building new house w/ in wall tank. need some advice...

[c4sxm5]

building a new house with a in -wall tank and need some advice from those that have a bit more experience. currently I have a redsea 750 and the new tank will be 90x24x60 with the current stand at 36".

the tank's front and one side will be viewable from my entry and living room with the fish room being behind the tank and fish room being a part of the garage. running into some issue/questions already from my architect and wanted some advice so hopefully I don't have to do things twice.

first issue is the metal stand I ordered did not take into account the flooring in the fish room will be lower than the living/viewing room by 18" so I need to raise the stand by at least 18". what will the ideal height be and how do you guys suggest I raise the tank to that height? complete new metal stand, add a metal or wood base to the current stand? I have a in law that can make a new metal stand if needed or the framer said they can make a wood stand or base for me so cost won't be an issue. just want to make sure whatever I do will look right and last a lifetime if that is even possible. currently the architect has the tank viewable inside the house starting at 30" and the top of the tank at 54".

for the fish room I'm kind of lost on what I need and where to locate it. so far the entry door will be ventilated into the garage so I can get some fresh air into the room. I've added a floor drain directly and center under the tank and an additional center to the room for floor cleaning or spills. asked for a dedicated breaker to the fish room only but have not dictated how much power/amps I will need. other than that I'm not sure how to design the cabinetry or much of anything else.

I want to keep the fish room minimal and as clean as possible but also don't want to do anything for the tank outside of the fish room if that makes any sense. any ideas/drawings/input would be greatly appreciated. feel free to ask any qs or clarifying anything that I have forgotten!

 

[lapin]

If I had to do it over I would have gone with metal beams to allow for more room under the tank.
Heat and humidity: I have a bathroom exhaust fan and a heater- A/C vent in my fish room.
I have 4ea 20 amp breakers. 3ea of my 4 gang electrical outlets are above my tank height.

Tank - Sump Build 500 gal +

Decided to start on the tank. 2 years of putting the house and yard together is enough. Plus it's hot outside. First step is to get the room ready. Here are a few pictures of the room and platform the tank will sit on. The platform was engineered to hold 18,000 lbs. I was not sure if the tank wou...

www.austinreefclub.com

 

[lapin]

oh and howdy welcome to the club

 

[Badilac]

Looks like a fun project. I personally would change the stand to a new one at the correct height rather than adding on. Also I would rethink the 30" being the bottom and 54" being the top. To me that seem very low and I'm short (5'6"), no matter what you'll be bending down to view it. I have a in-wall tank and my stand is 48" tall with my tank being 24" high. I wouldn't change my viewing height even if I could, I love the 4-6ft viewing range. Even sitting on the couch it is perfect to look at. The only think I wish I had done differently is...
1. be able to feed fish from the front.
2. build the stand with more of a lip so I have some way to walk / stand around the tank in order have more access without using a ladder.

 

[c4sxm5]

Thanks for the info. I had brought up the humidity issue to my architect and he said they could install a vented door since the entrance leads to the garage. I'm taking from going through that build thread a ceiling vent should be added either way to help? I don't think I will be adding HVAC in the fish room so any other cost efficient methods to prevent mold/salt build up in the room?

Will probably end up staying with a metal stand and sounds like creating a new one would be better than added a lower stand/stairs to the current one to make it taller. was thinking I would still use the current bottom and top of my current stand and have the sides redone to get to the height I will need. anyone got pictures showing how they built a stairway or stand to stand on while working on the tank?

will also add some power above the tank area just incase but was planning on using my Neptune energy bars to power and control everything. just have to remember to have the outlets higher than standard.

 

[c4sxm5]

Badilac,
I just measured my redsea 750 and tank starts at 36" and goes to 60" so I definitely will be raising the tank to at least 36" but will probably raise it to 48" to be safe. I'm always looking down at my current tank vs looking straight at it so make sense making the tank taller.
Now I just have to figure out how to design the new stand so I have the ability to access the tank without a chair/ladder since it will be 7'6" and will be pita to access.

Re: feeding the fish from the front. I currently use a Neptune auto feeder that I will incorporate but really haven't thought about how much work it would be to feed from the fish room. I was thinking about adding a access point either from the front of the tank or the side but want to keep the built in look as clean as possible. any suggestions?

 

[Badilac]

Badilac,
I just measured my redsea 750 and tank starts at 36" and goes to 60" so I definitely will be raising the tank to at least 36" but will probably raise it to 48" to be safe. I'm always looking down at my current tank vs looking straight at it so make sense making the tank taller.
Now I just have to figure out how to design the new stand so I have the ability to access the tank without a chair/ladder since it will be 7'6" and will be pita to access.

Re: feeding the fish from the front. I currently use a Neptune auto feeder that I will incorporate but really haven't thought about how much work it would be to feed from the fish room. I was thinking about adding a access point either from the front of the tank or the side but want to keep the built in look as clean as possible. any suggestions?

