in wall 300 gal

[Rumrunner]

Hey all. I am hoping a few people could take the time to help me out. I have been breeding Africans for aprox. 10 years and am ready for the jump to reef aquarium (I hope )

I have ordered a 300 gal tank and want to put it in a wall of a addition we are currently putting up. It will be viewable from two sides. I have about 4 weeks before I have to come up with instructions to the contracor about the specifics that need to be built.

Any help would be cool. Anyone happy with their in wall setup? Pictures of plumbing and placement of things would be awesome.

If you had to do it again what would you change in your setup?

[kingsland]

Here is a link to my 220 in-wall build, its close to being finished (if there is such a thing as finished). Somewhere in the first couple of pages are links to two other builds that were very helpful for ideas. One of the decisions I am most pleased with, is having access to all sides of the tank. It makes it so much easier to arrange the rocks and clean.

http://www.wichitaaquariumclub.com/f...p?threadid=187

[Rumrunner]

Thanks for the reply. Ill check out the sights you hooked me up with.

[dzeadow]

is your addition over a crawlspace/basement or a slab of concrete? You'll want to make sure to tell the contractor to build up some reinforcements if it's on joists over a crawlspace/basement. A 300g tank will have a lot of weight to it obviously, better safe than sorry.

[jcato]

go to the "large reefs" section here on RC and you will be able to get the answers to any question you might have, those pages are full of complete setups from scratch.

john

[Rumrunner]

Thanks danny and John. The addition is on a concrete slab and concrete footings to bedrock were poured where the tank will be. If I could afford it I could probably get a 1000 gallon tank in there

[dzeadow]

nice! I look forward to seeing your progress! Also, Im sure you already thought of this, but while your electrical contractor is in there, make sure they add a seperate circuit or two just for your tank area, and might as well have them wire up a hole bunch of switches linked to GFI's for all your goodies, unless that's something you want to do yourself. It's a lot easier doing it while there's no sheetrock/insulation than to do it afterwards. And if you're going to have a "fish room" where all your sumps and stuff are, I'm sure it'd be nice to have water access for ro/di so you're not truckin buckets all over. Again, stuff you've probably already thought of, just throwin it out there.

[BeanAnimal]

Think long and hard about how you want to tank to fit into the wall and be trimmed out. This will dictate how the stand is built. You will likely build the stand in place and then frame the wall around it. That way the front edge of the tank is resting on the STAND and not on the wall framing.

Remember to account for the thickness of the wallboard and understand that you will lose that space above the top-front of the tank. The framing can be angle to give a little more space.

You will want HVAC in the fishroom. I suggest a split unit dedicated to the room. It will help control temp and remove the humidity. I would also install a panasonic (or two) vent fans. They are quiet and can move a lot of air if needed.

I would put counter and sink in the fishroom and floor drains. I would tie the tanks sump into the floor drain, as well as an emergency overflow at the highest level of the sump.

Think about how you will move the lights to gain access to to the tank. Pulley system? Garage door track?

Is the adjoining room going to have a noise problem? Do the walls need to be 2x6 to get extra insulation for soundproofing?

What about the sump? Do you have room to place it beside the tank to gain efficiency? Can you make the sump(s) a few hundred gallons?

Most of us would kill to have a blank pallet to work with

[snodine]

Originally posted by BeanAnimal


What about the sump? Do you have room to place it beside the tank to gain efficiency?

Can you explain this a little? I am planning a smaller (130 gal) in-wall installation and was thinking the sump would go under the display tank to take advantage of gravity.

This is NOT an attempt to hijack this thread - I will be reading it with anticipation as the setup seems very similar to my own (separate storage room, electrical issues, plumbing issues, etc.).

Thanks,

Steve

[BeanAnimal]

The less head height your pump has to overcome, the less work it has to do. A lesser vertical drop means less noise to deal woth and less air being introduced into the sump.

[Rumrunner]

Thanks guys for the info. Unfortunately there will be no fish room

The wife is ****ed about the space already. I all has to fit in a 2' wall. The R/O unit will be added to the plumbing of an extra bathroom we are putting in next to the tank.

The tank will be dividing two rooms with both sides visible.
Excellent advise so far guys thank you.

[kgross]

What will you have for access to the top of the tank and sump area? Will you have access between the 2 walls to one end of the tank?

Look at setups with tanks as room dividers to give you more info. Getting access will be the hardest part of your setup. I you will need good access above the tank from one room or both, and a way to move the lights up out of the way so you can work on the tank when needed.

Kim

[Rumrunner]

Thanks for the reply Kim. I am looking at cupbaords in only one room. Large enough to access all sides of the tank. I am toying with the idea of a pully system for the lights if I have enough clearance (which I should have) at the top. he wall will be basically hollow except for the stand frame. I am also considering a steel wall. I haven't decided yet.

[kgross]

I think I would do a steel frame, just so you take up less space in the wall and have better access to the sump area.

Kim

[Rumrunner]

Thanks Kim I was thinking the same thing