In-Wall and Fish Room Questions - Who has em?

[steveweast]

Pennyguy23.....that's a great set up you got there. It seems to fit well within its surroundings....however....to me....it's not completely built in. It still looks like a tank (and a very nice one at that) surrounded by cabinetry. The problem with threads like this....is that everyone has a different definition of "built in". My definition revolves around the "picture frame" look that appeals to me so much....which is exactly that.....a small frame of a few inches wide surrounding the living picture that is the reef tank.....no side views....no protusions from the wall....just a picture on the wall. A true picture frame look should look no different than any other painting....a painting that gives the impression that it could be just lifted off the wall as with any other painting in the room. There is nothing wrong with frontal access....but to me....it ruins the picture frame look....which....by defintion....is just a small frame surrounding the living picture. It all comes down to personal taste and what's important to each individual.

 

[jnarowe]

I used the same bilge paint on the ceiling and that is a paint you need to get from a marine store. I am sure there are other paints you could use as well, but nothing from a big box store will cut the mustard under these environmental conditions. You can PM me if you have further questions about the paint.

I was going to do a picture frame too but I decided to install mine behind the wall and hide 6" on either side as well as a couple of inches top and bottom. I also installed a second wall all the way around in the tank room with the studs offset from the original wall. That way the interior sheet rock is not physically connected to the viewing room side sheet rock. With that arrangement I get zero noise and a window framed tank. There is an illusion that you are looking through a wall at the ocean.

 

[ReefWaters]

Wow, this thread took off more than I thought it would.

Wow, this thread took off more than I thought it would.

Well, this is some great information everyone has provided. And some beautiful systems as well.

I think everyone has very valid points, whether you're a true picture frame, or more of a cabinet style built in. I like both. I think it just depends on your specific situation and what you "can" get away with more so than what you "want" from the system. I do like the extra viewing panel that you get from the way pennyguy23 set up his tank.

I have made some, pretty much final, decisions on what will become of my new system.

The tank will be 60" wide, 20" tall, and somewhere between 36" and 48" deep (front to back). I want to go with the 48" depth but am just a little wary b/c of the extra lighting it will require. I will probably go with the 4 foot depth anyway.

I will be going with the true picture frame look like Steve Weast's tank. The front panel will also be flush with the plane of the display side wall so that there is no recess like jnarowe's. I will use wide enough wood for the frame to cover the edges of the tank by a few inches though.

The tank room is technically what some would call a "sun room." There are 3 large windows. They are brand new, double pane, and have the Low-E glass, or gas, or whatever makes it Low-E. It is 10' x 9'. I am cooling, heating, and dehumidifying the room with a 12,000 BTU mini split A/C unit. I'm hoping this will be enough to avoid a chiller. This will also keep the tank environment completely separate from the house. The floor will be tile with a drain. There will be a utility sink. 2 designated circuits for the tank and a third for the A/C. The walls and ceiling will be painted with Bilge Coat as jnarowe's room is.

I'm not sure what I'm going to use for blinds or curtains yet. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated but I want something simple, easy to maintain, and durable in the damp environment.

The tank will only be 20 inches tall and will be at a height were I can get to the "arms length" spots of the tank without using a stool or ladder. I'm sure I'll need something to get to the far corner. I will only have access to the tank from one side and the back. But with the shallow tank, I think I'll be okay.

The overflow will be off to one side, not the back, and will be external. The tank will not be accessible from the right side anyway, so I decided to put the overflow on that side so it wouldn't take up room on a usable pane of glass.

I plan on leaving the two back access sides of the tank as free of clutter, equipment and plumbing as possible and I hope that they can almost be used as additional viewing panes for the tank.

As for lighting, I'm all over the place here. I almost want to permanently place the lights high enough over the tank to allow full access. But I think I would have to go WAY too high. So I'm trying to come up with some kind of rack system that I like that will lift straight up. I don think I have the room to do a sliding rack even though I would like that a lot more. What do you think of a hinged system where the back side tilts up and down and the front side is hinged directly to the wall?

Well, I hope that gives everyone a better picture of what I'm trying to do. Please ask questions if I was unclear. I will be starting a build thread whenever I actually get around to the TANK stuff and will post a link here.

Thanks again for the help guys,

RW

 

[steveweast]

3 suggestions...

1) use a chiller. It's more efficient and more accurate to cool a tank....rather than cool a room that then somewhat cools the tank. Chillers are a cheap investment compared to the entire large system.

2) go bigger on your height. The proper visual aspect ratio is 2 to 1.....so at 60" length......25" - 30" of height will look right. If shorter....the overal effect is odd looking ....the tank will be too wide for it's height......and even more so when your frame crops the tank (the frame will crop several inches off the top to hide water line). I can easily reach by hand every inch of my 30" tank. You just have to plan sufficently enough to get things out of your way.... like lights.

3) who says you have to light the whole tank....light it heavy up front and shadowed to the rear.

 

[jnarowe]

Take a look at the lights I have in my pics garage (red house). I am not sure what a 20" tall by 4' deep tank would look like in-wall, but there is an LFS here that has a square frag tank with those dimensions and it is sweet. Really sweet!

His lamps are 1000W and mounted up high, but I seriously do not recommend that for home use. You will burn yourself! I would recommend getting movers like I have to give you the coverage and keep the electric bill in check.

You can buy reflectors online at places like propertyroom.com for much less than retail. Movers are sometimes available used but since they have moving parts, new or reconditioned might be a better idea. You can find them here.

I spent a lot of time researching sound abatement so yuo can PM me if you want to learn more about that. I am a little concerned about you usig a sun-room format for the tank in that it will allow heat to enter, but I guess you have taken that into consideration with your cooling set up. Ground loops work great too!

 

[jnarowe]

hehe

He's right about not lighting the whole tank...leaving the back a little dark helps with realism too.