Before we even finished the main building we knew that we would need more room than we had to be able to produce the numbers of corals we need. Our initial plan was to erect a standard greenhouse behind the main building. The existing structure already had a carport attatched to the side so we decided it would be best to simply close that in and use it as our greenhouse. Being attatched to the main building allows us to insulate more of the walls to retain heat and also share heat with the main building.
Basic Framing
There really wasnt much to it at all. The main supports were already there so we just had to put up a simple frame to hold the covering. Due to the way the sun crosses the sky we were lucky to be able to completely seal and insulate a large section of the greenhouse with blocking any light.
Coverings
We had a bunch of acryllic sheets that we had accumulated over the last few years and decided to use them as windows. Much better to be able to see the beautiful view we have here while we work. The poly coverings are only temporary and will be replaced with polycarbonate panels once we get around to it. Winter came before we were able to finish, so we were not able to get the roof installed. While we cant use it for corals yet, the tanks are in there cycling and we use it for all of our water storage.
The Floor
Gravel seemed to be the most logical solution. We installed drainage pipes along the perimeter and in the center to make sure anything drained onto the floor or any water from outside would never accumulate inside the greenhouse.
