# Opinions for 6Ft long tank "in-wall"



## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

I am in the process of planning to finish my basement. After planning out my basement configuration it turns out I have the ability to build in a in-wall/picture frame aquarium into my furnace room. I have a few questions that will help me sort out the pre-planning of my new setup. For reference, I will be housing African Cichlids in some form of a six foot long tank.

- I need help making the decision between 125G(72x18x22) or 180G(72x24x24) Gallon tank. What issues are there to deal with by upsizing from a 125G to 180G? (note, I currently have a 75G and 55G)

- I need opinions if I should build stand separately from the wall or have my framing contractor build it into the wall for me while he is framing the basement

- What issues might i run into with in-wall tank(I will probably have the back of the tank covered with construction paper so i can quickly remove for maintenance)

- How tall can I build a stand for a 125/180. My plan is to have have 4 sets of 2x4 risers front and back, sandwiched between 72 inch by 18/24 inch frames top/bottom. I was hoping for the total height of the stand to be between 38-44 inches tall.


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

I have a 125 and a 180, the difference with the 180 is maintanence. I used to do ok using a stool with my 125. Now I have a 4ft step ladder.


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

The in-wall aquarium sounds like a neat idea but when it comes to maintenance, it will be harder to access for cleaning or netting fish. Also, (God forbid) if you get tired of having an aquarium, it will be harder to take it down.

I also agree that the height of the 180 makes cleaning a royal pain...


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## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks. I suspected i am not the only "vertically challenged" individual here. With my 75G, I already need to use a small step stool(i'm only 5'7") to get to the bottom of the tank, so I am used to it. I think the benefits of the in-wall tank outweigh the negatives. Clean look, not taking up space in my main rec. area, not having to worry about spilling water in the finished area of the basement, inability of kids to start pulling at cords etc. 
...hhhmmm...I just sold myself on the idea!
I am 90% leaning towards a 180 over a 125. I think I would regret not going for the larger 6 Ft tank. Who wouldn't love to have a Tub-sized aquarium!

I am still curious if anyone has input on construction technique. Should i have my framing contractor build it as part of the wall or have him stud that part of the wall with a window opening and then integrate the stand into the wall later on?


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

sorry, double post.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

Go for the 180. I just set mine up. Mine is on a standard pine stand, I'm 5'8" and I just use a small step stool. It's a pain, but when you think about it, you don't need the step stool very often after initial set up. Mostly for total cleanings. You'll always regret not going for the biggest you can fit.

I'd build it as part of the wall if I were going to be there long term, and knew I was going to stay in the hobby. If I had plans to move in a few years, I'd build it on a stand. That way the stand could be torn down, and the hole drywalled over. Now that I think about it though, you could remove it even if it was built in and drywall it over so.. not a whole lot of difference. Especially if you have him build it with removal in mind.


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## pescoloco (Dec 4, 2007)

I have a 150 gallon aquarium that I recently built in the wall of my furnace room. It measures
72"x 20" x 24"high. The stand I made out of steel tubing that I welded at work. The stand measures 36" high. The opening of the wall is 21" x 70" slightly smaller than the aquarium, this way you hide the black trim. I made my furnace-room a fish room due to the fact my wife didn't want our finished basement to look like an aquarium shop.
The best thing I did was add a large laundry sink in the furnace-room. It makes water changes and cleaning a dream. I also recommend leaving the floor unfinished especially if you spill water. Prior to finishing the basement I painted the concrete floor.


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## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

No way i am moving after spending all the money i have to furnish and update my house that i bought new seven years ago! Besides, it's easy enough to pull out the tank and drywall, then call it a workbench.

Pescoloco, 
...you described my situation exactly. Furnace room, already painted floor, and laundry tub will be 10 feet behind the tank. Except my wife may be a little more forgiving since she knows the basement is mostly mine.[/url]


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## bluepitbullz (May 14, 2007)

Is the other side of the tank going to concealed by a closet or something? My 75 in-wall is in a closet... i tied the 2x4 and 2x6 studs into the existing framework... reinforced heavily by headers... and used 3 inch nails... i did the whole project with a buddy it took us a whole day... if the tank is going to be visable from the back i think i would go with a prefab stand or similar... would look kind of tacky IMO tho... pic of my tank shortly after set up hence the cloudiness... good luck


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## bluepitbullz (May 14, 2007)

\

maybe this will help you on your way!


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

If you have the chance, I'd incorporate the stand into the wall. Just easier and more stable that way. If you need to move or ever take it down....you have a sawzall, right? :thumb:

In terms of height of the stand...how do you plan on viewing? Couch? Behind the bar? Standing? It all makes a difference. I have two stands that are each 36" tall. One, we watch from the dining room table, and it's the perfect height. The other is in the basement, and I watch from a couch. That 36" stand is too tall. It all depends on what height the majority of your viewing will be from.

Generally speaking, get the biggest tank you can afford. Keep in mind the increased costs of filtration, heating, etc for the bigger tank. If you can afford all that, great.

With Africans, they'll appreciate the larger foot print of the 180. Maint. might be a royal pain. I'm 5'9", and my 135 is sometimes a pain to clean on the 36" stand. It's a long way to that back corner. If you go with the 180, I'd shoot for a shorter stand. If you get a super tall stand, with a 24" tall tank, it will be hard to keep it cleaned up well.

Hope that helps.


