Recessed or Flush in-wall reef

[AshwinRavi]

Hello, reefers!

Wife and I moved into our new place with an option to put the reef tank in-wall with a fish room behind it. As of now, we are planning to have our 75G installed in the wall and maybe open up the wall more few years down the line when we decide to expand the aquarium.

The roadblock we have hit is deciding whether we want the aquarium flush with the wall or recessed in by 3.5" (width of the 2×4 behind the drywall).

I would like to ask all the reefers here who have their tank in wall, how do you guys have it installed, flushed in or recessed? is it just an aesthetic preference or is there more to it than just the looks.

Besides the change in installation method, the only advantage I see of having the tank recessed is so I can add blinds to cover the tank to keep the glare off the TV that will be directly across from the tank in the room.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I chose to make mine flush, but added a ledge in front. The ledge comes in very handy

 

[Fishfinder]

Mine is actually both. Flush on one side and recessed on the other. The ledge is very handy to set stuff on. I use it a lot. But the flush gives a cleaner look. Like a picture on the wall. The recessed will give the illusion that the tank is deeper than it actually is.

 

[AshwinRavi]

I chose to make mine flush, but added a ledge in front. The ledge comes in very handy

love your 120G build thread! great work!

 

[KrisReef]

If you are going to upgrade later then plan to make what you do for now easiest to change later.

Or upgrade now and avoid the difficulty of moving walls, plumbing, electrical later.

You are definitely doing the right thing with a tank & tank room. Keep posting build pics, thank you!

 

[paphater]

My advice, upgrade the tank now. Also, go as big as you can. I upgraded to an 8' tank and now two years later I'm wishing, and now planning, I went with a 10'.

 

[AshwinRavi]

My advice, upgrade the tank now. Also, go as big as you can. I upgraded to an 8' tank and now two years later I'm wishing, and now planning, I went with a 10'.

thank you, YES! that's the biggest dilemma besides how to do the build ourselves. wifey and I are both fairly skilled with DIY, but this will definitely be a new.. Its an odd feeling to willingly make a large hole in your new home. The wall is 11ft from the door to the edge, wondering what's the max we can go without it being an overkill and also fairly easy to maintain.

 

[paphater]

thank you, YES! that's the biggest dilemma besides how to do the build ourselves. wifey and I are both fairly skilled with DIY, but this will definitely be a new.. Its an odd feeling to willingly make a large hole in your new home. The wall is 11ft from the door to the edge, wondering what's the max we can go without it being an overkill and also fairly easy to maintain.

I know how you feel. I felt the same way putting a dog door in our wall... Are you on a concrete slab? What your floor can handle will really dictate your options. I think you'll find maintenance actually gets easier the bigger your go if you incorporate the appropriate size sump. When I made the current upgrade I switched to zero water changes and haven't looked back. Forty gallons of chaeto does wonders. IMO a longer tank is the way to go. It'll be cheaper to go glass if you go past the 8' mark.

 

[CindyKz]

We did the opposite and have ours extending into the living space a little bit to allow for a side view. The back is now painted, and it will have white trim to match the floorboards.

 

[AshwinRavi]

I know how you feel. I felt the same way putting a dog door in our wall... Are you on a concrete slab? What your floor can handle will really dictate your options. I think you'll find maintenance actually gets easier the bigger your go if you incorporate the appropriate size sump. When I made the current upgrade I switched to zero water changes and haven't looked back. Forty gallons of chaeto does wonders. IMO a longer tank is the way to go. It'll be cheaper to go glass if you go past the 8' mark.

the floor is concrete, tank and sump will be in the basement, so weight shouldn't be an issue.

 

[AshwinRavi]

We did the opposite and have ours extending into the living space a little bit to allow for a side view. The back is now painted, and it will have white trim to match the floorboards.

that looks beautiful, never considered this setup, nice work!

 

[AshwinRavi]

think we are going to go with our 4ft tank with room for future upgrade. with closing the house, it's going to be a little tough to afford a nicer upgrade at this time.

here's the conceptualization of tank, bar slab, bar stools and our annoyed dog

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Following along as I'm considering an in wall setup in the future...

 

[CindyKz]

that looks beautiful, never considered this setup, nice work!

Thank you! We are plumbing as I write this!

 

[AshwinRavi]

Thank you! We are plumbing as I write this!

nice!!! and good luck!

 

[AshwinRavi]

think we are going to go with our 4ft tank with room for future upgrade. with closing the house, it's going to be a little tough to afford a nicer upgrade at this time.

here's the conceptualization of tank, bar slab, bar stools and our annoyed dog

for some reason, the pic doesn't upload here.

 

[User]

Flush.

Then surrounded by a molding picture frame

 

[George Lopez]

Picture framed is nice but recessed gives 2 extra views

 

[User]

Picture framed is nice but recessed gives 2 extra views

Recessed would put a 3.5” deep recess around the whole thing...

You only get the extra views if you bring it partly into the room... the opposite of a recess.

Like cindyKz example above

 

[DaneGer21]

My old in-wall was flush mounted