In wall build

[Montiguy1287]

I've been trying to get the ok from the misses to build an in wall tank in the basement. We've gone back and forth on selling the house but have decided to stay out and now I need an office to work out of my house.

I currently have a kitchen in my basement that is going to be converted to my office. As it sits now, the kitchen is separated from a bedroom by an oversized closet. The plan is to gut the kitchen, new flooring, bigger window, etc... and I want the tank to split the office from the bedroom and be visible on both sides. I need to keep sound down as much as possible. Actually, silent is the goal.

I'm leaning toward a 120 as I like the dimensions for fish swimming. I'd like to house tangs as I currently have my 29 biocube that only has a couple small fish. I plan on setting it up on a constant water change system if I can figure out the logistics of doing all of this without a dedicated fish room behind or below the tank.

Has anyone that's done something similar to what I'm planning have recommendations on things to do or things to avoid? I really don't want to get halfway into this and find out I didn't plan for something. Things I've considered are:

Space for all of the filtration
What to do to avoid humidity problems
How to design the constant water change
Use self leveler for the floor
Put the tank on its own circuit

Any other thoughts or advice? I start the gut of the existing kitchen after this coming weekend.

 

[Montiguy1287]

Here's a couple pics of how it is now.

I'm leaning towards drilling the tank on the side and framing the wall with a compartment that can open to access the plumbing. I figure this will be the best way to run it and be able to see everything from both sides of the tank. I'm also thinking of scrapping the constant water change system as I don't have the space for the storage tanks.

 

[Montiguy1287]

Here's the current tank. Thought I'd share since I can't start the build yet. The plan is to start gutting the kitchen next weekend.

 

[knowen87]

Both Fishfinder and I are doing in wall tanks too! Mine will be 180 gallon which is the same as a 120g just 2 ft longer. I plan on doing an auto water change system with an Apex DOS. Viewing from both sides will be nice.
All you have to do for the water change is have a container for salt water and a drain (which you will have from the kitchen). You use 1 pump to pump water into the tank and 1 to take it out and put it in the drain. You could get a 30gal drum that holds all the water for a month.
As far as other things to consider, you will need to make sure that you are not cutting into a bearing wall in the basement if you are not sure about this you will want to have someone come look at it.