Deep Down Florida 300g In-wall Build

[bmanzie]

Ok so I have been out of the hobby for a few years and just recently decided to jump back in. I have seen all of these threads with an in-wall set up and thought it looked really cool. I had the perfect spot for this so the decision was made to get a 300g tank made.

So my journey begins with the planning. After searching around my area for aquarium tank builders, I came across a thread here in this forum that boasted about this tank made by Reef Savvy (reefsavvy.com). So I contacted them and spoke to Felix who was extremely patient (on a Sunday) and answered all of my questions. Needless to say, I decided to go with them and now I am just waiting for the tank.
Here is my preliminary wish list, some of which I already got.
300g tank
Barr SK5020 Beckett skimmer
75 sump
Iwaki 55 for Skimmer
Rio 32 Hyperflow
Hydor Koralia Magnum 7
Live Rock
Live Sand

I am sure some of this will change but this is what I am envisioning for now.

 

[bmanzie]

Here is my wall planned out...
The tank will be 96"W x 24"D x 29"H built by Reef Savy

 

[bmanzie]

Here is the backside of the wall. This is in my garage so I have lots of space to play with. The holes you see are from outlets that I removed along with the wires.

Wires waiting for the new setup...

This is the start of the demolition...

And this is my preliminary holes to see if there were any others wires in there...

 

[bmanzie]

Found the skimmer I wanted from a forum member here on reef central.
The boxes came yesterday so I will open them tomorrow and post.

 

[palmer373]

looking good, id like to see your pragress over time. are you planning a FOWLR or reef and whats your stocking list as of now?

 

[bmanzie]

This will be a FOWLR for now. I really havent put a stocking list together since it will be a while before I could get any.
I am however leaning towards allot of tangs mixed in with others.

I ordered my lights today from hello lights.
I got the Hellolights 48" 4 Lamp Very High Output T5 Retrofit Kit w/ bulbs kit.
I got two kits to cover the length of my tank which is 96" :dance:
Should be comming soon.

 

[adubrocq]

Cant wait!

Cant wait!

Cant wait to see the final outcome!

 

[bmanzie]

It is difficult to capture what I am doing in the front due to the dust barrier I put up. I am taking the picture from the back end which is really the same in the front end.

 

[bmanzie]

I also opened and put together the skimmer that I got. I can't wait to run this monster.

 

[slief]

I recognize that skimmer!! UPS was even nice to the boxes! The boxes arrived in better shape than I would have expected but I did make sure the skimmer was well packed inside of them too just in case. Looks like a great project! Keep the pictures coming! I'm subscribed!

 

[bmanzie]

Once again thank you very much for the deal.
I will post another picture later where you will see an issue I encountered on the other side of the wall.

 

[bmanzie]

Ok so I wanted to show some pictures of the front side. I patched up the spaces/cracks with compound. It isn't a finished job because it will be covered with a 6" wooden frame.
Left Side

Right Side

As you can see, on the right side I removed all of the drywall. This is because the previous owners of the house did an awful drywall patch job. I couldn't stand how uneven the wall looked. I know I am good at doing drywall so I decided to use this opportunity to replace the whole side.:thumbsup:

 

[bmanzie]

Well I am at work today just doing my thing and I get a txt message from Felix at reef savvy with a picture attached.
It was my tank, 50% done. :dance:
Looks like I need to get a move on in my house....

 

[adubrocq]

I can fit 2 of my tanks in there! LOL!

 

[bmanzie]

Ok so this weekend I was able to finish the reconstruction of the front wall. It wasn't a hard task but at least now I know my wall is perfectly flat.
I also exposed the back wall because I sould be getting started on the stand this week. I will be incorporating it into my existing wall studs which was the reason why I needed to expose them.
Here are a few updated pictures.

Here is my new RO/DI system set up.

 

[laud]

Wow! I am enjoying this already.

 

[AquamanE]

Looks awesome. Subsribed to this thread!!

 

[bmanzie]

Thanks, I should be buying the wood today or tomorrow to begin building the stand. I will post as I have updates.

 

[David - Miami]

Wow. Seems like you are pretty quicl with this work. This build should be great to watch!

 

[bmanzie]

Trying to get things done because tank comes in two weeks.