Having recently joined R2R, I have been urged to post a build thread. My latest tank build is nearly 100% complete, but I do have some general info and several progress photos that I can share. So here goes...
When I purchased my current house back in 2013 it had this roughly 4-foot wide opening between the dining area and kitchen with a basic, narrow shelf suitable for passing dinner plates, drink cups etc. Nothing large enough or substantial enough to support any weight. But I thought way back then in 2013... "What a cool place to put a big aquarium!" I had not owned an aquarium in YEARS and a passing thought was about all that became of it all until mid-2019.
I decided then to purchase a 28-gal bowfront for freshwater, then a 54-corner for saltwater, then a 45-bowfront for freshwater, built a custom stand for it, then a 55-long for saltwater then a... You all know how this goes!
Early this year (2020) I started salivating and planning and plotting how to make that opening become a very cool looking, nearly see-through FOT setup. I almost purchased a monster 150 tall, but read an online review where one person mentioned "nice tank but it's so deep that I cannot reach the bottom for maintenance without sticking my face in the water while wearing goggles". That statement struck a chord with me and I settled on 4-foot 90-gallon Aqueon that was on sale at the local big box pet store.
General design criteria for the build were/are:
* 90-gallon 4-foot glass tank, no drilling or hard plumbing and removal of the tank must leave a marketable and usable counter space remaining.
* Approximate weight of the full setup would be roughly 1,100 lbs., requiring concrete pads, post jacks and support beam(s) underneath the engineered floor system of my house.
* Filtration, heaters etc. must pass over the ends of the tank instead of the back, allowing full, unobstructed view of both the long sides and at least partial view of one end.
* I don't like canopies but wanted a closed-top tank, so custom covers and lighting support systems required.
* Counter surface must match the existing kitchen countertops pattern. Support cabinet must rest directly on the subfloor and be functional for storage of equipment, supplies and even a few kitchen items displaced by the tank.
* Electrical is available at both ends, but battery backup for at least the primary filtration required.
* With the exception of a large HOB hanging off the one, blind end of the tank, no canister, UV etc. visible. As much equipment as possible needed to be enclosed in the cabinet below.
* I don't do reefs, sumps or live rock (generally), and a planned heavy livestock load meant a lot of biomedia and filtration required.
I purchased the tank, brought it home in the pouring rain and (with help) set it on the floor of a spare bedroom. It had begun!
When I purchased my current house back in 2013 it had this roughly 4-foot wide opening between the dining area and kitchen with a basic, narrow shelf suitable for passing dinner plates, drink cups etc. Nothing large enough or substantial enough to support any weight. But I thought way back then in 2013... "What a cool place to put a big aquarium!" I had not owned an aquarium in YEARS and a passing thought was about all that became of it all until mid-2019.
I decided then to purchase a 28-gal bowfront for freshwater, then a 54-corner for saltwater, then a 45-bowfront for freshwater, built a custom stand for it, then a 55-long for saltwater then a... You all know how this goes!
Early this year (2020) I started salivating and planning and plotting how to make that opening become a very cool looking, nearly see-through FOT setup. I almost purchased a monster 150 tall, but read an online review where one person mentioned "nice tank but it's so deep that I cannot reach the bottom for maintenance without sticking my face in the water while wearing goggles". That statement struck a chord with me and I settled on 4-foot 90-gallon Aqueon that was on sale at the local big box pet store.
General design criteria for the build were/are:
* 90-gallon 4-foot glass tank, no drilling or hard plumbing and removal of the tank must leave a marketable and usable counter space remaining.
* Approximate weight of the full setup would be roughly 1,100 lbs., requiring concrete pads, post jacks and support beam(s) underneath the engineered floor system of my house.
* Filtration, heaters etc. must pass over the ends of the tank instead of the back, allowing full, unobstructed view of both the long sides and at least partial view of one end.
* I don't like canopies but wanted a closed-top tank, so custom covers and lighting support systems required.
* Counter surface must match the existing kitchen countertops pattern. Support cabinet must rest directly on the subfloor and be functional for storage of equipment, supplies and even a few kitchen items displaced by the tank.
* Electrical is available at both ends, but battery backup for at least the primary filtration required.
* With the exception of a large HOB hanging off the one, blind end of the tank, no canister, UV etc. visible. As much equipment as possible needed to be enclosed in the cabinet below.
* I don't do reefs, sumps or live rock (generally), and a planned heavy livestock load meant a lot of biomedia and filtration required.
I purchased the tank, brought it home in the pouring rain and (with help) set it on the floor of a spare bedroom. It had begun!