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## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

Excellent! Thanks for all the info bluepitbullz. Actually i kind of like that bottom to the lake murkiness look. Your brave for putting this in a closet, it would drive me nuts trying to do any maintenance in such a tight space. It will be part of my furnace/storage room, so I really dont care for the look of the stand. If it bothers me i can just slap some plywood on the sides and put some doors on the back afterwards. Besides, we are talking about the difference between $30-50 worth of wood and several hundred dollars for a pre-fab stand, that is essentially the same thing. It sounds like 38-40 inch is maximum for me then. I will be viewing from a seating area but the tank will be part of a hallway more or less and I hate bending down to see African cichlids, which mostly stay near the bottom. Maybe i can throw a small bench in front of the tank....LOL. I have attached a photo. That large rectangle next to the door in the furnace room will be the tank/stand.










P.S. Sawzall...no...don't own one yet. That's the good thing about not using a contractor to completely finish my basement. Performing most of the work myself means I save a ton of cash and I get to buy lots of new tools instead[/img]! ;-)


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

Do it yourself and buy new tools? I LOVE the way you think. Post pics of the work in progress!


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

Ok looking at your plan, I see another 3-4 ft in wall tank could be added in the storage closet, facing the same room as the 6 footer :thumb:


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## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

LOL. Don't think I didn't think about that! I could .... later on though. I was afraid that moving from a 75 and 55 to a 180 would be overwhelming...but time will tell i guess. Lately I've grown tired of maintaining my 55G Planted community tank and wanted to go with Large but simple setup in the 180. As a result i am selling off that whole setup and only keeping my BN plecos to move to the 180 when it's ready. (Hopefully my Mbuna don't destroy them before I get a chance to upgrade)

On another topic, I found another thread that recommended using auto tint for the background. In that way I could maintain a visual for the back of the tank and not leave it bare. I wouldn't paint an in-wall aquarium, because obviously that would make maintenance a true nightmare, but would have had a piece of construction paper to clip-on and remove when necessary. Has anyone tried using auto tint instead? Any other suggestions for background on an in-wall aquarium?


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

panagioti said:


> As a result i am selling off that whole setup


That's not how its done. When you get a new tank, the old one gets a overhaul too :wink:

For the background, try corrogated plastic- it comes in black and many other colors. It's the same material that those election signs are made of in everyones yard. It runs about 15.00 for a 4' x 8' sheet. Extremely durable, waterproof, lightweight and washable. It can be had from your local sign supply shop. Heck, I never thought of it, but you could change your background color every day if you wanted using this stuff. http://www.coroplast.com/product.htm


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## pescoloco (Dec 4, 2007)

I finally learned how to load pictures onto the forum. This is my 6 foot 150 gallon aquarium in my basement. I'll send more photos of the other side of the aquarium soon. Let me know what you think. Thanks.


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https://flic.kr/p/3175149301


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https://flic.kr/p/3175984346


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https://flic.kr/p/3175148263


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## willny1 (Nov 17, 2008)

The links don't work. :?


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## pescoloco (Dec 4, 2007)

Do you know how I can post a picture, for some reason it isn't working? Thanks.


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## pescoloco (Dec 4, 2007)

I got the links working this time from my photobucket account. Let me know what you think of my 6ft. 150 galon tank. I'll send the other photos of the other side of my tank soon.


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## panagioti (Nov 21, 2006)

Maybe this is a compliment.....but is that one of those stick-on backgrounds? Or are those real plants in the background....its hard to tell. In any case, how the heck do perform any maintenance? No access from the back or the front can't be easy to see what you are doing in there.

btw.....nice setup, especially the pleco...first time you seen it since it's been in the tank? ;-) Just kidding.......is that a Venustus in the front there? I was thinking of stocking a few when the 180 is finally up and running(maybe i am getting too far ahead of myself)


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

What about a piece of black fabric/cloth to hang from the back of the tank? The color of your choice I guess, but I prefer black. A big piece of felt or something would be nice and thick and shouldn't let any light from the furnace room through.

Consider this. You're 5'7", right? You're getting a 180 gallon tank, right? When you're in the process of doing any sort of maintenance on the tank, you're going to be on a step ladder, looking down in the tank. Any sort of aquascaping will need to be looked at from the front of the tank anyway. How often will you be looking through the back of the tank? Just a crazy thought.


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## pescoloco (Dec 4, 2007)

I do have a small amount of plastic plants. What you see in the photo is the back-ground. The trick with the back ground is to wet it lightly before applying it to the glass and squeegy the remaining water out it makes a huge difference. It almost like applying tint to a car window.
As far as maintanence I have no real issues to speak of. I run 3 cannister filter 1 of which has a built in UV sterilizer called "Boyu uv-45. The other 2 are Eheim 2217's. I also have 2 300 watt Hydor heaters. The lighting I use is a canopy from an aquarium manufacture called Jebo. It contains 6 x 36"long flourescent bulbs, I only use 2 of the 6 bulbs. The bottom substrate is crushed coral.

I would highly recommend purchasing a UV-sterilizer either in a cannister or a seperate unit this will minimize having to clean the glass. If you are interested in the Boyu Canister filter I have a really good source in Markham. My brother bought one last week for $135.00 cash.

I built my 150 gallon aquarium 21 years ago with the help of my cousin. He was working for a glass manufacture, which supplied all the glass for the CN Tower. They were throughing out large pieces of glass because they were the wrong dimension as well as tempered. He gave me a call and asked me if I would like some sheets of glass. I couldn't refuse and I took as much glass as I could fit in the back of my Mustang's hatch, what a sight.

I built 3 aquariums and only kept 1, today I wish I had them all. All of which were over 125 gallons each.


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