Building an In-Wall Tank 500+ gallons

[WanderingAlbatross]

Good Afternoon all!

Can anyone offer insight for installing an in wall tank? It would not be a central wall or island, and it could potentially be in a basement if that helps. What would pricing run roughly? Any recommendations for someone to come in for a custom build? It’d be roughly 10’L X 3-4’T X 2’W. Could be as shallow as 2’ if needed. Please advise.

Will likely be stuck with my 2 350s. Brainstorming a pipe dream if I won the lotto.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

Hey, as a general contractor in the northeast I would say roughly 10$ a square foot for framing is fare for example I just recently framed a 480 square foot basement roughly 16’x30’ framing labor/materials for myself was close to $4000.00 not including drywall and other items you may need to consider like permits,electrical,paint,Finnishes not to mention the cost of your actual tank , Hope this kind of helps

 

[Subsea]

Hey Albatross,
How long have you operated marine aquariums? Before you build it, operate your 75G for a bit before getting deeper.

In any case, foundation is important. If you are building on an existing slab, locate your tank along a structural wall to ensure adequate support.

 

[WanderingAlbatross]

Hey Albatross,
How long have you operated marine aquariums? Before you build it, operate your 75G for a bit before getting deeper.

In any case, foundation is important. If you are building on an existing slab, locate your tank along a structural wall to ensure adequate support.

I'm just getting an idea, trying to price everything out to compare for my tank room. I want to see the difference in price and setup between a large standalone tank versus a full wall system. It will help me budget later. In this scenario, the room/basement would be custom built and plumbed exclusively for this purpose, with overbuilt support for my peace of mind. It's been quite some time since I had a tank on the larger side, and that one was a gift so pricing wasn't as critical as it is now. To make a purchase of this size either way, I'd like to do my homework first.

 

[WanderingAlbatross]

Hey, as a general contractor in the northeast I would say roughly 10$ a square foot for framing is fare for example I just recently framed a 480 square foot basement roughly 16’x30’ framing labor/materials for myself was close to $4000.00 not including drywall and other items you may need to consider like permits,electrical,paint,Finnishes not to mention the cost of your actual tank , Hope this kind of helps

That is good information, thank you. Let's say I have a friend skilled in that line of work who is willing to help out of the goodness of his heart, for the building/framing aspect, and may be able to help run the plumbing. That would help with labor immensely, save for electrical. I'm pricing both anyway to see if it's worth hiring someone for any part of it, cause a team might get it done quicker. A 16'x30' would actually be a bit bigger than I imagined, but still totally doable. If we're looking at materials for said framing/support/electrical, what would you suppose that would run? Would it be more efficient to account for all of this when the house is being built, or wait until everything is stable/finished and then alter it to fit the needs of the tanks? Would the tank be situated in the drywall in the case of a basement, or would it be set in a fitted section of the cement wall? Would insulation be a problem underground like that?

So everyone knows this is homework and future brainstorming, not happening next week (mostly because my bank account would cry). I have every intention of setting up several large tanks, it's just a matter of what route I choose to get them set up.

Blessings