Brian Crook
New member
I've been working away for the past few months on a significantly up-sized new aquarium build, and I'd like to share some of my progress and start documenting it officially on Reef Central. Feel free to read my story below, or just skip to the pictures..
You can check out my last build here:
Brian's 220g In-Wall Build
A while back I came to the realization that my 220g tank would not lend itself to a nice layout of my recroom. I wanted to have a nice bar rail, sectional couch, television, guitars, etc, etc... and the location of this tank just wouldn't fit with that plan. My recroom measures approximately 36' by 12.5 ft, plus a large entrance and hallway. I decided the best way to go would be to create a fish room on one end of the recroom, and take the opportunity to improve on several problems with my first tank and fish room.
... Oh, and also upgrade from 220 gallon to 500+ gallon along the way! :rollface:
When deciding on the size, shape, and material choice for my new aquarium, I came to the conclusion that plywood was the best choice. To pay Miracles or another manufacturer to custom build me a tank would have worked, sure, however I would have been limited by the width of my basement entrance and stairwell / hallway. In addition, I absolutely was not comfortable with the risk of carrying such a massive glass aquarium into the house and trying to squeeze it around corners and down stairs. Not to mention that the price of a custom, large glass tank is quite high.
Living in a rural part of Ontario does not afford me with much selection for custom aquarium manufacturers, other hobbyists, or even a lot of people that have ever seen a saltwater aquarium before. I also really enjoy working on the house and undertaking renovations, so building the tank myself actually appealed to me. I even considered purchasing glass panels separately and building my own glass tank. However, ultimately I decided that I was much more comfortable working with wood and decided that plywood was the way to go!
I should mention that I would not have been able to make this decision if not for the excellent aquarium build threads posted by others on this forum (and also thanks to my wife for supporting my aquarium sickness). There's actually quite a few plywood threads on here when you go digging, but there are two in particular that I found to be very helpful and encouraging:
CyclistMT's 300 Gal Plywood and Glass Build
AcroSteve's 220gal Plywood/steel hybrid. Pull up a chair, this will take a while.
Prior to starting work on the tank itself, I had to do quite a bit of demolition and construction of the new fish room. This time around I planned on having a proper, dedicated space for the aquarium and other hardware. I wanted to have more than enough space to setup a sump / refugium, frag tank, and vessels for auto top-off and water changes. I also wanted to have my own sink, counter and work space, and storage space.
To accomplish this, I wired up four dedicated 15A circuits and one 20A circuit and provided several outlets around the room. I installed a Panasonic WhisperQuiet ventilation fan and wired it to an automatic humidistat for control. I ran plumbing through the wall and will now utilize a floor drain which has always existed in this corner of the room. I insulated the walls and ceiling with Safe and Sound insulation and applied vapour barrier throughout. I applied moisture resistant paint on the walls and ceiling.. The list goes on; I'm pleased with how the room is coming together.
To start thing off, here's a "before" picture of my recroom and 220 gallon aquarium (as you can see the space wasn't being utilized all that much):
You can check out my last build here:
Brian's 220g In-Wall Build
A while back I came to the realization that my 220g tank would not lend itself to a nice layout of my recroom. I wanted to have a nice bar rail, sectional couch, television, guitars, etc, etc... and the location of this tank just wouldn't fit with that plan. My recroom measures approximately 36' by 12.5 ft, plus a large entrance and hallway. I decided the best way to go would be to create a fish room on one end of the recroom, and take the opportunity to improve on several problems with my first tank and fish room.
... Oh, and also upgrade from 220 gallon to 500+ gallon along the way! :rollface:
When deciding on the size, shape, and material choice for my new aquarium, I came to the conclusion that plywood was the best choice. To pay Miracles or another manufacturer to custom build me a tank would have worked, sure, however I would have been limited by the width of my basement entrance and stairwell / hallway. In addition, I absolutely was not comfortable with the risk of carrying such a massive glass aquarium into the house and trying to squeeze it around corners and down stairs. Not to mention that the price of a custom, large glass tank is quite high.
Living in a rural part of Ontario does not afford me with much selection for custom aquarium manufacturers, other hobbyists, or even a lot of people that have ever seen a saltwater aquarium before. I also really enjoy working on the house and undertaking renovations, so building the tank myself actually appealed to me. I even considered purchasing glass panels separately and building my own glass tank. However, ultimately I decided that I was much more comfortable working with wood and decided that plywood was the way to go!
I should mention that I would not have been able to make this decision if not for the excellent aquarium build threads posted by others on this forum (and also thanks to my wife for supporting my aquarium sickness). There's actually quite a few plywood threads on here when you go digging, but there are two in particular that I found to be very helpful and encouraging:
CyclistMT's 300 Gal Plywood and Glass Build
AcroSteve's 220gal Plywood/steel hybrid. Pull up a chair, this will take a while.
Prior to starting work on the tank itself, I had to do quite a bit of demolition and construction of the new fish room. This time around I planned on having a proper, dedicated space for the aquarium and other hardware. I wanted to have more than enough space to setup a sump / refugium, frag tank, and vessels for auto top-off and water changes. I also wanted to have my own sink, counter and work space, and storage space.
To accomplish this, I wired up four dedicated 15A circuits and one 20A circuit and provided several outlets around the room. I installed a Panasonic WhisperQuiet ventilation fan and wired it to an automatic humidistat for control. I ran plumbing through the wall and will now utilize a floor drain which has always existed in this corner of the room. I insulated the walls and ceiling with Safe and Sound insulation and applied vapour barrier throughout. I applied moisture resistant paint on the walls and ceiling.. The list goes on; I'm pleased with how the room is coming together.
To start thing off, here's a "before" picture of my recroom and 220 gallon aquarium (as you can see the space wasn't being utilized all that much):









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