Sander's In-Wall 300

[SanderK]

I have lurked for a long time and learned a lot reading these forums. I have kept freshwater tanks in the past but always wanted a reef tank. Last November I finally started taking active steps towards setting up a tank.

My experience with freshwater tanks led me to want an in-wall tank. I have been lucky to have friends who are not only generous with their construction knowledge and tools, but also their time. With their help I have done most of the work without hiring professionals.

I'll do my best to document the process thus far. I still have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. I am looking forward to any advice you can give me. Please feel free to question my choices too, I hope that anyone planning or working on a similar set up can learn from my undoubtedly numerous mistakes.

I chose a 300 gallon tank because I have a fair bit of space and I value the stability a larger water volume affords. I also think a larger tank allows for more aquascaping options.

The area the tank is going:

Pulling up the carpet:

Demolition:

 

[SanderK]

After destroying part of the house, I started putting it back together in a way I hope will be conducive to keeping a reef tank.

Framing:

You can see some obvious mistakes I made. One example is the incorrect header above where the tank will be. The framing was reinforced after this pic was taken, so I feel that it is structurally sound nonetheless. I also did not leave space above the tank to do maintenance from the front. I did research this, and the experts here generally recommended having front access, but I ultimately decided to bite the bullet and framed closer to the tank for aesthetics.

Start of the plumbing in the wall:

The drain line is not up to code as it is shown. I have not had any issues yet, but I recognize that the codes are written by professionals and for good reason. I will be sure to let y'all know if any issues arise from the in-wall plumbing.

Electrical:

This is one of the things I hired a professional to do. I had a 60-amp sub panel installed in the fish room, and then 3 circuits run off this sub panel. Each circuit has 5 duplex outlets, each of which is a GFCI. They are wired in parallel (unlike typical GFCI circuits), so that if one trips the others on the same circuit are still live. Many of the electricians I spoke to were initially hesitant with this kind of set up but I found one that was familiar with this kind of set up. Apparently this is a common configuration on commercial kitchens. This set up has saved me when a light over the fuge toppled into the water. :eek2:

 

[SanderK]

Continuing with the build, I placed rigid closed-cell foam board in the walls and ceiling. I did some reading on various forums, and the consensus seemed to suggest this kind of foam (coupled with an air gap) was a good option for reducing sound. I don't think its the best option for insulation, but I am not as concerned with insulating this room. I think there are other materials/strategies that would work well also, but this option was good because it was easy on the budget and didn't require any special tools.

Sound proofing:

After the foam was in the walls, I covered the walls with a heavy plastic sheeting.

Closing up the walls:

I used green board to seal up the walls. I may have been a little overzealous with the wallboard screws :lol:

Skipping ahead a fair bit, the stand in place:

I had the texturing and painting done professionally also. I have attempted to texture walls in the past, and did a horrible job, so it was worth it to pay someone else to do it.

The stand is tubular steel and powder coated. I bought it from the tank manufacturer because they gave me a lifetime warranty on the tank as long as it is kept on their stand.

 

[LOTUS50GOD]

I hope you put in a fan/vent to get the humidity out of the room. If not things are going to rust... (dont ask me how I know).

Next.. how come you put so many outlets up high?
On my tank, I run 2x20 amp circuits (8 outlets total).
Off those outlets I have an APEX controller that handles all of the power distribution.

My pumps are plugged in down low. (in the stand)

 

[SanderK]

I hope you put in a fan/vent to get the humidity out of the room. If not things are going to rust... (dont ask me how I know).

Yes, that is a good point. Thank you for the recommendation. I didn't include any pictures of it, but I modified an existing vent from my central heating/cooling to vent into the fish room. There is also a window in the room (for better or worse). I intend to use the window to actively cool/vent the room as necessary. I haven't finished building the facade to enclose the tank, and I have temporarily removed the door to the fish room for other work, so thus far humidity hasn't been an issue. I am certain once the room is better sealed it will become a problem though.

Thanks for checking out my build.

 

[SanderK]

A full tank shot:

Pardon the camera phone picture. This pic was taken about a month ago and shows an algae issue I had on the rocks and sand at the time. A shortened photo period and hungry clean up crew have since taken care of the algae seen in this pic.

At the moment I have an orange spot goby and tiger snapping shrimp pair, and a part of oceallaris black and white misbar clowns.

Ultimately I would like a mixed reef, with relatively small, peaceful fish.

 

[mike660r]

Good luck cleaning the front of your tank. You should have allowed for front access with some doors.

 

[SanderK]

Good luck cleaning the front of your tank. You should have allowed for front access with some doors.

Thanks for the advice. That is certainly in line with the majority opinion I have read here, but I do not like the look for aesthetic reasons. So far I have had no trouble keeping the front of the tank clean, but I understand how this could become an issue as the tank matures.

 

[RJT]

I am planning the same setup. How thick is your tank 3/4 or 1in? What return pump are you using? What skimmer are you using?

I have a 110 gallon now until I get the funds in a few months. The local builder offer the same lifetime warranty if I purchase the tank and stand from him. In my current tank I have 2 angel pairs, wrasse pair and a few other peaceful fish. Working on the corals.

 

[SanderK]

I am planning the same setup. How thick is your tank 3/4 or 1in? What return pump are you using? What skimmer are you using?

My tank is 3/4" except the bottom (which is 1/2"). I am using a Reeflo Dart Gold. The skimmer is a Reef Octopus 5000 SSS. I have been very happy with both thus far, but I don't have experience with other pumps and skimmers.

It sounds like you already have a nice set up. Good luck with your upgrade as well. Thanks for checking out my build thread.

 

[RJT]

Thank you for the quick response. Great build thread, very clean.

 

[muttley000]

Tagging along. Since it looks like you have access to both ends of your tank, I think the front access will be a minor inconvenience at the worst. Heed the humidity warning, it can be dangerous to your house and your family. I would talk to someone about a fan that turns on with humidity and or temperature. Hopefully the existing duct you talked about can be utilized. I may have missed it but how are you lighting this? Looking forward to your progress!

 

[SanderK]

Tagging along. Since it looks like you have access to both ends of your tank, I think the front access will be a minor inconvenience at the worst. Heed the humidity warning, it can be dangerous to your house and your family. I would talk to someone about a fan that turns on with humidity and or temperature. Hopefully the existing duct you talked about can be utilized. I may have missed it but how are you lighting this? Looking forward to your progress!

Thank you for the advice. I have been hoping to control the humidity by selectively opening the window in the room, and possibly using a window fan or room AC. The vent to the room is part of my central heating/cooling system for the house. It may be too early to tell if it will keep up with cooling the room since the room is not sealed yet. I will look into fans with humidistats as well. If possible I'd like to avoid the bathroom-style vents.

At the moment I am using a power compact fixture I used on a planted FW tank in the past. It puts out ~300 watts but only covers half the tank. I haven't got any corals, anemones, etc. yet because I fear this is not enough light to sustain most of them properly. I know some do not require as intense lighting, and that PAR will drop off with depth, but I'd still rather get a better lighting set up before I invest in anything dependent on it. Ultimately I would like to go with LEDs.

Thanks again for the advice, and for tagging along.