Marc`s DIY 900g Inwall System

[Fudge]

Jacmyoung,

I didnt quite get what you meant by framing it on the wall, but ill take a stab at it.
The tank was built to hold the pressure without the wall in front of it, so it was simply butted up to it.
The corner between the viewing panes was structural, and had to be left in place...so thats why the view couldnt "wrap around".
After it was tentativley in place the sill was extended to meet the glass.
The sill ended up being a little wider than i had wished, but it was for a good reason. I kinda like it now being that wide, its a better beer holder .
The header over the big window wasnt a structural wall, so it only needed to carry its own weight.

Hop,
Thanks alot, It means alot when it comes from someone who`s tackled a similar size of project.
BTW, very, very nice work on yours....I read through it all several times.
Fire away if you have the questions .

Lordhelmet,
Honestly it would be hard to guess as to how much i have saved.
I do have 75% of the reciepts still left, though they are well hidden from the wife ..and they still add up to far too much.
If i had to guess i would say, all combined... more than half.

Thanks Ohio and danferd, the aquascaping is never quite finished...but im getting closer.. i just need some more SPS to jam in the holes that i can still see the pipework.

Very nice work agfahy !

Heres a couple more of the canopy as it was being built.

The reflectors were installed with an opening off the back of each MH bulb for heat exhaust.


Then another sheet of aluminum was placed overtop, so the canopy heat could be directed to a single exhaust and then directly vented outside.
(the hole for the exhaust hadnt been cut in the top sheet yet.)



Heres the inline fan and rubber boot that i had mounted, so when i opened the canopy, i didnt have the whole exhaust hose opening with it.

Open :


Closed :

This inline fan runs 24/7, but there is an additional 500cfm squirrel fan on a dehumidistat for the room.

By treating the heat and humidity on different levels, my hopes were in the winter i can recover the heat by simply directing the heat from the canopy back into the room, and treating humidity independantly with the other fan.

I have yet to see a winter with it ,we shall see how that worked...

There were 2x15 amp circuits ran for the canopy alone, each of these feeds 3 plugs mounted to the canopy top.



I did this becuase i didnt want a ton of cords stringing across when the canopy was opened, it will be only the two mains.

I have to replace most of my timers with digitals yet, so it maintains times when and if i do unplug the mains, but you get the idea.




Marc.

[Fudge]

Here is the tracking that was used for it.

I had changed my mind on how it was to be slid into the next room, so these were exchanged for 12' ones, but of the same type.

They are Barn door sliders, and are rated at about 100 lbs per wheel.


This is of it sliding through the wall.



The opening is covered by a door that is also on its own wheels, so that when the canopy is pushed through it just hits the door and slides that open aswell.


Marc.

[King-Kong]

I cant wait to see more photos from this incredible project.

subscribed!

[jacmyoung]

Fuge, incredible work there you have. When I asked how you framed the front, I mainly wanted to see how the front looked on the wall. Now I saw a few pictures I am impressed.

I had an in-wall tank with a fish room behind built two years ago. It seems more and more people are using such design which has the most potential to showcase the reef tank.

I really like the reefscaping you have, if you can show us a picture or two from the front of the tank, with rocks in the tank. One biggest advantage IMHO with an in-wall tank is you can custom-make the tank as deep (front to back) as possible, that will give a true underwater depth that we usually can only see in natural reef diving photos.

Most tanks with limitation at the tank width, somewhat lack 3-D visual impact. Of course you will have to get used to working with the size of the tank in the future. I would even consider building some ramp on top of the tank for easy access if possible. Even though I see your rock work is somewhat permanent, believe me people like us will never stop tweaking things around, including reefscape, long after the tank is established.

[ohioreef]

Wow, your lighting set up is just incredible!!

[Hop]

The attention to detail here is great. I think you answered a few of my questions and am really just taking it in at this point. I really think that as time goes on you should detail various steps in the building process. There is a ton here for people to learn from! Again, great job!

[Mekong]

Just wondering, why a wooden tank?

[needyreefer]

Thats one awesome tank! Make sure to get more pics...

[LobsterOfJustice]

speechless...

