180 in-wall tank with fishroom

[broken poles]

just thought I would share my in-wall tank build. My wife is sick of the humming and gurgling of my three fish tanks in the downstairs family room. Having any more tanks was not an option she was willing to entertain unless I could make them Quiet and pretty. So I had her talked into this:

That's a 180 in the middle with four 30gal around it.

Then I started bringing home racks and tanks that I had stored and everything went downhill from there. When i brought home the 1/4" oak plywood for the cabinet doors it was made very clear that they "would not be able tho contain the noise of my tanks." Then she said " Why don't you just build a wall and have a room for your tanks?" Trying to contain my excitement I said "Yes, that would probably work". So it was decided I would build my 180 into the wall and have a 8'6" x 13'3" room behind it. Besides, I was not really looking forward to maintenance on my wall of fish cabinets. Having noisy fish tanks is finally going to pay off!

This is my first fish room so if you see something I should do different I will appreciate the feedback. I am looking for ideas as this progresses. So far I have cut out the carpet and put down a treated 2x4 plate with pl200 and and cement bolts.


Then I framed a wall:


Then it was wired with 2 six packs of outlets. Next came some sheetrock:


The hole for the tank will come soon. I just wanted to see if the new room stayed warmer than the rest of the basement.

And then to make the wife happy some 1 1/2" white styrofoam. I will be putting another 1 1/2" of high density foam over this next. And then some plastic over that. The sheetrock on the inside of the room will be mold resistant.


the room is a total mess and I still have a lot to do yet, like a heat duct, more sheetrock,hopefully a sink,more racks, some plumbing,etc. Let me know what you think and if I missed anything important.

[William Palumbo]

I like the look of it!... I can't help you out technically, but I do like your plan(drawing). All the best with it and I enjoyed looking at the pics...Bill

[dbfzurowski]

Its just me, but I hate those electric wires. I always use piping just in case I need to run additional wires in the future.

Whats that opening for on bottom left?

[broken poles]

Its just me, but I hate those electric wires. I always use piping just in case I need to run additional wires in the future.

Whats that opening for on bottom left?

Hopefuly I won't meed any more power than is already wired in. I have 30amps on two circuits just for this room.
I think the opening you are referring to is where the door will be. I just let the sheetrock hang over.

[retiredsailor]

Looks great. What are you planning on using to actually hold up the 180 tank? I'm planning a stand for my 100 gallon and trying to decide on what to use. I'm thinking that 4x4's will definitely do the job.

[Second Hand Pat]

WOW...sweet. Of course it will not be big enough. Is there a sink in your new room?

[Disgirl]

You are definitely a real carpenter and electrician to do all this! I really liked your first plan but can see how it could still be noisy. Best of luck with your fish room and I look forward to seeing pics of it all finished. Especially that 180 filled with Discus!
Barb

[Northwoods Discus]

Are you going to drill the tanks or have canister or HOB filters. I have a built in the wall 100 gallon with a sump in back and that works well. You will want to have a drain or plumbing to run water in to for water changes. A sink is a must to rinse things. A place for a water aging barrel. With that many tanks you will need to change a lot of water. Exhaust for humidity build up. An outlet by each tank for heaters, lights, filters etc. Better than having cords running all over. Just a few thoughts from the things I needed in my room. Oh yea and then after your done you need more room LOL.

[broken poles]

Looks great. What are you planning on using to actually hold up the 180 tank? I'm planning a stand for my 100 gallon and trying to decide on what to use. I'm thinking that 4x4's will definitely do the job.

The tank will be flush with the sheetrock on the outside so the wall will hold up that side and the rest of the frame will be 2x6's and 4x4's. I think.... I haven't really settled on a plan yet. But 4x4's will be fine for a 100 gal for sure.

WOW...sweet. Of course it will not be big enough. Is there a sink in your new room?

thanks. I know it won't be big enough but I'll take what I can get As far as a sink is concerned I really want one but the plumbing would have to be exposed and it would just run into the floor drain in the next room. I do already have a 1" drain pipe run in there for my tank overflows but I am not sure if 1" would handle the flow of a sink and tanks. Also, I need to take it slow so I don't scare the wife. When she said "fishroom" I don't she fully understood what she was saying. LOL

You are definitely a real carpenter and electrician to do all this! I really liked your first plan but can see how it could still be noisy. Best of luck with your fish room and I look forward to seeing pics of it all finished. Especially that 180 filled with Discus!
Barb

Thank you

Are you going to drill the tanks or have canister or HOB filters. I have a built in the wall 100 gallon with a sump in back and that works well. You will want to have a drain or plumbing to run water in to for water changes. A sink is a must to rinse things. A place for a water aging barrel. With that many tanks you will need to change a lot of water. Exhaust for humidity build up. An outlet by each tank for heaters, lights, filters etc. Better than having cords running all over. Just a few thoughts from the things I needed in my room. Oh yea and then after your done you need more room LOL.

Some of my tanks are drilled and some have DIY overflows. I currently run a small aging barrel and water changes are done with the flip of a switch. I will be increasing the size of this system as I go. The filters on most tanks will be sponge filters, except the 180 which has a wet/dry. I also have a couple aquaclears and emperor filters if I need them but I am trying to reduce the elec. cost.
So far the humidity is staying at about 35% so hopefully it won't go much higher. I do have a dehumidifier though if it does.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I did not get much done this weekend because I had to watch the kids for most of the time. I got the heat duct in and the door hung but thats about it.

[ZX10R]

All I see is a huge Muskie on the wall I am so jealous I have been fishing for Muskie all my life and haven't caught one that big yet. Nice catch!!!!

[broken poles]

All I see is a huge Muskie on the wall I am so jealous I have been fishing for Muskie all my life and haven't caught one that big yet. Nice catch!!!!

Well, if it makes you feel better, I caught that fish about 15 yrs ago and I haven't caught a single one since. Despite fishing for muskies about 5 days out of every summer.

[babers]

That looks like a great project. Can't wait to see the finish product. Goodluck!!!

[ZX10R]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I caught that fish about 15 yrs ago and I haven't caught a single one since. Despite fishing for muskies about 5 days out of every summer.

From my years of fishing for them seems like the big ones are hard to come by anymore.

[broken poles]

how about a little update? It's been awhile and things are moving slow as usual but here's a few pics:
I put in the 1 1/2" high density foam for both sound and temp insulation:


Then some more drywall and primer. Notice there is a heat duct in the upper left corner:


I didn't want to mess with the popcorn on the ceiling so I just butted the sheetrock up tight and caulked the joint. On the second side I cut a bevel on the sheetrock so it was easier to force it tight to the ceiling. This way you only have to smash a little of the sheetrock and a little of the popcorn to get a tight fit:
Before caulk:


after caulk:


The bevel:


Time to start on some stands:
Here is one that I built to hold 2 20gal side by side or a 30 long, or 3 10 gal side by side:


The other fiberglass rack i obtained from a LFS that was closing:

Now for the stand for the 180:


How about an air pump? A medo 35 lpm model:

Then some DIY overfllows and water fillers in various configuations:


While all this has been going on my discus have laid eggs three times with freeswimmers from every batch. They are finally in their own tank so maybe I get some to live:

That's about all for now, I have orders from jehmco and Kensfish on the way with more parts and supplies so I can go further on my project.

[Neco]

That last picture is funny... this crazy animals... sometimes you want them to lay some eggs... and have to wait for months, some other times you don´t... and you find eggs everywere