Advice for my 120

spyderreef

spyderreef

Member
I am putting in a 120 gal that is 4'x2'x2'. I am cutting a hole in my wall and I am building my own stand. I built this cardboard mockup to see how it would fit in the room. The tank sits 17" from the wall and is 40" off of the floor. We have a couple of bar chairs to sit and look at the tank. The support wall will be made of a 2x4 frame covered with sheet rock. The counter will be 6" in front of the tank and 3 1/2" on each side. We are looking into solid surface. For Christmas I got a hood with 2 400 watt radium MH HQI and 2 VHO 110 watt.:D I still need to design the cabinet above the tank. Because the tank is so high I am going to purchase a platform at the local hardware store so I don't have to worry about falling off a stool. I am looking for as much input as I can. What do you think? I still have time to change my mind.
 
mlm

mlm

Active Member
Not much input except that I just got the same tank and am falling in loive with how easy its going to be to aquasacpe because of the front to back depth. Good luck sounds like a cool idea.
 
spyderreef

spyderreef

Member
If you are looking at my 125 you most likely see my 3 rose anemones. They take up a big part of my tank. I am anxious to get the 120 set up. The tank does hang over three inches but should not be a problem. Once I build the frame I will use two sheets of 3/4" plywood for the tank to sit on. Do you think it will look too weird? I wanted enough room underneath to fit your legs and it was the only way I could figure out to make enough room.
 
justinx

justinx

Active Member
just curious . . . is your cardboard model to scale? If not then never mind, but if it is to scale, then it needs to have a bigger footprint.
 
finland

finland

Member
I think I would have to agree with jamesurq. I would really consider making the base of the stand as deep, front to back, as the tank. A 120 gallon tank is awfully heavy and you would want it equally supported on all 4 sides. Other then that, it looks like it will be a nice setup.
 
arkman

arkman

Member
and/or support the front of the shelf with STRONG BRAIDED WIRE bolted through beams in the ceiling.
How are you going to lift the hood? Isnt it "in" the wall?
 
jrb384

jrb384

Member
whats in the room behind the tank? how will you deal with heat ect. from the tank ect being closed in the wall. i decided not to put my tank in my wall because i didnt have the right room behind it. and it seemed space would be tight, and maintenence ect would be a pain. and if you sell your home, and a potiental buyer may not share the same interest in aquariums.
when you had your aquarium built, did it have a wrap around brace up top around the inside?
i have the same design as you, except mine is 50" long, by 2ft by 2ft. the only complaint i have is it is difficult to reach all the way into the tank and work, being in the wall it will probally be a pain unless you have the right space behind it.
 
spyderreef

spyderreef

Member
I am lucky to have a large room behind the tank. The sump for my 125 is already there. I will have access from the front and the back. I like the idea of having both tanks in the same room but at different heights. My cardboard scale is very close. What I did not show is the thickness of the counter. I was told that if I anchor the frame to the floor and use 2 sheet of 3/4" plywood to set the tank on, the tank can sit over the base 3". My hood has two fans so whatever I build will have to be large enough for air circulation. I might need another fan to bring air out.
If we ever do sell the house we will deal with it then. I don't think that we will be doing anything that can't changed back. The carpet would be a bigger issue and by the time we would sell it would need new carpet anyway.
Thanks for your insights. I'm still thinking about it.
 
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