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 tank owners a place to hide from the burdens of life. Ask the owner of a fish room and you will find that there are many DIY projects in such a company. Interestingly, one of the areas that receives the least 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? Perhaps it’s just that many fishing room owners were unaware that options were available. The good news is that there are many to choose from. Here are some:

• bare concrete
• Carpeting
• Wood
• Linoleum
• roof tile
• rubber flooring

Many fish rooms are located in the basement, which usually means 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 carry. 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 fish rooms and these spills are difficult to clean from concrete.

Rugs are the worst choice to make in a fish room. Spills of any kind are difficult to clean and it’s best not to use rugs if you have the option. However, rugs have good qualities that make them attractive. First, it is warmer and more comfortable than the other options available. Plus, it has soundproofing qualities that will help keep 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 poor soundproofing properties. Also, without regular maintenance, the wood finish can break down and absorb spills.

Linoleum is a pretty good choice for many fish room owners. It’s warmer than bare wood or concrete and spills are easy to clean. It is also quite durable. If you are just building your fish room, linoleum may be a good choice. 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 alone, 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 quality.

Rolled flooring (sometimes called rubber flooring) is probably the best option for almost any fish room. Actually made from 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 floors. Its anti-fatigue properties also make it a joy to work with. Spills wipe up easily and won’t absorb water, salts or chemicals. Rubber floors are fairly inexpensive and offer very good sound dampening 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 installation is a breeze. Because it doesn’t use adhesives, it simply unrolls, trims as needed, and snaps on.

If you already have another type of flooring (such as wood) and prefer the look of it, a clear rubber floor would be a good option. 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 deal with rubber flooring. Because it’s easy to install, you can trim down 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 fish room, take it to the next level with a new floor. Not only will it look better, but it will be safer and easier to clean than any other flooring available.