Hello from Kansas City

I have been reading this forum from top to bottom over the last couple of months in preparation of my first marine tank. I am looking at a FOWLR setup in the range of 55 - 75 gallons. My plan is to incorporate the tank behind a wall in my basement that is being finished in the coming months. So my plan is to go ahead and have the hole cut to 48" X 20" and then build the support table to the dimensions of where I land in regards to depth. I wanted to see if anyone has any advice as I begin to plan out the hole and support structure (is it best to have the glass flush to the hole from a viewing perspective...is it easier to leave a pane and not go flush....do most paint all three sides to prevent seeing any of the room behind since it will be unfinished...etc)

Any advice would be great. I have leaned a lot by reading this site and just want to make sure I get the carpentry right so I can enjoy my tank to the fullest.

Once I get the tank and supplies, I will start a post in the show off your tank room so everyone can help shape my project. There are way too many experts in here not to get your thoughts!

 

First of welcome to 3reef and if It were up to me I would go with a 75 (thats what I have) and cut the whole big enough so that the front of the glass would be flush with the wall. It would be better to make it deeper so that you can make sure you have room for plumbing behind the tank. Also I would paint the back black and leave the other sides not painted, the two sides will get covered in Coraline after a while and look pretty cool. just look on youtube or on google images at tanks like yours for inspiration ;D

 

Welcome to 3Reef!!!

If you can swing the price difference, go with the 75. The extra depth doesn't seem like much when you are looking at empty tanks but trust me, it is sure nice to have it.

. Consider having a larger support table. I used a used laminated counter top (water-proof and designed to support loads). That way, in my fish room I had a workspace at a comfortable level. I also had storage space for supplements and tools. If you want to use a sump, make sure your supporting stand has also has a base or the cold concrete will cool off your tank. My hole in the wall was bigger than the size of the tank because I had a header and a footer made out of a 2 x 4. (That was nice because the front 4 inches of the tank were supported by the footer as well as the studs. The remainder of the load was supported by the counter top and that support structure. NOTE: If your fish room is unfinished, remember that you'll need to seal the drywall on the backside with Wallboard Primer or Primer Sealer and then paint right around the tank with high gloss paint.

Mine was flush to the wall in the activity room. Then when I framed it, I used those square blocks to connect the sides of the moulding so that I didn't have to mess with 45 degree miter cuts. The nice thing about this is that you're not only hiding the hole in wall, you also get to hide the ugly plastic frame from the tank.

Any advice would be great. I have leaned a lot by reading this site and just want to make sure I get the carpentry right so I can enjoy my tank to the fullest.

Once I get the tank and supplies, I will start a post in the show off your tank room so everyone can help shape my project. There are way too many experts in here not to get your thoughts![/QUOTE]

 

BTW, I didn't have the back of my tank painted. They sell a plastic background that is blue on one side and black on the other. I electrical taped it to the back of the tank. That way, if I ever needed to see the tank from the back, I could just lift it up and look.

 

Awesome advice!

My room behind the wall will be a large utility room for storage and the water heater and heat/air unit. I should have more than enough room for depths up to 20 inches.

I love the tips about sealing the drywall on the backside. I probably would not have thought of that.

Keep it coming....forums like these make getting into a new hobby so much easier. I truly appreciate it!

 

Welcome. I'm in KC too!

 

Hello and welcome to 3reef