Looking to set up a wall tank in this spot, thoughts?

[aquatix]

View of the wall from my dining room:

View of the other side, from the kitchen:

I'd love to build a wall aquarium inside this wall. A few potential problems I'd like advice on:
1. The wall is only about 14 inches thick. I imagine I'd have to build the tank 24 inches wide, meaning it would stick out a bit and I'd have to increase the wide of the wall below and above the tank.
2. It sits near a window. There is a patio covering just outside, so it will never get direct sunlight, but it will get natural sunlight.
I'm thinking something like a 70 gallon to 100 gallon tank...
I'd love others opinions on how feasible a spot this is. Thanks!

 

[jimvette1]

First, Is this a load bearing wall?
The width of your wall has me concerned.

Second, You must see if you have enough wall width for your tank.
I'm no expert here, but I'm planing the same thing and I know there are different sized tanks on the market but in my area to get a 100 gallon tank it must be at least 6 foot wide.
Do you have that much width?
That is my problem and why I'm going with a 90 gallon. It's 48x18x24.
And don't forget access to the sump or the top of the tank for lighting.
Sounds like one heck of a project, take a lot of pictures, good luck.

 

[aquatix]

Originally Posted by JimVette1
http:///forum/post/3012592
First, Is this a load bearing wall?
I have no clue what you're talking about. the aquarium company I spoke with said they'd have to "contract" this part out...
The width of your wall has me concerned.

Second, You must see if you have enough wall width for your tank.
I'm no expert here, but I'm planing the same thing and I know there are different sized tanks on the market but in my area to get a 100 gallon tank it must be at least 6 foot wide.
Do you have that much width?
That is my problem and why I'm going with a 90 gallon. It's 48x18x24.
The wall is only 14 inches thick right now, but I'm hoping that can be widened for this project. Sounds like I may need to go with the 90 gallon if I do this.
Any other thoughts?

 

[lil.guppy]

Great spot and I think it will look really nice.
So you are going to make the wall thicker? How much more do you think it needs to be? Is it going to take alot of square footage away from your other rooms?

 

[crypt keeper]

Originally Posted by aquatix
http:///forum/post/3012696
I have no clue what you're talking about. the aquarium company I spoke with said they'd have to "contract" this part out...
The wall is only 14 inches thick right now, but I'm hoping that can be widened for this project. Sounds like I may need to go with the 90 gallon if I do this.
Any other thoughts?
If its a load bearing wall its not a big deal. They can reinforce the wall on each side of the tank depending on the length you choose. My father just cut off half the back of his house and reinforced it to build a sunroom.
How long is the wall? If you are going to cut a hole in your wall you might as well go as big as you can.

 

[salt210]

+1 with crypt
if you want there to be a tank there you will be fine. as for the tank getting natural sunlight, if it becomes a problem tint the windows. now for the tank size. how long is that wall and do you mind extending it out alittle if it isnt the correct length? a 125 measures 72x18x20. now if you dont want to extend that wall and it is too short(under 6ft) you can get deeper tanks instead of longer. hth

 

[jimvette1]

I thought you were going to do this project yourself, that was my reason for asking about a load bearing wall.
And not to disagree with anyone, a load bearing wall IS a big deal if you don't know what you are doing, but since this is being contracted out it is nothing to worry about if done by professionals.

Most in walls I have seen have access from one side for lighting and filtration (sump). The way you are describing your installation it will be flush on both sides.I am interested in how you are going to do this?
This sounds like an interesting installation, is the aquarium company drawing up plans for you?
Remember to take plenty of pictures during installation, we love pictures.

 

[jdl]

personally i would look for a different wall. With most in wall builds, they only have 1 viewing wall and possibly a side. This gives them a room to house all the equipment inside of a room out of site. For you to make a double viewing setup, you will need lots of space under the tank for your equipment which it doesnt look like you have.
If you are set on this spot, look into building a custom acrylic tank. This way you can get it to the exact size of the wall and wont be stuck with the typical sizes of tanks. But that may cost some $$
How were you planning to do an overflow?

 

[aquatix]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'd really like it there because it is viewable right when you walk in the house and from both the dining room and kitchen.
I've only spent 10 minutes with the aquarium company on the phone and he hasn't returned my email (figures). I am out of town right now, but I believe 72x18x20 should fit there in terms of length.
The obvious tough part is going to be the width since that's wider than my wall (also note the rock on the edge of the wall). I wonder how hard it will be for a company to just make that entire wall 2 feet wide?
Someone mentioned the possibility of having to tint the window... my wife may kill me if I do that. What are the odds I get an algae problem if it's natural sunlight and not direct?
And if I go through with this, I'll be taking tons of pics

 

[salt210]

yeah, I was looking at that after my post. I think that any contractor that you can get a hold of shouldnt have a problem with that though. as for access to the equipment it will just have to have panels on one side, no problem there. I think it will be a good spot for the tank

 

[aquatix]

any ballpark on what all this may cost?

