Bulldogniner's in-wall build

Well, it's time for a long overdue upgrade. Although it isn't set in stone, it's got a pretty good shot of happening. I am adding an office to my house and it just so happens it will be the perfect place to put a tank in-wall to split two rooms. Now....how the heck do I do this???

I am just starting out and I am not even sure what size tank I can put in there yet. I know that it will be 6 ft long, but that's it so far. I have to have enough room for my office furniture and computers, but other than that, the room is wide open.

Here's my initial thoughts - reef tank

210 gallon - 6 ft x 2 ft x 29" tall (i think) - The concern here is that the depth will be too much. If I measure correctly I have about 10 ft width of the room so it would stick out about 18 inches into my office.

185 - 6 ft x 20 " x 27" (i think) - This would save me 4 inches

150 - 6 ft x 18" x 29" (i think) - This might fit the best and allow for plenty of swimming room at the top and also more viewing room between walls. Concern here is that it is too skinny. I don't want the rocks touching any glass...or falling over!

Also, I need to have the overflow at one end rather than two in the back....since it is viewable on both sides.

I also will most likely build a custom stand and canopy that will fit into the wall. I will have a chiller and was going to put it in the cabinet with an exhaust running through the wall and exiting outside(not sure if there is a better idea?)

Here are a few pics of the patio that will be closed in. The french doors will be closed in and that is where the tank will go. It splits the dining rooms and my office. Also through in one of my current tank that I am replacing. 60 gallon.

So, send your experiences, advice, etc. I want to make sure I cover everything. I am unsure on lighting, but that will also depend on the width of the tank. I don't want anything to get too hot, so MH might be out of the question.

Thanks!

 

how high will the tank be off the ground? ...couldnt you just get a file cabinet etc that could fit underneath it or maybe some other furniture?

 

Standard counter height...i'm thinking about 30 inches but it has to be built in the wall and also hold the filtration underneath it.

 

gotcha

 

Can someone tell me a few sites to buy aquariums from? I looked at glasscages.com, but that is all I know about.

 

i dont know what your time frame is but your best bet is to wait for one of petcos dollar per gallon sale or if you dont mind a used tank craigslist is a good place to find tanks of all sizes without having to pay for shipping, shipping on a tank would be very expensive for something that size

 

Check out miracles aquariums, or maybe reef savvy aquariums.

 

I went to my LFS tonight to get a few things and asked them about a tank. They said that they would not do anything less than a 24 inch deep tank because anything narrower would be too hard to setup a reef viewable from both sides without rock touching the walls and it being stable enough to not fall. That does make sense unless I secured the rocks to each other...which sounds like a pain. Any recommendations there?

Also, they said that I would need to do overflows at both ends. I was thinking of only having one at one end, but I am not sure if that is better or if it would even work. I don't want to be able to see inside the overflow though.

They did not have any pre-built with end overflows, it would be a custom order...which gets more expensive. Do they make standard 210 gallon tanks with side overflows?

They ballparked $1500-2000 for just the tank...that seems a little high just for the overflows to be on the ends??

 

I got to see how they setup their in wall tanks. 2x4s for frame and the rest 3/4" plywood. They also had some sort of plastic overlay on the wall that was exposed to the top of the tank.

 

I deffinately agree with that I found a 55gaal on craigslist for like $45.