tableforglasses
Member
A while back I asked for advice on moving my tank from main floor to the basement. In the process I decided to build the tank in wall and would like to share how the process went. I would be happy to answer any questions afterwards as well if anyone is curious how I did anything. The tank is a 120 gallon reef.
I started with the transfer of rock, sand, fish, and water. I used trash cans and storage containers to move everything.
This is the wall I wanted to put the tank in. It has a storage room behind it that would hold tank and filtration system. We put the tank in our kids play basement.
Next I removed the drywall and the insulation on the ******** of the storage room. I also ran new electrical wire and outlets so that I could power everything in the tank and the filtration system.
Next I put the cabinet stand that I had used before on the main floor in the storage closet along with the tank and took measurements so that I could cut out the drywall on the other side.
I then used a chalk line to outline where I would be cutting the drywall based off of my previous measurements.
Then I used a jigsaw to cut out the wall. I used a jigsaw because I needed to cut through the studs as well as the drywall also the jigsaw is maneuverable in a way a skill saw is not. .
The jigsaw blade was not deep enough to cut through the studs so I came back with a skill saw and cut them on the other side to remove the studs.
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When I was done the wall looked like this.
This is what the tank looked like after I put it flush up into the wall.
Next I began to readd the sand and water.
I then cut molding and painted it black so as to hide the cuts in the wall and to hide the brown wood casing around the tank.
I then hung the T5's from the ceilings and then the metal halides getting rid of my old light cabinet that was very heavy to move and contained too much heat from halides.
Next I plummed in the sump system with skimmer, refugium, and return pump
When I was done and reset up the tank looked something like this.
Hope you enjoy and again if you have any questions feel free to ask!
I started with the transfer of rock, sand, fish, and water. I used trash cans and storage containers to move everything.
This is the wall I wanted to put the tank in. It has a storage room behind it that would hold tank and filtration system. We put the tank in our kids play basement.
Next I removed the drywall and the insulation on the ******** of the storage room. I also ran new electrical wire and outlets so that I could power everything in the tank and the filtration system.
Next I put the cabinet stand that I had used before on the main floor in the storage closet along with the tank and took measurements so that I could cut out the drywall on the other side.
I then used a chalk line to outline where I would be cutting the drywall based off of my previous measurements.
Then I used a jigsaw to cut out the wall. I used a jigsaw because I needed to cut through the studs as well as the drywall also the jigsaw is maneuverable in a way a skill saw is not. .
The jigsaw blade was not deep enough to cut through the studs so I came back with a skill saw and cut them on the other side to remove the studs.
/>
When I was done the wall looked like this.
This is what the tank looked like after I put it flush up into the wall.
Next I began to readd the sand and water.
I then cut molding and painted it black so as to hide the cuts in the wall and to hide the brown wood casing around the tank.
I then hung the T5's from the ceilings and then the metal halides getting rid of my old light cabinet that was very heavy to move and contained too much heat from halides.
Next I plummed in the sump system with skimmer, refugium, and return pump
When I was done and reset up the tank looked something like this.
Hope you enjoy and again if you have any questions feel free to ask!