 

[locoyo386]

Hi there,
Originally Posted by aquatix
http:///forum/post/3012918
any ballpark on what all this may cost?
It all depends on wether the wall is a shearwall (a wall set for later resisting system) or not. If the wall is a shearwall, than you are going to have to look into a structural analysis of the house to make sure the rest of the walls hand handle wind and earthquake loads.
Project might be as low as a couple grant, perhaps more closer to $4k. It all depends on the wall being a load baring wall or shearwall or a combination of both. Well good luck with your project.

 

[oceansidefish]

Personally I would not put an in wall fish tank there. If you want a tank there go with a traditional tank or find somewhere else in the house. Yes the sunlight can be an issue. I tinted the windows in my kitchen because my tank was getting hit with too much light. With the wall where it is and the stonework I would not do it. You are going to have access issues to the tank and it will look really bizare in your kitchen....

 

[crypt keeper]

Dude its your house. You want the tank there put it there. They have walked on the moon. They can shove a fish tank in the wall in your huge house. Whether or not you want to take the steps to do it correctly is another issue.
Personally It would look great there. Id go as long and tall as possible. Im assuming this is the first floor and you have a basement. What is underneath that exact spot in your basement? If nothing set up your sump pumps and piping down there. That way you could build a 6'x3'x2' tank. That would be so bad ass. It wont cost that much more. Might as well put a badass tank in your wall. You will regret the hell out of it if you didnt go bigger.
If your sump system is in the basement the tank could start a foot to two feet off the floor and it will look normal.

 

[oceansidefish]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3013012
Dude its your house. You want the tank there put it there. They have walked on the moon. They can shove a fish tank in the wall in your huge house. Whether or not you want to take the steps to do it correctly is another issue.
Personally It would look great there. Id go as long and tall as possible. Im assuming this is the first floor and you have a basement. What is underneath that exact spot in your basement? If nothing set up your sump pumps and piping down there. That way you could build a 6'x3'x2' tank. That would be so bad ass. It wont cost that much more. Might as well put a badass tank in your wall. You will regret the hell out of it if you didnt go bigger.
If your sump system is in the basement the tank could start a foot to two feet off the floor and it will look normal.
He lives in Bakersfield there are no basements... Second he was ASKING about the feasability of the spot... Not whether or not she should get a tank at all... If you look at the pictures he posted and at the location relative to the exterior of the house you would say "hey is there a better place"???
Aquatix....
I want you to know that I am familiar with where you live and the conditions that the tank would be subjected to based on the desired location and what I can tell about your house from the pictures. I can only give you my offerings as to what I see. I want you to have a nice tank. If you want an inwall I would explore other options as they exist. If you want a tank THERE I would look for a really nice setup that would stand alone and not an in wall. You are going to need a chiller there and it will require space to put it in.

 

[crypt keeper]

Originally Posted by Oceansidefish
http:///forum/post/3013018
He lives in Bakersfield there are no basements... Second he was ASKING about the feasability of the spot... Not whether or not she should get a tank at all... If you look at the pictures he posted and at the location relative to the exterior of the house you would say "hey is there a better place"???.
He wants the tank in that spot. Read post 9. This is after peoples opinions like yours. I simply said put it where you want then said as long as you are willing to set it up correctly. Secondly Like the Original poster asked. I gave my comments on tank size. Don't assume I didnt look at the spot he wants it. I did. I think its a great spot. As I posted before. If he is willing to make correct accomodations the tank will be fine there.

 

[aquatix]

Thank you all for the advice... still not sure. I could always put a stand alone somewhere in my house but this spot would provide the best visibility. And no, there is no basement as oceansidewish pointed out.
I would be willing to basically break the wall down and build it again, this time two feet wide but the light coming in the window scares me.
I am an old hobbyist dying to get back in the game, but I want to do it right.

 

[aquatix]

I spoke with the local aquarium company and showed them the pics. He says that the outside light would create a "maintenance nightmare."
DAMN!

 

[oceansidefish]

I would agree that it would indeed create a maintenance nightmare...If you were willing to put up drapes or heavily tint the windows you would have a chance. You will also have to think about the symetry between the rock on both sides of the wall... Also it appears as though there is an elevation change in your house between the dining area and the kitchen...Depending on how that is done in the concrete it could also make it a tad more complicated... You would also have to consider which side you would want to make the cabinets on.
Looking at the pictures I would do a stand alone tank on the kitchen side of that wall and tint the windows or hang some curtains. I am guessing you spend quite a bit more time in there than you do your dining area. You could have a carpenter build the stand into the wall so it looked like a built in... Plus it looks like the sun would be behind the tank. With a little moving around of electrical it would work