[dirtyreefer]

Wow Marc, I am speechless as well. I followed your link from Canreef to here, I had no idea you had such an awesome tank! Any affiliation with Jamie Cross?

Way to represent the Canadian reefers! If only we could get our hands on some of the corals that the US can get!

[Saltmaniac]

More, more....Salty

[rjwilson37]

Just unreal dude, totally great!!

[Fudge]

Thanks all !

Mekong,

It was far more cost effective, when all the qualities that i wanted to see in it were taken into consideration.

Dirty Reefer,
Thank-you, oh Jamie ? Yeah, He`s my lil sister.

Heres a few more of the aqua scaping using the tabs and pvc, I know theres not much in it yet...but im sure it wont take too long.

I wanted to keep the rock at a minimum in this tank, to provide a more open Bonsai approach to decorating.
This is the right hand end of tank.




This is of the left hand arch, this one was the fun one to build, as its only supported on one end.




......

[Fudge]

Hard to get a good pic, but heres Some top downs :




Marc.

[melev]

This is a fantastic tank so far. Now that I see the rockwork on the PVC, I love it even more.

Plus your thread gave me an idea for my 280g that has been bothering me for months. Thank you for that!

Just so you know, you are helping maintain the high standards that all Marc's around the world endeavor to maintain.

[funkyman]

One of the best setups I've ever seen. Kudos!!

[Chelsey]

Absolutely incredible Maybe I missed this, but how did you attach the rock to the PVC?

[Fudge]

Thanks guys,

Chelsey,

I used a truck load of black zipties, about 70% of my remaing useful vertebrae....and a good portion of my sanity.

Holds it together pretty well.



Marc.

[Acro]

Originally posted by Fudge
Dirty Reefer,
Thank-you, oh Jamie ? Yeah, He`s my lil sister.

Man I was just gonna say something nice too. Not any more LOL

Nice work bud, You really outta be proud. It was a long journey.

[jacmyoung]

Marc, your reefscape is very refreshing. Please give us a full front shot as soon as you complete the tank front construction.

Did you have to put on your scuba gear to tie up all the rocks in the tank?

[Sara B]

Fudge - Awesome tank and aquascaping.

What brand and size of fan are you using to vent the humidity and heat out of the room? I have a 8'x21' basement fish room under my tank with a 70gal sump and fuge and I need to get the humidity and some of the heat out.

Thanks,

Sara

[anthworks]

That is one incredible setup.. Keep posting. That lighting system could heat the your whole house in the winter.

[Fudge]

Thanks Jamie,
I wouldnt have done it unless i had the help from a good bud, it made me feel better to know someone else was in as deep as i was in work.....lol
Plus, it helped that i could always say to the wife " well jamies wife is letting him put that in/have that/get those..." (even if you werent..lol)

Im sure it wont be too much longer Jacmyoung,

The wife says its ugly like it sits...that means im allowed to spend money.
No i didnt bother with the scuba gear...just my boxers and sandals...lol, you dont want to see a pic of that.
It was weird getting in there and working on it.

Sara, Im using a Toro dual Squirrel fan, im sure its no less than 500 cfm on a Dehumidistat.

Here it was before the plywood casing was put on,


Hot/Humid air is pulled off the top couple inches of the ceiling, and is pumped outside via 1- 6" Duct.

There is an additional 4" Fantech inline fan, that pulls air directly out of the canopy at 115cfm, and is also fed through the plwood casing and pumped outside, this one i let run 24/7.



So im guessing im exchanging a minimum of 600+ cfm, out of a 12' x 9 room.

That black box you see, is a little dryer vent Tee, that has a switch so you can change its output openings.
That way in the winter, i can just pump heat from the canopy back into the room if need be.

The Fresh air intake to the room, is 2-5" intake vents at the base of the room, on either side....so i have a choice of pulling from outside or in the winter im hoping to just plug these and pull warm air from the house.

Marc.

[Chaloupa]

AMAZING tank so far! So when some of the "local" reefers go travelling to visit relatives nearby , we can pop in to check it out and drool? JK but wow what a setup! Very nice.

[Sparkss]

Originally posted by danferd2002
That aquascaping in awsome.

I actaully felt like I could swim through the rock structure in the pictures... is was absolutely amazing, to say the least... keep em coming