Tank of a lifetime 215 in wall

I have some space behind the wall in my living room to build in the tank.
I'm gonna go for it.

Here is the plan. :bigsmile:

Recent video

And this of course!

 

This is what I'm planning to use for a stand. This should hold the weight and then some. I Salvaged a 10"x6"x1/2 thick extruded aluminum I-Beam drilled for function and because... I want it to look like a race car when it is done. 8)

 

Cut to size, drilled, and polished all with hand power tools and sprained elbow grease.
(man that hurt when the hole saw bound up the first time) :O

 

Looking forward to seeing the progress photos!

 

Long day.... I'll be back

 

OK! This Tank-in-wall project was done in conjunction with a powder room re-do.
(gotta keep the wife happy)
In this pic you see the doorway from the powder room to the fish tank room.
I framed in an end view that will be seen when you go wash up before dinner.
My buddy Carlos here is helping me with the project.

The I-beam is bolted to a post that is brought down to a footing we poured in the crawl space.
The other side of the I-beam is sitting on the foundation.
I joined it to another beam that is against the back wall.
Thus the entire floor of the fish room is free and clear of stands or supports.
I will tile the floor and put a drain in it in case of spills. :glasses:
I ran a few extra 120v circuits to the room also. Too much power is never a problem :exmark:

 

jar,

Wow, nice build. Let's see some hardware for the tank.

More pictures please

 

Looks like it will be fantastic!

 

Reefstud
If I had more time and more money I would be snappin more pics of cool stuff that I don't have yet.
Besides, I enjoy sharing the custom build stuff as opposed to an off the shelf used skimmer.
Thanks for the compliment. A labor of love...

 

I'm putting an exhaust fan that will be controlled by a thermostat to keep the room at a constant temperature...

:bigsmile: :beer:

The 85g in the background is going out to pasture... Literally...Lots of hair algae

 

Ready for the plywood to go on the I-beams.
Then the tank goes in!

 

Wow! Really interesting!! I'm psyched to see this develop.

How is the beam attached to the exterior wall? You said it was on the foundation?

Very cool stuff.

 

fantastic

 

Very cool Tank build.

Keep those picture coming.

 

Tank goes in half way to document the moment :exmark:

 

It is bolted to a post that is basically sitting on the foundation that runs through the middle of our home.

cabinet is ready! Cherry dude!

Here is the plywood top of the stand. Starfire 215 Oceanic ultimate RR tank goes in next!

 

I'm making a custom background for the tank out of this cool black styrofoam stuff that I got a while ago.
I wish I could find more of it. The sheet is about 1 inch thick and pretty dense. The really great thing about it is that it is permeable. Water pours right through it. I am cutting chunks of it and gluing it together with silicone to get some different profiles. I stuck some lucite rods in it by drilling holes. Then I can hang live rock from the back of the tank!

 

That's going inside the tank? Two words spring to mind: Detritus Trap. Seems like that thing will just get filled with poo and you won't be able to do a thing about it. Especially if it is porous and water moves through it. Thoughts? I hope I'm wrong.

 

I hope not too! It's now glued to the back of the future mixed reef.
I thought the added surface area would allow more beneficial bacteria and critters to live in peace and harmony. :bigsmile: Worst case... I rip it out later.
getting closer!

 

looks cool!