any cool ideas I should consider before I get started?

Hey everyone! I've finally decided to start sharing a project I've been working toward for quite a while. I figured it's time to introduce myself and what I'm building. I've been planning this behind the scenes for a long time, but I realized it'd be a lot more fun to build it with input from this community instead of waiting until it was finished.

I've named the project ReefShield Aquatics. The long term goal is to make quarantined fish more accessible to other reef hobbyists and help prevent livestock losses from disease. I thought some of you might enjoy following this story from the very beginning.

My name is Chad, I am a 27 year old manufacturing engineer working in the aerospace industry and I enjoy lifting weights, spending time outdoors, and of course reefkeeping. I have had reef tanks on and off for the past 14 years (yes, I started young), and currently have an 80 gallon shallow reef setup.

Right now, I am in the middle of constructing a home just off the shore of Lake Michigan in the mitten state. I'll be transforming the 900 square foot unfinished basement into a giant fish room and quarantine facility with over 700 gallons of display tanks, hundreds of gallons of quarantine capacity, and a dedicated sump and systems room to support the entire operation. Most people look at a 900-square-foot unfinished basement and see storage space. I looked at it and saw a dream fish room.

The idea for ReefShield didn't come out of nowhere, though. It started with one of the toughest lessons I've learned in reefkeeping. Like a lot of hobbyists starting out, I naively trusted that the fish I was buying from my LFS were healthy. Everything was fine until a diamond sleeper goby introduced velvet into my tank. Within days, fish started showing symptoms, and shortly after I was watching my tank crash. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in this hobby. Instead of walking away, I became obsessed with understanding how it could have been prevented. I spent countless hours researching quarantine protocols, disease management, medications, biosecurity, and so much more. That experience completely changed how I approach adding new things to my tank, and it's ultimately the reason ReefShield exists.

I have a habit of optimizing everything I can, so naturally I modeled the entire basement in CAD before a single wall was finished. Rather than squeezing tanks into a corner in the basement, I wanted to design the entire space around visual appearance, efficiency, maintenance, and biosecurity from day one. I've attached the current layout, the current progress of construction, and I'd genuinely love feedback from anyone who wants to contribute to the project. Is there anything in the CAD layout you'd change before I get started?

As construction progresses, I'll be sharing everything. Things like plumbing and electrical decisions, actually building the quarantine systems, cycling tanks, bringing in the first fish, and all the mistakes I'm sure to make along the way.

Thanks for reading.

- Chad B.