Looking for help on a built in 180

mrpdeq

AC Members
Nov 19, 2006
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I've recently purchased a 180 gal. tank to fullfill a dream of mine. :) I plan on building the tank into a wall, enclosed on all sides and to be able to see through the tank from two rooms.
I was wondering if anyone else has done this before, and if so what advice anyone could give me. :help:
I also plan to post the progress as I go along.
Thanks in advance.
 
first, be certain that the place where you intend to put the tank can take the weight. a 180 gallon tank will weigh in at nearly a ton. i've got a built in 300 gallon tank in the living room and needed to put in special footings under the house where the tank was going to live.
 
Thanks for the reply.

I've thought about that and decided to put the tank in the basement in our rec room. So the weight problem is not an issue, because the floor is cement.
 
Well I now have some time to post pics of my project.

First, pic is of the rec room demo side of the wall, the doors have been already taken off the cabinets.

Second, if of the other side of the demo wall, the doors have been already taken off the cabinets.

Third, is the cabinets in back of wall taken out.

Forth, is the rec room side all taken out.

That's it for now. More pics to come.
 
Forgot the pics first time around.

Well I now have some time to post pics of my project.

First, pic is of the rec room demo side of the wall, the doors have been already taken off the cabinets.

Second, if of the other side of the demo wall, the doors have been already taken off the cabinets.

Third, is the cabinets in back of wall taken out.

Forth, is the rec room side all taken out.

That's it for now. More pics to come.

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I now have more time to post more pics.
I now have all the demo finished. That's the first two pics. The old wall is completly gone.
I have also finished the stand, complete with foam that will be under the tank. Once the stand was finished I started the frame process. The framing had to be started in the bedroom side, because I wanted to match up to the existing paneling in that room. Once that was underway the remaining framing went up and the electrical work began. I put new light switches in the wall to operate the existing ceiling lights, two new electrical outlets were put in the rec room side, along with telephone & cable hook-up. After the framing and electrical work were done, a new door was put in, because the old door was 36" wide and the new opening is going to be 32". And the tank was put in placed, leveled, and that is the current state of this build.

fish 028.jpg fish 029.jpg fish 016.jpg fish 018.jpg fish 039.jpg
 
More updated pics of my project.
First one is the rec room wall with the dry wall up, and the tank in place.
Second is of the bedroom side of the fish wall.
Third pic is of the rec room side with all of my live rock and water in the tank.
Forth pic is the bedroom side with all of my live rock and water in the tank.
Last pic is a full shot of the red room side. Don't mind the mess, the job is not done yet, but we had a house full oe people coming over so that's why the couch is there is front of the wall.
The little guy in the pic is my little helper, who has been helping with all the work from day one and continues to be right in the middle of everything everyday.

fish 042.jpg fish 043.jpg fish 044.jpg fish 045.jpg fish 046.jpg
 
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