In-Wall Tank (False Wall vs. Inset into Garage)

gaines

gaines

Ruler of the Blue Lagoon
May 14, 2006
95
0
0
Nashville, TN
I've been itching to get a BIG tank and believe I've figured out the perfect place to put it. We use a projector in our entertainment room meaning one wall is completely blank except for the pull down projector screen.

I had thought about cutting a hole in the wall and setting up a fish tank in the hold, but then I'd have to build a header and the back of the tank would extend into the garage where our washer/dryer is...lots of complications.

Then I thought about just setting up the tank against the existing wall, and building a fake wall that was flush with the front of the tank. I could even build some bookshelves into the wall on either side. Below is a sketch of what I'm thinking of doing.

Entertainment-Wall.jpg


There are a couple of complications that I need to work out though. The biggest is access to the tank for maintenance. If it's sandwidched between the real wall and the new fake one, the only way to get at it would be to put an access hatch in the fake wall.

Here's a link to an article on doing this sort of thing where they actually put cabinet doors above the aquarium. I'm not sure I like the look of having such huge cabinet doors right above the aquarium like that.

On this page they have a great idea to make the top trim piece flip up for access, but we're talking about just enough room to feed the fish, not do any type of servicing.

The problems with accessing the tank and filtration make me think that maybe cutting a hole in the wall would be worthwhile afterall. At least then I would have complete access to the back of the tank and wouldn't loose any space in my entertainment room. On the other hand, I'd then have to worry more about temperature fluctuations as my garage isn't heated/cooled. I'd almost have to build some sort of enclosure around it just to keep it insulated from the extreme temperatures of the garage...or insulate the garage and add a wall AC/heat unit. Plus, I wouldn't want to be able to see through the aquarium to the garage.

Thoughts?
 
I have thought of the same thing, the tank behind the screen, I was thinking to just have the tank freestanding and the screen mounted to the ceiling. That leaves the tank accessible. If you build the fake wall you could have the equipment cabinets on either side on casters and roll out for access to the tank and build a couple insulated doors into the garage wall above the tank for access. You could also plumb the equipment through the wall into the garage for maintenance purposes.

Brian
 
i am in the process of building a tank in a wall under my stairs and will post a thread with pics and details in the near future.
im looking forward to it.
so watch this space
 
bpimm said:
If you build the fake wall you could have the equipment cabinets on either side on casters and roll out for access to the tank
Click to expand...
That's an excellent idea. Unfortunately, I think i'm realizing that it would take too much of a chunk out of the room to do a false wall. The room is only 11' wide as it is, so if I took up 2' of it for a wall that would leave only 8'...and that's a short room for a home theatre. :(

I keep trying different ideas and coming back to the fact that it's probably not plausible in my current house.
 
gaines said:
That's an excellent idea. Unfortunately, I think i'm realizing that it would take too much of a chunk out of the room to do a false wall. The room is only 11' wide as it is, so if I took up 2' of it for a wall that would leave only 8'...and that's a short room for a home theatre. :(

I keep trying different ideas and coming back to the fact that it's probably not plausible in my current house.
Click to expand...

What do you need a garage for? ;) Thats to bad it, would have been awesome.

I agree 8' is to short for the sound to develop right, my mains dont sound right unless they have 3' open behind them.

Everything is a trade off.
 
bpimm said:
What do you need a garage for? ;) Thats to bad it, would have been awesome.

I agree 8' is to short for the sound to develop right, my mains dont sound right unless they have 3' open behind them.

Everything is a trade off.
Click to expand...

I even considered tearing out the closets/walls between two of the bedrooms (one which is a guest room and the other is an office) and making that the home theatre because it would be long, but it's too narrow still. You'd barely be able to fit a single couch and we'd want to be able to accomodate at least four people comfortably without having to resort to "rows".

The garage is the only place we have to keep tools, lawn equipment, bikes, etc. I am looking into those huge sheds that home depot sells, but my wife would still want the washing machine and dryer in there plus you can't get rid of the hot water heater and our garage isn't very big if you walled all that off.

*sigh* If I just pay these loans off then maybe we can look at building...or at least a house that fits what I want to do better.
 
i dont know how smart this seems. you can make it flush with the wall and have it stick out at the garage. all you if you got a chiller and have heaters. you can work on it in the garage and still see it in your room. if i were to do it i would make it as big as i can. more water the less temp change.
 
I think I've decideded

I think I've figured out a plan. The other day I picked up a 6' Oceanic for a great deal. I plan on using it for my in-wall aquarium unless I find a deal on a taller one. I'm not too concerned about volume as I will be building a large sump/refugium into the system.

Before I can start on opening up the wall for the aquarium, I first need to insulate the garage. The biggest part of insulating the garage is probably going to be removing the garage door and walling it in. We already have new double pane windows and I think that the walls/ceiling are somewhat insulated already...although if they need further insulation I don't know how I'm going to pull that off.
 
Why not build an insulated 'box' around the back of the aquarium in the garage? You could incorporate insulated removable panels for maintainence and it would also protect the aquarium from any potentially damaging activities in the garage.
 
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