Awesome, Glad some of my advise could be of help. What I'd do to help with cleaning and accessing the tank is I'd make the top of the stand larger than the footprint of the tank. That way you can walk/stand on top of the stand. So if you have the room you can make the top of the stand 114" x 72" this will allow 12" of standing area per side and 12" of standing area behind the tank. Make sense?

I also run a Neptune auto feeder but it only handles the pellet food during the day. During the early evening & late evening when I have to feed frozen and Nori I have to go to the back side to access the tank. For me I have to leave the viewing area, go outside and enter the fish room from a outside door since there is no door that connects the viewing area to the fish room. For me this is a PITA and I wish I had access from the viewing area. Since I am not a great wood worker I dont know how I'd do it while keeping it clean looking so I just deal with it the way I have it.

You can view my build thread (link below) to see how my tank is. I havent updated this thread in over a year and a lot has changed since then but you get the idea. You will see on my stand I do have a lip around the top of the tank stand however it is not large enough for me to stand on which is where I wish I could redo it to have at least 12" around the tank like I was suggesting above for you.

Large Build - Badilac's 240G in wall build | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum

Hope this helps some.

 

[c4sxm5]

Got it with making the top of the stand larger to stand on and will incorporate that when my BIN makes the stand taller. We looked at the current metal stand and figured it would be easiest to leave the bottom and top alone and just replace the vertical bars with longer bars to get it to the height I need, 48"

Also will speak to the builder to incorporate some form of access to the front/side of the tank that is not too noticeable. Couldn't imagine having to go into the garage and to the fish room to feed them on a daily basis.

Did you end going fish only?

 

[Badilac]

Got it with making the top of the stand larger to stand on and will incorporate that when my BIN makes the stand taller. We looked at the current metal stand and figured it would be easiest to leave the bottom and top alone and just replace the vertical bars with longer bars to get it to the height I need, 48"

Also will speak to the builder to incorporate some form of access to the front/side of the tank that is not too noticeable. Couldn't imagine having to go into the garage and to the fish room to feed them on a daily basis.

Did you end going fish only?

Sounds like you have a good plan for the stand and I think you will be happy with it being 48" as it is the perfect height so you arent looking down on the tank.

Yeah its kind of a PITA not having access to the fish room from the viewing room, but it is what it is. Things we do for our fish....

I havent went completely fish only as I do have a few hammers, zoas, porties, favia, rock flowers, and bubbletips, but it is certainly no reef tank. I kept my tanks parameters perfect for a reef tank with Trident based dosing so maybe one day I'll add more corals but I honestly still dont know if I want to invest the money needed to fill the tank with coral.

 

[Phil D.]

You always could go with a concrete pad for the stand to raise it up, then that would give you something to walk on.

 

[c4sxm5]

I actually thought of that but looking long term if I decide to get rid of the tank it would be kind of odd having a pad in the fish room.

 

[Dr. Jim]

How about cinder blocks? I once built a platform 3' high for a 500 gal tank using them, with a thick painted plywood sheet on top. But with legs you would just need a strong plate to go on top (metal?)

 

[Badilac]

How about cinder blocks? I once built a platform 3' high for a 500 gal tank using them, with a thick painted plywood sheet on top. But with legs you would just need a strong plate to go on top (metal?)

Cinder block is actually what I used to raise my sump up off the floor. I then used a sheet of plywood then a sheet of foam on top of the blocks that the sump sit on.

 

[c4sxm5]

my broinlaw is a welder so buying some metal and replacing the vertical parts to the stand seems the most cost efficient and will have the best appearance. I asked if their will be any issues with replacing the vertical metal parts to the stand to make the stand taller and he doesn't see any so will go this route unless any experts suggest other wise.

still trying to find a way to access the tank from inside the house w/o adding doors or a canopy. trying to keep the overall look as seamless and non noticeable as possible.

 

[mdb_talon]

Cant find a link right now, but once saw a similar build and on the house side he had a large piece of artwork that was almost the length of the tank and centered on the wall above the tank. The top of the frame of the artwork was had hidden hinges though and he could open if from from the bottom up and gave him full access to front of tank. He had to reach you over about 6 or 8 inches of wall but seemed very functional and not noticeable at all when closed.

As for electric it is less of an issue than it used to be now with more efficient pumps and lighting, but I would have a minimum of 3 breakers. If you are putting everything on a single controller maybe it is irrelevant. For me though i always have 2 heaters in my system on different circuits and at least one powerhead on a different circuit. If i have a breaker pop i still have some heat and some water movement. I also prefer 2 undersized heater because i had a heater fail once in the "on" position and cooked my tank. Again using controllers with alerts it is probably not as big a concern anymore but i just feel better that way still.

 

[c4sxm5]

Just an update as the house project is moving along. Decided to sale the tank and stand and start fresh since I have room for a bigger tank on the wall.
Going with a 120x36x27 from GC. 120 is the length of the wall edge to edge so the tank will be visible on all 3 sides. Going to do 36 wide to get more depth and Joe said the price doesn't change up until 27 tall so that's a given. Will post more once i start on the tank build.
If anyone is interested in a CDA tank and metal stand let me know. Still new in crate.