Evolution of a tank in the wall

[odessadude]

While growing up, I always admired a good aquarium. We had a 10 gallon tank at our house when I was young and I guess that is where it started.

Through the years I have had many tanks, but this one by far is my favorite. All it took was a spare place in the house to put it, a little cash (less then $1,000.00) and my mind full of ideas. The following pictures shows over a two year period, how the dream came true.

I have many other tanks for breeding and will share them with the board. Although new to this board, I have been in this hobby full time for about 20 years.

My best advise to people just discovering the hobby is to buy books and research before you listen to the sales clerk at your local fish store. In all of my reading, I feel the Germans have the best knowledge of this hobby.

 

[Thebluyak]

wow that is way to cool, love the table too!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

That is awsome.....

 

[Jchillin]

Sweet! Brings new meaning to the term "Fish Bar". Since you mentioned it, did the final price include the bar?

In the meantime, let's share some of the details shall we?

 

[czcz]

very nice

 

[odessadude]

I actually got the glass for free. There is a local glass shop that throws away all kinds of glass. This particular piece was for a store front and the guy who ordered it gave the shop the wrong info. They were already paid, so it was out the door. It is 117" by 27" and 1/2" thick tempered. It was a job putting it on the stand. I never knew glass would bow as much as it does.

The wood in the bar is all Poplar. The legs were intended for stairway supports and I just cut them down to size. Other then that the beer coasters were collected through the years. I may have about $150.00 in the bar, plus my time and labor.

The tank is a 135 gallon Oceanic with over flows packed with bio-balls. There is 75 gallon sump below with a submersible Eheim filter. I also run a magnum 350 for extra filtration.

The light was another throw away. It was an old sign we had at the shop promoting a product. I stripped the ballast, lamp holders and lamps out and made my own box. They are VHO lights.

I still lack a ceiling, but will go with a tounge and groove pine 8". My only hold up is to get the a/c ducted in this room. I do have a large and quite electric vent over the bar, that pulls the a/c from the back room. It stays around 76 degrees in the Summer.

I am looking for a reasonally priced 125-150 gallon tank to put on the stand that came with this tank. Anyone in the Atlanta area have one for sale?

 

[QTOFFER]

That's one sweet room!

Did you do all the framing and the hardwood flooring yourself? It looks great!

 

[odessadude]

My son helped me with the stand and frame. My wife helped me with the hardwood floor, after I layed down the subfloor. I did all of sheetrock and it was the first time I ever did any sheet rock. I also did the electrical and plumbing myself.

It would have cost me about 10 grand so I decided to read a few books and do it myself.

 

[verucaproduce]

What does the other side of the tank look like?

 

[chantale101]

SWEET TANK!! Love the bar too!! GREAT JOB!!

 

[odessadude]

Well while were looking at the back side of the tank, I welcome you to my fish room!

Some say the back side looks just as good as the front. This room was finished first. I found the stainless steel shelf and made the trim work fit around it.

Lot's of ideas went into this project and I'm still thinking!

 

[verucaproduce]

Very cool! I am glad I asked.

 

[joannde]

I really love these bar tanks .... since I'm always pulling a chair up to the tank that setup is perfect for me. But I don't DARE suggest it to my husband - it was bad enough when I had him hang a photo of Elvis in a firehelmet in his fire dept themed bar LOL

 

[odessadude]

It works out really good after a hard day at work. The cats love it to. They have a cool place to lay and just gaze at all of the action!

 

[TomK2]

Awesome Dude!

You gotta get a holding tank, and plumb some pumps and pipes so that water changes can be done with a flip of the switch. You certainly seem to be handy enough! Any tank that has a work room behind it can really benefit from such a set up:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomstank/tomstank_files/page0015.htm

 

[odessadude]

AHHHHHHHHHHH, you were the first to notice the Little Giant Pump!

With just a couple of flips on the ball valves, we can fill, create a underwater hurricane to clean up the gravel and drain that sump in minutes flat. The fish love it during water changes! If you notice on the left side of the sump, I have the colored tape for 33% water changes as well as running and critical levels. I am working on a float switch that will give an alarm to my family, to get there butt off of the couch and fill it up when I'm out of town making money.


Good Eye Mate!

 

[TomK2]

Yes, very cool. Does that plumbing end just to the right of the sump requiring a hose as the final step to a drain, or does it go to a drain via pipes? Do you have a holding tank, or exchange with water right from the tap? I brought up a holding tank (AKA clean garbage can) only because you can condition the water and heat it for water changes. But you have a lot of tanks, you might need more than 50 gals of holding tank for all of them!

So you solved the problem of trickling water into a sump biomedia compartment evenly and consistantly by skipping that altogether, and just put the biomedia in the overflows. I love it! The time it would have taken me to make a good drip tray, or spray bar set-up, and to partition off a sump tank into compartments, was one reason I didn't build one and instead used canister filters. The other was that I would have to buy a tank with overflows, and by skipping the sump I reduced my cost. But with not making an elaborate drip tray or spray bar with a biomedia compartment, a sump is really pretty easy to set up. You have really got ME thinking again, can I see a close up of the sump and its plumbing? Is that plumbing drilled into the sump tank? Do you use the sump's pump to both return water to the display tank during operation, and pump water out of the sump to a drain for water changes? Then what, fill the sump with a hose? I am really curious to see how you have done your plumbing for the sump, and how the water flow is managed during both operation and water changes.


These kinds of systems are always DIY, and I am always amazed at the many different ways people have devised to do the required functions, depending on thier needs, physical layout, and budget. Again, very cool!

 

[Jramatized]

Nice I want one in the wall. Thats some MTV cribs stuff right there lol. I dont have a 125 gal. but I am in the Atl area kind of. Im up in Dalton buot an hour NW of ATL.
Howdy neighbor

 

[Guest]

What kinda fish do you bred? I just love the tank in the wall. Like I said before I'm working on one myself for are new home. I have been looking in to the self clean and drain set ups and have found some good ideals but this is a nice set-up. Looking really close here. LOL

 

[odessadude]

For the last three posts.

1. (TomK2) - I will send you some pictures of the sump area and explain how I fill and do the water changes with ease.

2. (Jramatized) Howdy back to you neighbor. Are you a member of any local aquarium club?

3. (Weasel F.) Australian Rainbows are the fish of choice to breed, along with growing those darn Java Ferns you see in all of the tanks.

And a special thanks for all of the praise on the tank. I just wanted to share this to show the members that you can have a nice set-up, without paying huge bucks to do it.

A 20 gallon tank in the wall would look great with a frame and it wouldn't take much to do it.

Any and all questions will be answered!

Many thanks to all!